13 of the Best Summer Jobs for Teachers

Summer Jobs for Teachers that Won’t Make You Want to Pull Your Hair Out

Chances are, if you are a teacher, you might be feeling stressed out and overwhelmed this time of year. Schools in the spring (especially elementary schools from my experience) can be a wild and crazy place. But if, despite this, you are wondering how you can make some extra money this summer, this post will give you an extremely comprehensive list of summer jobs for teachers.

(If you aren’t a teacher, there are still quite a few awesome ideas that anyone can do too, so keep reading!) I’m sure anyone will be able to find something that will allow you to snag some extra cash this summer.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.

But, I can’t go on without saying this. I have worked in a school. It is no secret that teachers slave away day in and day out, sometimes (often!) well into the wee hours of the night for their students.

I have seen you celebrate and cry over your students. I have seen you staying late and arriving early to plan and prepare lessons that will really engage your kids. I have heard about the time you have lost with your own families because of just how overworked you can be.

Those of you who have a heart for teaching are among the most amazing of our society and you shape the next generations to better the future for all of us.

I’m honestly such a sap and am getting emotional just writing this. Because I have been blessed to have been taught by and worked alongside some of the most kind, caring, and genuine teachers ever!

So, if no one else ever says this to you, thank you! You are awesome!

Unfortunately, teachers are also extremely underpaid.

Making Extra Money as a Teacher

You might have to work an extra job just to pay your bills and get rid of your student loans. (Or maybe you just get bored having a whole summer “off”. Haha to that idea. I know you plan lessons, go to meetings, and more in the summer!)

So as much as it sucks that you have to look for extra work in the first place, I want to be a resource for you to find perfect summer jobs for teachers so you can make some extra money and get one step closer to your financial goals!

While I haven’t actually done all of these summer jobs (I think there are more options than summers I have been legally allowed to work), I’ll be sure to note the ones I have done and loved. (Rest assured I only ever actually recommend things I LOVE myself!)

But, even though I haven’t done it all, I wanted to provide you with a comprehensive list so you can get a better idea of all the options you have as a teacher looking for a summer side job.

Just because I enjoyed a particular job doesn’t mean you would. And something you might LOVE to do with your summer might be something that just isn’t my passion. But there are tons of options to choose from and I hope you find something that will be the perfect fit for YOU.

Teaching Related Summer Jobs for Teachers

If you want to continue doing some sort of teaching in the summer, there are various avenues you can take to make some extra money while still using your teaching skillset. Here are a few ideas.

1. Summer School

Most school districts have programs to offer summer school to kids who need it in order to retain all the information they have learned. While summer school jobs for teachers aren’t usually full time, you could at least pick up a couple of days worth of extra work each week.

Pros to teaching summer school are you will be teaching curriculum you are already familiar with, possibly even to some of your own students. This means there is less of a learning curve.

Cons are you will be teaching curriculum you are already familiar with possibly even to the same students you just REALLY need to send on to the next grade.

If you are feeling exhausted and burned out, summer school may not be the way to go as it doesn’t really give you a break from teaching.

You also won’t have any flexibility in scheduling. You will have to work during the hours of summer school and probably won’t be able to take time off.

But, it can be an easy job to pick up and will be more temporary/part-time than some other options. So you can have a balance between that much-needed break and some extra money in your pocket.

Teaching English

There are a couple of different options when it comes to teaching English. You can easily work with adults or kids to teach these skills.

2. Teaching English to Adults

Depending on where you live, you may be able to start up your own summer side job teaching English classes to adult immigrants in your area. Since you are most likely a master of the English language and teaching, this can be a great way to make some extra money in the summer. (Or even during the school year after work if you are feeling up to it!)

Teaching English to adult learners can be a great way to change up the pace and get a break from those wiggly, disruptive, sometimes wild kids who at this point in the year might just have you at your wit’s end.

If they don’t have you there then you are well and truly a saint. Because as much as I love ‘em, kids are a lot of work!

3. VIPKid

If working with kids is your jam and you want to do it all the time, teaching English to kids in China can also be an awesome summer side job for teachers.

VIPKid pays up to $22 an hour for you to teach 1-on-1 using lessons that are prepared for you! So that is pretty sweet. I feel like when you are working with just one kid at a time, you can really tailor things to their needs and make a huge impact on their learning and growth.

I know of several people who were not only able to use VIPKid as a good side gig, but also some who have even used it to replace their full-time income! You also have more flexibility in when you want to accept students than you do for something like summer school.

Plus VIPKid has proven itself as a great company to work for. In fact, they were rated #1 on Forbes best work from home companies list!

The main downside to teaching for VIPKid is that because your students will be in China, you will have to work some crazy hours if you go this route.

4. Tutoring

Another summer side job for teachers is tutoring. You could work with students across the age span depending on your area of expertise and interest.

Advertising your own services would probably allow you to make more money, however, it also requires more work to find clients. Just make sure you know what rules your school district has for working with the districts own students before you start advertising.

You can promote your services online or get referrals by word of mouth. If you want to be able to travel during the summer, you might even be able to provide virtual tutoring. And after all the challenges many students have had recently, now is the time parents will be searching desperately for extra support.

For example, in my job as a speech-language pathologist, I provide virtual therapy! I offer the often searched “speech therapy near me” right from the comfort of home. The best part is, my clients don’t have to travel either. And you could do the same with virtual tutoring.

You could also help high schoolers with test prep for the ACT or SAT to make some extra money.

There are also options to look for jobs through companies, like Chegg, which will set you up with work. However, they then obviously take a cut of the profits for themselves. This means your hourly wage will be lower. But, with Chegg, you can still earn up to $20 an hour.

It is pretty easy to set up a profile and you can select from a wide range of subject matter with which you would feel comfortable.

5. Teach Another Skill as a Summer Side Hustle

Do you have another unique skill you could teach to others either as a summer side hustle or throughout the year before and/or after school?

Maybe you play an instrument or could teach an art or cooking class. Maybe you speak a second language and could offer classes to kids or adults to help them learn that language.

Think about the skill set you have and find a way to market it to people who may just be interested in learning it. From you!

There is great learning potential for teaching a skill and marketing your services yourself. How much you can earn depends on what area of the country you live in. However, you can expect to charge between $15-$25 or maybe even more for a 30-minute lesson.

Flexible Online Summer Jobs for Teachers

If staying home in your PJs while also making some extra money this summer sounds like your kind of job, keep reading. Here are some options for online summer jobs for teachers. Because let’s be real, not much beats working from your couch!

6. Sell Your Materials on Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT)

Are you one of those creative types with amazing materials? I am always amazed by teachers who sell on TPT. How you have time to do everything you do day in and day out AND make beautiful, amazing, helpful materials is beyond me!

If you already pour tons of time into making your own materials to use with your students, why not start getting paid for them! Most people who sell on TPT earn a few hundred dollars a month, but there are a handful who make HALF A MILLION DOLLARS or MORE!

Not that selling on TPT is a get rich quick scheme, but there is definitely potential there depending on how many materials you make and sell and how valuable they are.

Another awesome benefit to selling on TPT is that once you have created the materials, you have the potential to make passive income. Yes, passive income as a teacher is possible!

So, that means that you put the work in one time, but you can continue to make money for years to come! Pretty cool, huh?

7. Freelance Writing

Freelance writing can be an extremely lucrative side hustle that could easily replace your full-time job and allow you to work from anywhere in the world. And the summer is the perfect time to start building up your skills and client list.

With flexibility on when and where you work, this is a great option if you have a full-time job or you aren’t sure how much time you want to commit to working in the summer. If you think flexibility, creativity, and the possibility of making up an extra $5,000 a month sounds AMAZING but you have NO idea where to start, you’ll want to check out this course.

Michael teaches you the exact steps you need to take to build a freelance side hustle that could easily replace your full-time job. Even if that isn’t the goal, you could add a consistent stream of income to your monthly budget. 

This isn’t a get rich quick scheme, so you’ll have to put in the work, but if you aren’t satisfied with the course you can get your money back within the first 30 days. On the other hand, you could multiply your original investment by 25 every single month! 

8. Work as a Transcriptionist

There are lots of companies out there that will pay you to transcribe audio or caption videos. Generally, the amount of work you take on with these companies is very flexible.

This can be nice for a summer job for teachers, because you don’t have to commit to a certain amount of time every day.

If one day you just aren’t feeling it, you don’t have to take a transcription job to type up that day.

I went through the process to be hired as a transcriptionist for Rev when I was in grad school. The application itself is pretty simple but does involve a test to see if you can follow their transcription convention guidelines.

If you have good attention to detail and read through it carefully, the application and test shouldn’t be a problem though.

Transcribing can earn you between $240-$1500 a month. So while it isn’t a ton of money, it could add up to a few thousand dollars by the end of the summer.

For transcribing with any company to be worth your time, you need to be an insanely fast typer! I ended up not even completing any jobs in grad school, because the time it was taking me just wouldn’t have been worth the money.

That is not to say you won’t get better with time, but early on you might only end up earning a few dollars per hour.

So if you are a super speedy typer, Rev could earn you around $15 per hour. For flexible work you can do from your couch, that’s not too bad, but there are other options out there that would likely earn you a lot more money.

9. Become a Proofreader

Proofreading is seriously a perfect side hustle for teachers. You know those papers you take home to grade every night after work? The ones you have to work on off the clock to get taken care of and marked up?

Well, proofreading can be kind of like that, only you will actually make some serious money! For proofreading 15,000-35,000 words you can earn between $100 and $500. That can add up to a serious chunk of change after a few jobs.

Why not use your skills of looking for and correcting mistakes to earn more money with this summer side hustle.

If you love reading and writing, proofreading would be an awesome side hustle (although I’m sure you could learn to love it as well you math teachers).

Check out this free workshop if you think proofreading might be up your alley. The creator of the course actually proofreads full time and will give you a great intro to proofreading so you can decide if it is something that would be worth pursuing!  

10. Score Standardized Test Essays

As a teacher, you are already a pro at grading. Why not use those skills to earn more money this summer. Here are a few companies that hire people to score essays for standardized tests.

The pay you can expect depends on the company, and it isn’t awesome, but it is something. And you will have the opportunity to complete the work from home, on your own time, which is a definite perk!

ACT Written Scorers: Earn $12+ per hour for scoring the written portion of the ACT. The prefer individuals who have teaching experience (woo that is you!). Also even more bonus points to you if you teach high school junior and senior English.

ETS: Through ETS you can score Advanced Placement tests, TOEFL tests, the GRE, and a couple more. The website doesn’t provide information regarding pay. But since many of these tests tend to be taken near the end of the school year or during the summer, scoring these tests as a summer side job could be worth checking out.

Pearson: You can also help score SAT essay questions through Pearson. Preferred applicants are those that are teachers (especially if you teach English). I wasn’t able to track down information about pay for these guys either.

I guess the testing companies guard their pay information like they do their test questions. Chances are, most of them will be close to that $12 an hour seen with ACT scoring.

Part Time Summer Jobs for Teachers

Here are a few more great options for summer jobs for teachers that you could do part time. (Although, a few could be full time as well if you wanted them to be).

11. Drive for Lyft

Driving for Lfyt can be a great side hustle to do any time of the year. According to this survey, Lyft drivers $17.50 per hour on average. That is quite a bit more than most of the other summer job options available for teachers.

Plus, driving around is much easier work than scoring, proofreading, or teaching. Lyft also pays $2 more per hour on average than Uber, so if you are thinking of jumping into the ridesharing world, Lyft is definitely the way to go.

Plus, you can get paid instantly which is pretty sweet! No need to wait around until payday anymore. Another huge benefit to being a Lyft driver is that you are able to have 100% control over your schedule.

Want to take a weeklong vacation? No worries. You can pick right back up where you left off when you return. No worrying about losing clients, working on vacation, etc.

You are more likely to have success as a Lyft driver if you live in or near a major city. Sorry rural folks. While it is possible to drive in less populated areas, the chances of actually making much money are drastically reduced the less people you live by.

You also need to consider your personality. Are you alright with meeting new people and chatting with them a bit on the way to your destination?

Lyft drivers are rated by their passengers (and those with higher ratings are more likely to get customers). Usually, the ratings just come down to if you are friendly with strangers or not.

So if you are more of an introvert, being a Lyft driver probably isn’t the best summer job for you.

But if you are the one always chatting with everyone and you thrive on meeting new people, Lyft can be an awesome option to make some extra money this summer.

You do need to make sure you consider your own safety when driving for Lyft or any other service. But you can take some comfort in knowing that drivers also rate passengers and you can steer clear of accepting to drive a passenger that appears with poor or no ratings.

12. Babysit or Nanny

Babysitting and nannying have always been one of my go-to summer side jobs, for several reasons.

First of all, I have gotten to hang out with some pretty awesome kids and do some super fun activities in the summers. I’ve been to the zoo, the science museum, amusement parks, the beach to name a few.

Plus, nannying can pay really well. You can earn anywhere from $15-25 an hour.

I have always had the best luck finding babysitting jobs from Care.com. This side job has allowed me to meet some amazing families, have tons of fun with sweet kiddos, and earn extra money when I really needed it, like when we were paying off our debt!

13. Walk or Sit Dogs with Rover

I really can’t think of many things that would be better than getting paid to hang out with, walk, and babysit dogs. Like wait, you’re going to pay ME to watch this adorable dog and not the other way around?

Rover is a program that can easily pair you up with people who need dog walkers or dog sitters. With people frequently going on vacation in the summer, this is the perfect time to hang out with some furry friends and make some serious cash.

According to information provided by Rover walkers on glassdoor, the hourly rate ranges from about $12-$26 an hour. However, if you live in a high cost of living area, like NYC, you might be able to charge up to $50 for a 30-minute walk!

The cool thing about Rover is that you get to set your own rates so have more control over how much you can earn. (And just so you know, although I do have affiliate links in some of my posts, I was, for some reason rejected by Rover. Notice how they are still here? Because I recommend great companies and products regardless of if I make money or not!)

Another option is to advertise around your neighbors or talk to them if you know them. Let them know you are available to pet sit or dog walk and give them your rates. This way you cut out the middleman and end up with more money in your pocket!

You always have the option of turning down a pet sitting job, giving you total flexibility with this job!

Adventurous Summer Jobs for Teachers

Ok, I have to admit, having the flexibility to have a decent amount of time off in the summer is pretty amazing. Why not find a summer side hustle that not only pays you but also offers you an amazing experience!

14. Cool Works

Although my summer plans in college ended up changing, I seriously contemplated taking a job found through Cool Works. Many of the jobs you will find on here are seasonal which is makes a perfect summer job for teachers!

You can find all kinds of awesome positions in sweet locations!

There are jobs for being camp counselors, boat tour guides, rafting guides, and more on this site. Cool Works jobs are perfect for those of you who love the great outdoors.

So if you don’t want to spend another summer sitting around, you’ll definitely want to check these guys out!

These jobs don’t usually pay super well, but the benefit of having a fun summer might outweigh the decrease in money. It just depends on your situation.

Best Summer Jobs for Teachers

I truly hope this list was helpful for you and will help you find an awesome summer side job that will leave you feeling refreshed and help you earn summer extra money.

Let me know in the comments which summer job would be the best one for you!

And before you go, let me just commend you one more time for your selfless efforts as a teacher! It isn’t an easy job, and more often than not, you might fell underappreciated. But just know that what you are doing matters. You rock!

Check out these articles for tips to save money easily and to learn where to invest your money to make your teacher salary stretch even further.

Summer Jobs for Teachers