For teachers, summer is often full of free time. And that means there’s an opportunity to make some extra money. But you don’t have to resort to getting a seasonal job. You can instead start a business that makes great use of your talents during the summer months. Here are 50 business ideas for teachers.
Side Jobs for Teachers That Can Turn Into a Business
Tutor
The most natural business fit for teachers is offering tutoring services on the side. You can help students in your subject of choice with one-on-one lessons over the summer.
Selling Online Courses
You could also offer your expertise in another format — online courses. Create your own curriculum and course materials then offer them for purchase online.
Selling Lesson Plans
Some teachers also make extra money throughout the year by creating lesson plans and offering them for sale to other teachers online.
Remote Grading Service
Another business opportunity to help other teachers save time involves offering to grade tests or papers for other teachers who don’t have the time to do it themselves.
Hosting Webinars
If you’re interested in offering your expertise online, you can host live webinars to offer demonstrations and explanations on a particular subject.
Test Prep Courses
There’s also a large market for courses or tutoring sessions to help students prepare for courses like the SATs.
Scholarship Consultant
If you’re skilled with finding and applying for scholarships, you can share your expertise by consulting with students looking for help paying for school.
Ed Tech Business
If you’ve noticed an opportunity through your teaching experience for a new type of product or invention that could help you in the classroom, you could use the summer months to develop the technology and then offer your product to other teachers.
Researcher
There are also opportunities out there for those who are able to provide research services to other businesses and organizations.
Resume Service
You could also provide services to job seekers who need help writing and editing their resumes and cover letters.
Proofreader
Or you could provide more general proofreading services to anyone from students to businesses.
Editor
You could also go a little more in depth with your services, offering full editing services to authors, bloggers and businesses.
Author
Or if you have an idea for a book, you can use the summer and after school hours to write it. Then you can self publish it as a book or ebook.
Public Speaker
Another opportunity to offer your knowledge with others is to offer public speaking services in the area of your choice.
Workshop Host
You could also teach one-time workshops on a particular subject. Rent a space or invite people to your home and share your expertise.
Educational Website
For tech savvy teachers, you could also start your very own website and share information or even provide a forum environment where visitors can interact with one another.
Blogger
If you enjoy writing, you can also share your expertise or experiences by starting a blog. Then you can make money through advertising, sponsored posts or affiliate links.
Freelance Writer
Or you could offer your services to other businesses or publications on a freelance basis.
Copywriter
You could even offer services as a copywriter, providing copy for websites and similar materials.
Educational Videos
If video is more of your format of choice, you can offer your own series of videos on YouTube or start your own site where people can pay to access the content.
E-library
You could also gather up books and other educational materials and offer them in an e-library format where people can pay to subscribe.
Translator
For teachers who specialize in languages, you can make some extra money by offering translation services.
Online Coach
You can also share your knowledge with others on more of an ongoing basis by working as a coach or consultant with online clients.
Corporate Training
Or you can offer more specialized training to employees of companies. For instance, if you specialize in computers and technology, you could offer training on a particular type of software.
Music Lessons
For musically inclined teachers, you can use the summer months and after school hours to offer music lessons to students looking to play various instruments.
Fitness Instructor
You could also use your classroom savvy to teach fitness classes like yoga, pilates, spinning or barre.
Swimming Lessons
If you have access to a pool, you could also offer swimming lessons to customers, provided you have the right knowledge and training.
Caricature Artist
Artistically inclined teachers can spend the summer months setting up caricature stations at special events and offering to make customized portraits for customers.
Child Care
For those who miss being surrounded by kids throughout the summer, you can open your own day care from your home or just provide child care services to clients occasionally.
Summer Camp
You could even start your own summer camp where you invite kids to stay or just hang out during the day while you offer fun summertime activities.
Gardening
If you’re just looking for a relaxing business opportunity that allows you to spend time outside during the summer, you might want to consider offering gardening services.
Lawn Mowing
You could also build up a base of regular weekly customers by offering lawn mowing services to homeowners in your area.
Landscape Design
For those who want to go a little more in depth, you can offer landscaping or landscape design services to homeowners who want to redesign their outdoor spaces.
Pool Cleaning
Or you could invest in some basic equipment and offer pool cleaning services to clients who don’t want to deal with the hassle themselves.
Ice Cream Vendor
You could also spend the summer months selling frozen treats out of an ice cream truck or cart.
Dog Walker
If you want to spend your summer surrounded by cute animals, you could offer dog walking services to people in your neighborhood.
Car Wash
You might even consider offering car washing or detailing services to customers who want to make sure their vehicles look their best throughout the summer.
Farmers’ Market Vendor
If you grow or make various food items, you could rent booth space at a local farmers’ market and spend your summers selling your items to local consumers.
Vacation Rentals
Or maybe you enjoy traveling during the summer months. If so, you could take advantage of any extra space in your home and rent it out on sites like Airbnb.
Boat Rentals
If you have a boat or the ability to buy one, you could also offer boat rentals throughout the summer.
Bicycle Repairs
For those who are skilled with bicycle repairs, you could offer that as another service that’s particularly popular during the summer months.
Yard Sale Organizer
Summer is also a big time for yard sales. So you can help people in your city organize theirs in exchange for a fee, or you could even host your own.
Used Book Seller
For teachers that have accumulated large collections of old books, you could also start a business where you sell those books online.
Tour Guide
If you live in an area that’s popular with tourists, you could set up a tour guide business where you show people around various attractions during the summer.
Party Entertainer
Summer is also a big time for parties. So if you’re skilled with things like juggling, balloon sculpting or other types of party entertainment, you can offer your services to party hosts.
Handmade Business
If you’re looking for something that’s simple to get started and allows you to work at your own pace, make handmade items and sell them at craft fairs or on sites like Etsy.
Fair Food Vendor
You can also take advantage of all the fairs, festivals and similar events that take place during the summer months by starting a food business where you set up shop and offer fair food to event goers.
Photographer
For artistically inclined teachers, you could spend the summer months taking photos to sell or even providing photography services for weddings or other events.
Organizer
Many teachers also have strong organizational skills. So you could start a business offering organizational services to people looking to get their homes or offices organized.
Transportation Service
Or you could do something really simple like offer transportation services through platforms like Uber or even start your own brand offering services in your area.
Teacher Photo via Shutterstock
This article, “The 50 Best Side Businesses for Teachers” was first published on Small Business Trends