Teaching as a Side Hustle: Scale what you know

Side hustles. More and more people have one (or sometimes multiple). There are a lot of different ways that someone can make extra money. And sometimes that “extra” money can morph into a full-time income. So, today let’s uncover a side hustle that almost anyone can do. Let’s talk about teaching as a side hustle.

(1) Teaching Doesn’t Have to be in a Classroom

I know that there are some people who saw the title of this article and thought to themselves, “I’m not a teacher” or “I don’t want to put up with kids all day long”.

But here’s the deal. You don’t have to teach in a classroom  to have a good teaching side hustle. In fact, it can be kind of hard to do so for most people. Most of us have regular jobs to attend to. So teaching from 8:00-3:00 every day would be impossible.

But the good news is that in the world and economy of 2022 and beyond, there is a need for teaching that is not just writing on a chalkboard and grading worksheets. Additionally, you don’t have to know a lot about world history, algebra, or biology either. 

Teaching in the world today can be about ANYTHING that you want. There is most likely a niche for it and a way to make money from it. 

Let’s explore some of the more traditional ways to teach as a side hustle as well as some of the more non-traditional ways to teach as a side hustle.

(2) Traditional Teaching Side Hustles

Substitute Teaching

The most simple way that you can use teaching as a side hustle is to simply substitute teach.

In the COVID-19 world, there are SOOOOO many teaching and substitute teaching vacancies out there right now. Most states have loosened the requirements to become a substitute teacher. States like Kansas have withdrawn the 60 college credit requirement to help fill some substitute teaching vacancies. Many other states have done the same.

Typically substitute teachers enjoy a large amount of autonomy in their work schedule. Subs can work one day and take the next day off if they choose. If a sub doesn’t feel like working on a particular day, they don’t have to.

So if you have a job that is flexible, you work weekends or evenings or the like, you might want to consider substitute teaching. 

Tutoring

If you don’t want to commit to teaching for 6-8 hours a day as a side hustle you might want to think about tutoring. This is especially true if you have a degree in math, history, science, etc. If there are students that need extra help in your area you can tutor them.

This is really a great side hustle for college students as well!

With tutoring, you make your own schedule. You tutor the students that you want (and refuse the ones that you don’t want to tutor). You can also set your own rates as well. Tutors generally make an average of about $25/hour.

Teaching Lessons

If you have the skill of playing an instrument, singing, are artistic, or have a particular athletic skill set you should think about helping people with your talents.

There are a lot of people who wish they could play an instrument, carry a tune, paint a picture, or throw a baseball better than they currently do.

Use your talent to (1) have fun with it, (2) teach someone else how to improve their talent, and (3) make some extra money.

(2) Non-Traditional Teaching Side Hustles

Blogging

This is what I have done. If you know a lot about a topic and want to share that with the world then you might want to consider blogging. 

It takes a LOT of time and effort to make money from a blog. But the rewards are great. You can scale the number of people that you help. By using the power of social media and the internet you can help thousands and maybe even millions of other people understand the topics that you like and enjoy.

Podcasting

This is similar to blogging in that you can help people to teach or entertain them about topics that you enjoy or that are important to you. 

Podcasting takes some amount of time to master. You have to be fairly gifted at speaking and be able to articulate the topic(s) that you are speaking about in a way for your audience to understand. You also will have to learn how to edit your content appropriately which can be difficult at first.

YouTube

If you want to level up your teaching side hustle even more, you can go to YouTube. YouTube is an awesome forum to reach a new audience. 

However you will have to master video and audio editing as well as the YouTube algorithm and a host of other issues. 

But if you can work on all of those tasks and be consistent with your content, you can be successful on YouTube.

Final Thoughts

Side hustles are a big deal in the world today. With the mountain of student loans that a lot of us have, the ever-increasing cost of housing, and stagnant wages, a side hustle can be a really big part of someone’s financial journey.

When you are needing a side hustle, don’t be afraid to get creative. This is a VERY small list of the side hustles that you can do.

But sometimes in order to get ahead financially, you will have to work more than your regular 40-hour work week. You might need a side hustle. Don’t be afraid of it. Lean into it and enjoy the climb!

I’m here for you!

Until next time!