As a career choice, going to college to become a teacher bodes well for your chances of landing a job. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects approximately 1.9 million job openings for preschool and postsecondary teachers between 2014 and 2024. Clearly, the demand for skilled educators isn’t diminishing anytime soon.
However, becoming a teacher isn’t a one-way ticket to financial success. In fact, 1 in 6 teachers works a second job throughout the year according to a 2019 report by the Pew Research Center. If you consider challenges like reduced summer hours, recent school closures, and shifts to distance education, being a teacher can be more volatile for your annual income than you think.
Thankfully, if you want to increase your income, there are several summer jobs for teachers that can help pay the bills if your hours decrease over the break. Additionally, many jobs still involve being an educator, making teachers the perfect candidates.
The Best Summer Jobs for Teachers
Some of the most popular summer jobs for teachers are similar to regular teaching jobs because they involve education. In contrast, other summer gigs are just a reliable way to make extra cash.
If you want to keep your teaching skills sharp and work on your resume, try to find gigs that still involve teaching. Otherwise, don’t be afraid to branch into new industries besides teaching to boost your income over the summer.
1. Online Teacher
- Pros: High hourly pay; prior teaching experience helps your application
- Cons: Time zone differences mean you have to be an early riser; slow onboarding
- Verdict: If you want to keep teaching for your summer job but can’t find work at local schools, online teaching is your best option.
An obvious choice is simply to continue teaching. Many companies hire online teachers for different subjects, and you don’t have to work for your local school board.
Teaching English as a second language is a popular option for many online teachers, especially during summer break. Companies like VIPKid and EF Education First hire native English speakers with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree to teach English to students in China. Both companies have different pay structures, but teaching for either company pays at least $13 per hour. Plus, monthly bonuses and teaching more classes per month also increase your pay.
Beijing is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time. Due to this difference, classes begin early in the morning for North American teachers. If you’re a morning person, that’s ideal during summer since you can enjoy the rest of your day after work, but it’s worth noting before applying. Prior teaching experience also helps your application, making online ESL tutoring an excellent summer job idea.
If you aren’t a native English speaker or want to teach different subjects, you still have options. For example, Chegg hires online tutors for a range of subjects and pays $20 per hour. Similarly, you can become an online teacher for Tutor.com and earn an average of $14 per hour, according to Indeed, by teaching dozens of topics across seven areas of study.
2. Private Tutor
- Pros: Set your own rate; flexible schedule
- Cons: Finding clients takes time
- Verdict: If you prefer in-person teaching or specialize in test preparation, private tutoring is an excellent summer job.
Private tutoring is still in demand despite a rise in online education. If you prefer in-person teaching or specialize in a specific type of test preparation, private tutoring is another effective way teachers can make money over the summer.
A straightforward way to find your first students is to sell your services on Craigslist or other local classifieds and Facebook groups. You can also post flyers around your city to inform parents of your services. Remember to list the subjects you tutor, your hourly rate, and simple contact information to help parents reach you.
You can also work for tutoring companies and use their online platforms to find local students. For example, University Tutor lets you set your own price and find work in nearly 10,000 cities worldwide. Additionally, you can help students with test prep for standardized tests like the SAT, ACT, and GMAT alongside regular subjects.
Tutor Doctor is another option if you live in the United States or Canada. According to Indeed, Tutor Doctor pays $20 per hour on average. And if you can’t find work on your own, their network of students can make it easier to find work.
3. Sell Educational Resources
- Pros: Passive income potential; you can sell on multiple marketplaces
- Cons: You aren’t paid for the time you spend creating resources; market is competitive
- Verdict: Selling educational resources online is ideal if you enjoy creative projects and helping other teachers improve their lessons with your educational material.
If you have an entrepreneurial itch and want to make money by helping other teachers, selling educational resources online is another option to boost your summer income.
Generally, there are two categories of educational resources you can sell:
- Lesson Plans. Sell comprehensive lesson plans for specific subjects and grade levels.
- Printables. Sell activity sheets teachers can give to their students. Typically, printables are fun activities that cater to younger grades.
In terms of platforms to sell your work, you also have options. Selling on Etsy is a popular choice for teachers who create and sell printables or gifts for teachers. Most printables and gifts sell for approximately $5 to $20.
It’s a crowded space, but creating an Etsy store is free. Plus, you only pay a small listing fee for each product and a 5% transaction fee on sales. This cost structure makes Etsy an affordable platform to test out your printable ideas.
You can also sell lesson plans online for grades between kindergarten and grade 12. Teachers Pay Teachers lets you sell lesson plans or other printable resources to fellow teachers. You get paid via PayPal, and lesson plans generally sell for $10 to $30. Popular teachers on this platform have thousands of sales and reviews for their stores, so there’s room for growth.
Finally, you can request an invitation to Amazon Ignite, Amazon’s new educational resource marketplace. If Amazon accepts your request, you can sell educational resources for kindergarten to grade 12 and collect a 70% royalty on sales. Amazon doesn’t gain exclusive access to your material, so you can also sell on other platforms.
A benefit of this summer job is that once you spend time creating lesson plans or printables, that work is done forever. Since you’re only selling digital downloads, the revenue you make throughout the year is basically passive income, meaning your upfront time investment can pay dividends for years to come.
4. Babysitting
- Pros: High hourly pay; flexible schedule
- Cons: Finding clients takes time
- Verdict: If you already have child care certification and health and safety training, babysitting is an ideal summer job. However, hours can be inconsistent, so try other job ideas if you need steady pay.
While babysitting is a popular summer job for high school students, nothing is stopping you from also making money with this side gig.
Summer is a popular time for travel and weekend events, and families can’t always bring their kids along. If you complete basic first-aid training and child care certification from a reputable organization like the Red Cross, you’re certainly qualified to work as a babysitter during the busy summer months.
According to SitterCity, babysitters earn an average of $16.50 per hour. Families also often tip babysitters, and taking on additional responsibilities like cooking or taking care of multiple kids can also increase your hourly pay.
SitterCity lets you sign up as a sitter to find jobs in your area. Alternatively, you can use Care.com or Sitter.com to search for job openings. If these options fail, you can resort to local classifieds or post flyers to find clients.
Flexibility is certainly a plus. As long as you get certification and don’t mind taking care of kids, becoming a babysitter is an effective way to increase your summer income.
5. Camp Counselor
- Pros: Job availability; different types of camps to choose from
- Cons: Low pay; less flexibility than jobs like online teaching
- Verdict: If you enjoy a camp environment and don’t mind less flexibility or lower pay, this summer job provides additional experience with working with kids and steady hours.
Being a camp counselor is another classic summer job. As a teacher, your experience working with kids and managing a classroom undoubtedly transfers to a camp environment, making you a strong candidate for the job.
An easy way to find summer camp counselor jobs in your area is to use online job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter. Alternatively, if you know of existing camps in your area, check their websites for a jobs page or contact information you can use to apply directly.
Like many summer jobs, applying early is essential to ensure you don’t miss the hiring window and can start working as soon as school is on break. According to ZipRecruiter, camp counselors earn $10 per hour on average, although other perks like free meals or lodging for overnight camps are common.
Ultimately, if you want to work directly with kids instead of working online, being a camp counselor is another reliable summer job for teachers.
6. Community Center Worker
- Pros: Job availability; multiple roles to choose from
- Cons: Low pay; less flexibility than jobs like online teaching
- Verdict: Working in a community center is ideal if there’s an opening for a coordinator role within a department you’re passionate about.
If you live near a community center, it’s worth checking for job openings if you want another option to make money during your summer break. Community centers like the YMCA hire regularly and have locations across the country. According to Payscale, YMCA workers also earn between $10 and $14 per hour.
However, the YMCA isn’t your only option. Many community centers have jobs that involve working with youth or running educational summer programs, including roles like:
- Preschool director
- Fitness instructor
- Swimming instructor
- Events coordinator
- Youth counselor
- Workshop leader
Job availability varies by region and also depends on the specific services your community center offers. While community centers are also an excellent place to volunteer, if you want a reliable part-time or even full-time summer job as a teacher, check your local community center for opportunities.
7. Youth Sports Coach
- Pros: High hourly pay
- Cons: Limited hours; might require a longer commitment than just summer
- Verdict: If you love sports and have previous experience as a player, being a coach is a natural fit for your summertime side hustle.
For many sports, summer is either the start of the regular season or an off-season during which training is the priority. Whatever the case, working as a youth sports coach won’t lead to an idle summer.
Sports academies, gyms, schools, and independent leagues require coaches who know how to work with young athletes. If you coach a competitive league, you must understand the game you’re coaching at a high level. However, for less competitive youth leagues, having a basic understanding suffices.
Hourly pay varies between sports. According to ZipRecruiter, soccer coaches earn an average of $26 per hour, whereas football coaches earn an average of $19 per hour. However, pay ranges quite significantly, and the age and competitiveness of your league influence pay. Generally, older and more competitive leagues pay more.
Indeed is an effective way to begin your coaching job search. You can also become a parent coach of youth sports if your child is on a team, but note that this position isn’t always paid. Finally, if your school offers paid coaching positions, which isn’t uncommon for private schools, you can apply for the job and run training camps over summer.
Alternatively, you can become an athletic trainer and coach individual players or teams without taking on coaching responsibilities. According to Salary.com, athletic trainers earn a median pay of $22 per hour, although having personal training certification might be a requirement for sports academies or gyms in your area.
Ultimately, if you have a passion for sports and know how to effectively coach, this is a rewarding summer job that pays a high hourly wage. However, it’s vital you find a coaching role that’s only for summer unless you can commit to coaching for the remainder of the year.
8. Freelance Writer
- Pros: High hourly pay; flexible schedule
- Cons: Finding clients takes time
- Verdict: If you enjoy writing and don’t need money immediately, starting out as a freelance writer is one of the highest-paying side jobs for teachers.
If you want to make extra money and enjoy writing, becoming a freelance writer is one of the higher-paying online summer jobs you can land.
According to PayScale, the average freelance writer earns $22.99 per hour. But the top 10% of writers earn approximately $54.50 per hour. If you can land one or more regular writing clients, freelance writing has the potential to be an incredibly lucrative job you rely on throughout your summer vacation.
To become a freelance writer, you can search for part-time jobs or contract work on freelance websites like:
Some websites, like iWriter and TextBroker, exclusively cater to freelance writers looking for work. Other websites like FlexJobs and Mediabistro mostly post remote jobs but have numerous writing jobs at any given time. Finally, you can always try regular job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter and search for “freelance writing” to get a list of jobs.
Using a mixture of job sites is the best way to find writing jobs quickly. However, having a writing portfolio helps when you apply for jobs or pitch clients directly because it gives potential clients a sample of your work. Before pitching, consider writing several articles on a free blogging platform like Medium or starting your own blog to build your portfolio.
Your starting rate might be low — think $25 to $50 per article or $0.03 to $0.05 per word. But you can increase your writing rates over time as you gain experience and write for larger clients, working your way toward consistently higher hourly pay.
9. Virtual Assistant
- Pros: Job availability; work with business owners and freelancers so you expand your network; high hourly pay
- Cons: Not as flexible as other freelance gigs because you often work around a client’s schedule
- Verdict: If you don’t mind talking on the phone, booking appointments, and doing other administrative work, becoming a virtual assistant is a high-paying job worth trying over summer break.
By nature, teachers have a high level of attention to detail and organizational skills. Managing several classes, marking hundreds of assignments, and creating lesson plans requires sticking to a finely-tuned schedule.
Considering this level of organization, becoming a virtual assistant, or VA, is another natural summer job for teachers.
Virtual assistants typically help business owners and other freelancers with tasks like:
- Email correspondence
- Booking flights, hotels, and rental cars
- Data entry work
- Sending letters and packages
- Paying bills
- Sending invoices
- Transcription
- Social media marketing tasks
- Booking appointments
The type of tasks you do for a client usually depends on their business. For example, if you work for a blogger, your tasks might include scheduling content for social media posts or writing newsletter blasts. In contrast, if you’re a VA for an e-commerce business, your work likely involves sending invoices and bookkeeping.
According to Indeed, virtual assistants earn $19.06 per hour on average. You can find VA positions on freelance websites like Upwork and Fiverr. Companies like Fancy Hands also hire U.S. virtual assistants and pay $3 to $7 per task you complete. Tasks typically take 10 to 20 minutes.
Like other freelance gigs, finding VA clients takes time. But if you can find work by using multiple job boards and your personal network, it’s certainly a high-paying summer job that teachers should excel at.
10. Tour Guide
- Pros: Easily start your own tour guide side hustle with Airbnb; an excellent way to make money while exercising and sightseeing
- Cons: Generally requires a large tourism industry in your city to find work; lower hourly pay than most freelancing gigs
- Verdict: If you live in a city with a large summer tourism industry and don’t want a desk job, becoming a tour guide is a fun and decent-paying summer job to try.
If you live in a city with a strong tourism industry, becoming a tour guide is another teacher-friendly summer job that also lets you get away from the computer.
Tour guide jobs usually involve leading a walking or biking tour through a specific area of your city. Jobs can also require driving tour groups through natural parks or parts of your city.
There are numerous ways to become a tour guide. For starters, searching for tour guide jobs on websites like Indeed and ZipRecruiter should yield job leads. According to Salary.com, U.S. tour guides earn $15 per hour on average.
You can also be more entrepreneurial and offer your own tour guide services. For example, Airbnb hosts can offer experiences for guests alongside renting out a spare room. Experience categories include culture and history, food and drink, and nature and outdoors. You don’t need to host a room to host an Airbnb experience and you set your own prices.
Examples of experiences Airbnb hosts are offering in New York include:
- Brooklyn Bridge cinematic photo walk for $24 per person
- A private photoshoot with a professional photographer for $145 per person
- A cultural walking tour of Brooklyn for $48 per person
- A New York sailing tour for $72 per person
- Subway art and history tour for $30 per person
- A full-day NYC sightseeing tour for $59 per person
The best part about tour guide jobs is that you don’t necessarily need prerequisites to be a great guide; local knowledge and a love for your city is truly all you need to start out.
11. Gig Economy Jobs
- Pros: High hourly pay; flexible schedule; fast onboarding for most jobs
- Cons: Gigs like rideshare driving or food delivery can put wear and tear on your vehicle
- Verdict: The gig economy is your best option for making money over the summer if you want the most flexible schedule possible and to earn money quickly.
When it comes to making money quickly, it’s hard to rival gig economy jobs.
Gig economy jobs are also common. Statista states that over 57 million Americans already make money as independent contractors and freelancers in some form. When you consider how flexible and lucrative many gig economy jobs are, it’s easy to understand why these side gigs are so popular.
As a teacher, some flexible jobs you can use to make extra money during summer include:
- Working for food delivery apps like DoorDash and Postmates
- Finding dog walker and pet sitter gigs with Rover
- Driving for ridesharing apps like Lyft and Uber
- Completing odd jobs for people like assembling furniture or cleaning with TaskRabbit
- Helping people move with Lugg
- Delivering groceries for Instacart and Shipt
- Rent your spare space as storage on Neighbor.com
Picking a side hustle largely depends on your income goals and what you find enjoyable. For example, if you like dogs, it’s possible to earn around $17 per hour working for Rover, according to Glassdoor. Similarly, if you enjoy biking, you can try being a bike courier for DoorDash and earn around $16 per hour according to Indeed.
The main advantage of gig jobs is that you almost always work on your own schedule. If you want complete control over your summer working hours and to make money quickly, the gig economy is your best bet.
Final Word
Summer break is still a busy time for many teachers. Summer school, online classes, and preparing for the upcoming semester mean that in reality, most teachers work 12 months per year like many other jobs.
However, if you work fewer hours during summer and want to increase your income, you have options. The gig economy is truly your best bet if you can’t find traditional work. Alternatively, many part-time jobs pay well and provide steady hours during summer.
There are also several summer jobs for teachers that still involve education and working with youth. If you don’t want to put educating on hold over summer, prioritize these jobs and use your credentials to increase the odds you get hired.
These jobs are also ideal for recent graduates or substitute teachers looking to gain more experience as educators for their resumes. As long as you apply early to avoid missing the hiring window, you can hit the ground running this summer and make a positive impact on your finances.
