Teachers - How to Make Money over the Summer!
Woohoo! Summer is here. Well, for the moment it seems. Many of you will be delighted to take a break from teaching, however, for those saving for something special, or just at a loose end, summer can be a great time to earn a bit more cash.
Here are my top eight tips on how to earn extra money over the summer:
Exam Marking
Marking can be a fantastic way to earn an excellent hourly rate and serious bump your pay. Taking this task on is not something you should consider lightly, as there are tight deadlines and the time required can be substantial. If, however, you are someone who is happy to set aside a few solid days, this is a great option.
Edexcel are seeking markers for 2017 while OCR constantly recruit all year long. I’d particularly recommend exam marking for NQTs, as this is a fantastic way of improving your own teaching practice.
Work at a Summer School
As an ex-teacher myself, the reason I left was the paperwork and bureaucracy. Working at a summer school is teaching without the guidelines! As a qualified teacher, you’ll be in high demand, and being able to work with children on your own terms is hugely rewarding.
Different summer schools have a different focus. Whether you’re passionate about art, sport, music or the more academic subjects, they’ll be a school that will be right for you. Here is a site which serves as a directory for summer schools.
Tutoring
Okay, so I’m a little biased here, but tutoring is the classic go-to for teachers looking to earn extra income. It offers a great hourly rate (most qualified teachers charge £25+ per hour) and is incredibly flexible to fit in around your other commitments. Like working at a summer school, it’s also a very liberating experience in being able to work with an individual child and give them all of the guidance you’d love to be able to offer each child in your class.
Here at Tutora, we help tutors find new students quickly and simply. We’re always seeking qualified teachers to join our team! Again, tutoring is a great way of improving your teaching, as it gives you a better insight into why children struggle in class.
Blogging
If you’ve always wanted to write, blogging is a great way to get started, and what better time to do so than the summer?
Blogging is surprisingly easy to begin. The easiest way to get started is by creating a Wordpress site.
There are many ways you can make money from your blog, including:
- Selling advertising space
- Affiliate income - a commission from other sites you promote
- Creating your own products
- Subscriptions or Premium offers
- Offering additional services
These can be run in combination. For more detail on this, check out this article we’ve found on ProBlogger.
Lesson Planning
Every teacher spends hours and hours creating wonderfully inventive resources - why not share?! There are sites which let you share resources for free, however, if you’d like a little financial reward for your hard work, there are sites which will let you earn a commission on others downloading your materials. TES are the largest site offering this service.
Set up your Own Business
Okay, so this one might seem a bit more out there, but why not? Whether you’ve always had a passion for arts and crafts, or have a great tech idea, this is the ideal time to give it a go. With weeks ahead of you to focus on developing your passion or idea, get to it. Here at Tutora, whatever you’re idea, we’d recommend thinking lean - this site is a great starting point.
Teach Online Courses
You don’t have to limit yourself to traditional in-person teaching. Why not look to teach online? There are many websites offering online courses or tuition. You can either apply to teach on existing courses with providers who are simply seeking a teacher, or you can set up your own course entirely.
Teachable lets you create your own course and then charge students. GetEducated gives links to the best places to find online teaching jobs.
Do Something completely Different!
It’s natural that we look to use our teaching skills to do something linked to education, but… why?! The summer is a great time to get out there and do something completely different! Whatever you want to do the world is your oyster (at least for the six weeks of the holidays), so go out there and try something new.
Scott Woodley is a qualified Primary Teacher and a Co-Founder of Tutora. At Tutora, we help parents and students find their perfect private tutor - whatever the subject, whatever the age. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!