Guide
TeachersSide HustleUSA202615 Side Hustles for Teachers (Use Your Skills Outside the Classroom)
The average US teacher salary is $69,544 (NEA 2025 data), and 44% of teachers report working a second job. You already have skills that command premium rates outside the classroom — instruction, curriculum design, communication, and patience. Here are 15 ways to monetize them.
Last updated: February 26, 2026
Step-by-Step Guide
Start with tutoring for immediate income
Create a Wyzant profile tonight and start accepting students within a week. This is the fastest path to supplemental income using skills you already have.
Upload existing materials to TpT
Take your best lesson plans, worksheets, and activities and list them on Teachers Pay Teachers. You've already done the work — now let it earn passively.
Create a content schedule that respects your energy
Don't try to create content on exhausting school nights. Use weekend mornings and breaks for content creation. Batch-create during summer for year-round posting.
Build a summer income strategy
Plan your summer side hustle before school ends. Summer tutoring, curriculum consulting, and intensive content creation during the 10-12 weeks off can earn $3,000-$10,000.
Transition toward passive income
The long-term goal is income that doesn't require your active time. Online courses, TpT resources, and YouTube content all compound. Build these gradually alongside active tutoring.
Why teachers are undervalued and how side hustles fix that
Teachers are among the most underpaid professionals relative to their education and skills. According to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers earn 23.5% less than comparable college-educated workers.
But here's the flip side: teaching skills are incredibly valuable in the private market:
- Curriculum design — Corporate training companies pay $50-$150/hr for instructional designers
- Tutoring — Private tutors charge $40-$100/hr (vs. $35/hr effective teacher rate)
- Content creation — Educational content is one of the highest-CPM niches on YouTube ($7-$15 CPM in the US)
- Course creation — A single well-designed online course can earn $10,000-$100,000+
The challenge isn't your skill set — it's your available time. Between lesson planning, grading, and extracurriculars, teachers average 54 hours per week of work (NCES data). Side hustles need to work within these constraints.
15 side hustles for teachers by availability
After school and evenings (10-15 hrs/week):
1. Private tutoring — Your most straightforward option. $40-$100/hr on Wyzant or privately. Specialize in SAT/ACT prep for premium rates.
2. Online tutoring — Teach from home via Zoom. $30-$80/hr. No commute.
3. Educational content creation — Create YouTube videos about your subject area. $500-$5,000/month.
4. Teachers Pay Teachers — Sell lesson plans and worksheets you've already created. $200-$2,000/month passive.
5. Test prep instructor — Kaplan, Princeton Review, and independent. $25-$75/hr.
Summers and breaks (full-time availability):
6. Summer tutoring intensive — Charge premium rates for intensive prep. $2,000-$8,000/summer.
7. Curriculum consulting — Help schools or EdTech companies design curriculum. $50-$150/hr.
8. Summer camp instructor — Lead academic or enrichment camps. $2,000-$5,000/summer.
9. Corporate training — Teach soft skills to businesses. $50-$200/hr.
Year-round passive income:
10. Online course creation — Build a course on Udemy or Teachable. $500-$5,000/month passive.
11. Educational YouTube channel — Evergreen content earns for years. Use FluxNote for efficient production.
12. Textbook and study guide writing — $5,000-$20,000 per project.
13. Educational app advising — Consult for EdTech startups. $50-$150/hr.
14. Freelance writing for educational publications — $0.10-$1.00/word.
15. Sell printables on Etsy — Worksheets, planners, educational materials. $200-$1,000/month.
Teachers Pay Teachers and digital products
Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) deserves special attention because it directly monetizes materials you're already creating.
The numbers:
- Over 7 million resources listed on the platform
- Average seller earns $200-$500/month (TpT annual report)
- Top 1% of sellers earn $50,000-$200,000+/year
- Average resource price: $3-$8
What sells well:
- Complete unit plans ($15-$30)
- Test prep materials (SAT, ACT, AP exams)
- Interactive notebooks and digital worksheets
- Special education accommodations and modifications
- Seasonal and holiday-themed activities
The time investment: Most successful TpT sellers spend 5-10 hours per week creating and optimizing listings. The work compounds — each resource you upload continues selling indefinitely.
Getting started: Upload resources you've already created and field-tested in your classroom. Optimize titles and descriptions with keywords teachers actually search for. Quality matters more than quantity — well-designed, curriculum-aligned resources outsell sloppy ones by 10x.
Pro Tips
- Your classroom experience is your credibility — mention years of teaching, student outcomes, and subject expertise in all marketing
- SAT/ACT prep tutoring commands the highest rates ($75-$150/hr) if you have subject matter expertise and can point to student score improvements
- Summer is your competitive advantage — use it to build content libraries, courses, and passive income streams that earn year-round
- Check your school district's policy on outside employment — most allow it but some require disclosure
- Educational content on YouTube has high CPM ($7-$15) because advertisers pay premium rates to reach parents and students