Teaching doesn't leave you with a lot of spare hours, but the ones you do have rarely land at convenient times: a free period here, a Tuesday evening there, whole summer stretches with nothing on the calendar.
The side hustles that actually work for teachers are the ones built around that unevenness, instead of those that hand you a second fixed schedule to juggle alongside your first. Here are 13 options to consider and their requirements.
Not sure where to start? The table below sorts them out at a glance.
Side Hustle | What's Needed | Best For |
Online Tutoring | A subject you know well, a laptop with a camera and mic, reliable internet | Teachers strong in one subject who want structured, recurring sessions |
Selling Lesson Plans | Original lesson plans or materials you've already built | Teachers with a library of materials ready to package |
Dashing | To be 18+, a smartphone, and a car, bike, or scooter (eligible transportation method, which varies by location) | Teachers looking for flexible, independent-contractor delivery work |
Freelance Writing | A writing sample and comfort meeting outside deadlines | Teachers who enjoy writing |
Virtual Assistant | Strong organization and comfort with scheduling tools | Highly organized teachers comfortable with admin work |
Proofreading | A sharp eye for grammar and consistency | Teachers with strong grammar instincts |
Bookkeeping | Comfort with numbers and spreadsheets | Teachers comfortable tracking income and expenses |
Social Media Manager | A social presence or portfolio, and short-copy writing skills | Teachers already running a classroom or teacher account |
Camp Counselor | A background check, sometimes CPR or first aid certification | Teachers who enjoy active, hands-on group activities |
Online Courses | Time to plan and record, plus a platform to host it | Teachers with a teachable skill and time to build something once |
Voiceover Artist | A clear, controlled speaking voice and a quiet space | Teachers with strong vocal delivery |
User Testing | A computer or smartphone; no experience needed | Teachers who want short, no-commitment gigs |
Best side hustles for teachers looking for extra income
Online tutoring
Online tutoring means leading one-on-one or small-group sessions over video call in a subject you already know well, usually in 25- to 60-minute blocks that fit neatly before school or right after dinner. A student working through algebra or struggling with reading comprehension gets the same kind of instruction you'd give in your own classroom, just compressed into a single focused session.
Most tutoring platforms look for a subject you can teach confidently, a laptop with a working camera and microphone, reliable internet, and often a bachelor's degree or an active teaching credential. Once you're set up, sessions tend to book on a recurring basis, so a few regular students can turn into a steady weekly rhythm.
Selling lesson plans and educational materials
This means packaging lesson plans, unit tests, worksheets, or printables you've already built for your own classroom and selling them through an online marketplace made for teacher-created resources.
If you've spent years refining a unit on fractions or a novel study, that work already exists; listing it just turns something you'd otherwise keep in a folder into a product other teachers can buy.
You don't need design software, since templates work fine for formatting. You do need patience, because income from resource sales tends to build slowly over months as your catalog grows, rather than paying off right away.
Delivering with DoorDash
Delivering with DoorDash is an independent contractor opportunity. Through the Dasher app, you can choose when and where you want to make yourself available to deliver food, groceries, or other orders, subject to availability and applicable requirements. There's no need to request time off or coordinate a schedule swap. You simply open the app whenever it works for you, whether that's a short window or a longer stretch.
To get started, you need to be at least 18, have a smartphone, and have a car, bike, or scooter depending on where you're dashing. Getting started takes a background check and a short setup, not an interview or a resume. Once approved, you may be able to start dashing within days, depending on your market and eligibility.
Some teachers deliver for an hour after dismissal a few days a week during the school year, then turn to longer, full-day sessions once summer opens up their schedule, since there's no long-term commitment either way.
If you want a clearer sense of what that first dash actually looks like, our what to expect when starting to dash guide walks you through it step by step, and there's more on how dashing fits a full teaching calendar just below.
Freelance writing
Freelance writing means creating content, articles, or educational copy for ed-tech companies, textbook publishers, and other organizations that need someone who can write clearly and accurately about how kids learn. That might look like blog posts for a curriculum company, parent-facing explainer content, or contributions to a teacher resource site.
Requirements are light: a writing sample works in your favor, and old lesson plans or a classroom newsletter count just as much as a formal portfolio.
Virtual assistant
A virtual assistant manages email, scheduling, or other administrative tasks remotely for a small business owner, usually in a set number of hours each week rather than on an unpredictable schedule. Think inbox triage, calendar coordination, or booking client appointments, the same organizational instincts you already use running a classroom.
Strong organization and comfort with basic scheduling tools are the main requirements; no special degree or certification is needed, which makes it one of the more approachable options on this list if you're starting from zero.
Proofreading
Proofreading involves catching errors in other people's writing before it publishes, whether that's a blog post, a manuscript, or business copy a company doesn't want going out with typos.
A sharp eye for grammar and consistency is the real requirement, the kind of thing you already practice every time you grade an essay. Most proofreaders build a client base gradually through referrals or freelance marketplaces rather than landing one big contract, so it tends to start slow and grow as word spreads.
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping requires tracking a small business's income and expenses in a spreadsheet or basic accounting tool, reconciling accounts, and flagging anything that looks off. It's detail-oriented work that rewards the same patience you bring to tracking grades across dozens of students.
Comfort with numbers and spreadsheets covers most of what's needed, though a short bookkeeping course, often available online for a modest cost, can help you land your first client and speak the language business owners expect.
Social media manager
This role means planning and posting content, replying to comments, and tracking engagement for a small business or another educator's page, typically a few scheduled hours each week rather than a constant commitment.
If you've ever run a classroom social media account or a teacher-tips page, you've already done a version of this job. A social presence or portfolio of your own, familiarity with scheduling tools, and the ability to write short, engaging copy are the main requirements, and having followers of your own is a real head start.
Camp counselor
Camp counselors lead activities, supervise groups of kids, and help run a day camp or specialty camp (sports, art, STEM) through the summer, often for six or eight weeks straight. Programs often require a background check and sometimes CPR or first aid certification, plus the stamina for full, active days that look more like a field trip than a classroom.
Because most camps only run in summer, this one is tied almost entirely to the season rather than something you'd pick up during the school year.
Online courses
Creating an online course means recording lessons for other teachers or parents around a skill you already teach well, then selling access to them as a self-paced product.
It takes real upfront time to plan and record before any income shows up, plus a platform to host what you build, so it's a project that benefits from having several open weeks rather than scattered evenings. That makes summer a more realistic window to actually finish one than trying to squeeze it in during the school year.
Voiceover artist
Voiceover work means recording narration for educational videos, e-learning modules, or audiobooks, a natural fit if you've spent years reading aloud to a classroom and know how to keep a lesson clear and engaging.
A clear, controlled speaking voice and a quiet recording space matter more than any formal credential. It can be picked up in short sessions any time of year, but many teachers find it easier to take on more of this work over the summer, when there's no risk of a hoarse voice after a full day of teaching.
User testing
User testing means trying out apps or websites and recording your reactions or feedback for the companies building them, usually in short sessions you can complete from your own laptop. All it takes is a computer or smartphone and the willingness to think out loud on a screen recording; no previous experience is expected. Sessions are quick enough to fit into a school-year evening, but many teachers find it easiest to line up a batch of them during a slower summer week.
How dashing fits a teacher's actual schedule
Some side hustles on this list run on a set schedule, a tutoring session at 6 p.m., camp at 9 a.m. Dashing offers a different kind of flexibility: Dashers can use the Dasher app to make themselves available when it fits their schedules, with availability and options varying by market: open the app, tap Dash Now, and go whenever you have a window.
Getting started involves applying through DoorDash, meeting the applicable eligibility requirements, and completing the required screening process. Dasher pay breaks down into base pay, tips, and active promotions, or in select markets, you may also have access to choose Earn by Time mode for an hourly rate instead, which offers a guaranteed minimum rate for active time while dashing, plus tips, subject to the applicable terms.If you'd rather not wait on a standard payout schedule, DoorDash Crimson gives Dashers access to earnings after every dash.
Sign up to become a Dasher and start earning on your schedule.
