For many teachers, having a side hustle might just be for additional income, but for others, it’s a path towards working beyond the classroom. In my experience, when I first started my side hustle, I felt energized by the new opportunity. If you’re looking for a way beyond the classroom, I’m sharing 3 steps that get side hustles for teachers off the ground. 

Before you get started, it’s important to pick the type of side hustle you plan to pursue based on your current skills and the part of your job you most enjoy. From there, it’s time to set goals, designate time, and spread the word. Each step allows you to spend time working on your side hustle and growing it towards your future. Whether you’re just looking to make a little extra money or finding a way outside of the classroom, starting side hustles for teachers can lead to so much more.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode38

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Take our free quiz to discover your next career step: https://www.educatorforever.com/quiz

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I was classroom teaching, I kind of fell into curriculum development, I didn't really know was a thing until I was offered my first flexible contract job. And when I did along the side, even though it was extra work, it actually was energizing.

It made me feel so excited to know that I could use my skills in a different way, that I could develop skills, that I could be paid for doing things I wouldn't normally do as a classroom teacher for free. I was suddenly, you know, writing a unit plan, or writing family letters or creating assessments, all these things I would do as a classroom teacher, I was getting paid to do on the side doing this work for ed tech companies and nonprofits.

So really doing this kind of side hustle, though, I don't love the term side hustle, because I don't think we had to hustle, hustle hustle. For me, it was really invigorating. And it really allowed me to see a path forward for working beyond the classroom.

So if you're thinking about starting a side hustle, my biggest advice is just to start, you know, really just try something out. If you're trying something on the side as a flexible contract job, it kind of takes the pressure off, you can just see if you like it. And so really starting with a side hustle can help you test the waters and grow your skills and experience.

So thinking about what types of side hustles you might want to do, I want you to think about all the many options, I'm not going to get into every single one because it's pretty impossible. But think about all the organizations or businesses or families who could benefit from your teaching experience, and what you could do in the amount of time that you have.

So maybe you're a full time classroom teacher, and you want to pick up some extra work that you could do in the evenings or on the weekends. Or maybe you want to tutor students after school, there are so many things that you can do. So let's think about some of the most common side hustles for teachers.

You could do some tutoring, you know, either after school or on the weekends, I never even thought about this as my side hustle. I'm doing air quotes right now. Because it was something I just naturally did as a teacher. I started bringing on tutoring clients, tutoring some students at my school after school, making some extra money on the side.

You can formalize this and start your own tutoring business. Maybe it's just one afternoon a week, maybe it's on the weekend, maybe it's in person, or maybe it's online. And online, you could also do things like teaching bigger classes. So it doesn't have to be just one on one. And of course in person, you can too.

But you could say hey, all right, every weekend, I'm going to be teaching this creative writing class online for up to 10 students, it costs I don't know $20 A session. So then you get 20 students each paying $20 Each time, or 10 students each paying $20 Each time, then you start making 200 to $400 every session. So pretty cool, how you can see that grow.

You can definitely do online instructional coaching. This is a little harder to do during the school day, but definitely possible to meet with teachers after school, particularly virtually, and provide support to them.

You can definitely do freelance curriculum development, which is what I really lived in as a classroom teacher and still do curriculum development with our Educator Forever Agency. And just love it. You know, it's you doing all the things for me that are really exciting about teaching, creating learning experiences, creating awesome curriculum that teachers can use to create even better lessons.

And then you could be a consultant. So really using your classroom expertise to consult on products or services for ed tech companies, or nonprofits or anybody who's trying to create something in the education sphere.

And then you could be an education writer. So really thinking about writing blogs or articles about your experiences or areas of expertise, and or even creating a course. You know, maybe you are really into the science of reading. And so you create a course all about resources around the science of reading.

So really, when you choose your perfect side hustle, think about your unique teaching skills, and the parts of your job that you most enjoy. Then consider how you could leverage those skills to create a side business. So once you have a sense of what you might want to start with, just know you're not locked in.

You know if you're like alright, I want to start with instructional coaching. Great. That doesn't mean you have to be an instructional coach forever. This is just what you're testing first.

So three steps that will help you get your side hustle off the ground. Let's go over them. The first is really setting your goals. Do you want to have a full fledged money making side hustle right away? You know, maybe not tomorrow, but maybe three months from now. Or do you want to focus more on exploring your options and deciding what feels right to you?

Like is your purpose right now I need to make a couple of $1,000. And I'm gonna do it for flexible work, or is it I want to build my path forward in education a flexible way, and I want to see what feels best to me. No right answer here. Whatever you decide, set some concrete goals, then remember them.

It is so easy when we set goals for ourselves to not do them or to forget them or to prioritize other things. So post your goals somewhere so that you can see them and remember them and so you don't lose sight of your plans. And after getting clear on what you'd like to accomplish with your side hustles set some deadlines.

Be realistic about your plans. Your reality is your workload from your teaching job. If you're still classroom teaching, and the pace you want to set, do you want to go full force into this? Or do you want to leisurely test the waters? Again, there's no right answer. But think about when you're gonna have time to work towards your goals. And really set a schedule that you can stick to then reflect on it too.

Reflect on isn't going the way that you want it to. Is the pace feeling good to you? Or do you need to make some adjustments as you go along.

Then this second step is carving out time. The sooner the better that you start your side hustle, but we know you're busy. So you need to intentionally decide how much time you want to devote to this. And also don't give up all of your time that you need to rest and recuperate and practice self care and live your life's too.

So think about what is realistic. Your side hustle should complement your life and really enrich it, not overtake it. So now that you have your goal set, think about creating a routine or a schedule that will support you to make progress.

For example, maybe your goal is to start a tutoring side hustle, and you might decide to spend time every Wednesday and Friday afternoon working on your new business. By setting that specific time to work each week, you'll be more likely to stick to your plans than if you decide to just get to your goals whenever you have the time. Because when are we ever gonna have the time.

Make the most of that time by mapping out a clear action plan for each work session. So Wednesday and Friday afternoons, you know you're working on your tutoring side hustle, but what are you going to do, so that when you sit down on Wednesday, you're ready to go.

So one hour of your time might be spent networking to find new business or two hours might be spent working with clients, you're much more likely to have success starting a side hustle if you have a clearer picture of what you want to accomplish each day.

Then the third step is spread the word. We often make amazing plans and great progress than never share about them. Maybe self doubt creeps in or maybe we just don't know how to share about our work or we feel awkward. But if you've worked hard to start this side hustle you need to talk about it. Talking about it helps you gain confidence and customers.

So start by talking with your friends and family about what you've been working on. Then consider who else you can tell. Maybe you can reach out to colleagues or neighbors or other contacts that you've made along the course of your career. You can consider starting a basic website or LinkedIn profile to get the word out about your services or the products you're creating.

And if you're applying for freelance jobs, go for it, you know, double down apply for as many as you can. And while applying for jobs is a numbers game, be sure to put thought and care into your applications. So definitely apply for as many as you can but do so thoughtfully. Really try. You know, don't just be like, Alright, I'm carving out some time to do 10 applications every week.

But the applications aren't that great because you're just like trying to get to 10 Do both get 10 in but do them well put the effort into it.

Sort of reach recap, if you're looking to start a side hustle in education, think about what you're going to try first. Then set some goals. really carve out the time to do the thing and spread the word. We can't wait to see what you come up with and what it leads to for you. Just taking the small action of trying to get a side hustle going can really lead to so much more.