Being a teacher in today's world is no easy feat — it requires passion, dedication, and boundless energy, often for a salary that doesn't reflect any of that.

According to the National Education Association, the average starting teacher salary in the US is $46,526, with the average public school teacher earning $72,030. Those numbers vary significantly by state — South Carolina sits at $44,693 to start and $60,763 on average, while New Jersey reaches $57,603 and $82,877 respectively. And while higher-cost states pay more, rent, taxes, and groceries are more expensive there too, so the financial pressure tends to follow regardless of where you live.

Teacher salaries have ticked upward in recent years, but nowhere near enough to keep pace with inflation. Many K-12 teachers find themselves genuinely needing a second source of income just to get by.

Where teachers do have a real advantage is the schedule.

Summers off, a solid holiday calendar, and daily hours that often wrap by mid-afternoon create pockets of time that most working professionals simply do not have. That schedule flexibility is exactly what makes a well-chosen side hustle so achievable for teachers — and why the eight options below were picked with that reality in mind.

Quick Verdict

Best for fast income: Tutoring ($20–$30/hr) and pet sitting/dog walking ($15–$18/hr) have the lowest barrier to entry and can generate cash within days of starting.

Best for long-term passive income: Curriculum creation on Teachers Pay Teachers ($500–$5,000/month) and online courses via Teachable or Thinkific can earn money while you sleep once the upfront work is done.

Best use of a teacher's schedule: All eight hustles on this list were chosen specifically because they work around summers, holidays, and after-school hours — no nights-and-weekends grind required.

The Top Side Hustles for Teachers

a dog walker is holding the leash of four dogs, who are all sitting — Photo by Matt Nelson on Unsplash

Here are the 8 top side hustles that are a perfect match for teachers, equipping them to thrive both inside and out of the classroom:

Side Hustle	Estimated Earnings	Income Type	Best For
Tutoring	$20–$30/hr	Active	Fast income, flexible hours
Curriculum Creation	$500–$5,000/month	Passive	Leveraging existing lesson plans
Online Courses & Workshops	Varies widely	Passive	Teachers who can hold a crowd
Freelance Writing	~$23/hr average	Active	Teachers with a knack for writing
Create & Sell Art	Varies widely	Active/Passive	Artistic teachers with existing work
Pet Sitting & Dog Walking	$15–$18/hr	Active	Getting outside, low barrier to entry
Photography	$50–$150+/hr	Active	Teachers with an eye for visuals
Real Estate	Varies widely	Portfolio	Long-term wealth building

Each of the below spans the three types of income, active, passive, and portfolio. With all money generating activities, it’s a great idea to consult a tax professional to ensure you’re ready for the inevitable tax bill.

#1: Tutoring

Tutoring is a natural extension of teaching and is in high need.

Leverage your experience to provide personalized guidance to students who need extra help outside the classroom. This could be in a subject area that you teach day-to-day, or something completely different.

You can typically make more per hour the more specialized the topic is, but it may be harder to find clients.

For example, you may be able to find more students needing help with geometry, but there will be much more competition against other tutors. With more competition comes lower rates for tutors.

On the other hand, you can charge much more for tutoring services in advanced robotic manipulation but will find fewer students in this field. It's a trade-off that you'll need to consider.

The best way to get started is to advertise in your local network through word-of-mouth, or online through social media and tutoring platforms.

According to care.com, you can charge $20-$30 per hour on average as a tutor.

#2: Curriculum Creation

Without realizing it, your curriculum (or lesson plans) is a treasure trove of lesson plans and activities.

This is extremely valuable. Tap into education platforms and your network to get the word out.

New teachers especially may be interested in purchasing a curriculum to use as a resource in their early years.

Another option is to sell directly to parents. With homeschooling on the rise, there is a growing need for tailored curriculums.

As talented as parents are, most of us are not professional educators and would opt to purchase one directly from an expert.

While there are many platforms to sell curriculums and lesson plans - including your website - I would start with Teachers Pay Teachers.

It has a ton of traffic and is a great place to conduct competitive research, launch your product, and connect with customers.

Expect to rake in between $500 - $5,000 per month.

#3: Online Courses and Virtual Workshops

Technology has truly revolutionized the education landscape. With a desire to learn and be entertained simultaneously, customers around the globe are seeking high-quality content. Teachers have a leg up over the competition for this side hustle as they strike this balance daily in the classroom.

If you can hold a crowd, consider creating an online course or holding a virtual workshop.

Topics can include anything from foreign language, mathematics, classroom management, or teaching methodologies. Share your experience and help others grow, all while earning a bit of cash on the side.

Earnings vary widely depending on your topic, audience size, and how much you invest in marketing. A realistic range for a first course is $500–$2,000 in the first few months, with established creators earning $2,000–$10,000 or more per month once they have multiple courses and a growing audience. The upfront work is real, but once a course is live it can generate income indefinitely without additional time from you.

I'd recommend starting with either Teachable or Thinkific. Both are easy-to-use platforms and can help you get to market extremely quickly.

#4: Freelance Writing

If you have a knack for the written word, consider freelance writing.

Even with the rise of AI, there is a strong need for actual human writers.

Why?

Put simply, companies ranging from news outlets to small household brands are looking for quality content to connect with customers on a human level.

AI hasn’t been able to connect on a human and emotional level, meaning there is still a large opportunity to earn cash in this area.

As an educator, you have a unique perspective.

Consider writing about your experience as an educator, your daily journey, parenting, and more. Write for other companies and platforms, start your blog, or create an e-book. The opportunities are endless.

According to Indeed, freelance writers make roughly $23 per hour on average in the US.

#5: Create & Sell Art

This is one of my favorite side hustles on this list - and the one I'm horrible at.

If you're an artist, you are sitting on a gold mine. From painting and crafting handmade products to building furniture, there is a huge opportunity to make money with your art.

Consider setting up a shop with Etsy or creating your e-commerce store with a platform such as Shopify.

Similar to platforms such as Teachable and Thinkific, Shopify will provide speed to market if you're selling a physical or digital product.

At its core, Shopify is an e-commerce platform. Everything is built in service of optimizing your store, from website speed to inventory management.

To get the word out, showcase your work through social media platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram. Attend regional shows and advertise on the Facebook marketplace.

Art inspires people to live better lives, and the income potential reflects that. Etsy sellers in the handmade and digital art space typically earn anywhere from a few hundred dollars a month as they build their shop to $2,000–$5,000 or more per month once they have an established catalog and steady traffic. Digital products — printables, clipart, classroom decor — tend to scale particularly well since there is no inventory or shipping involved.

#6: Pet Sitting or Dog Walking

This one may be surprising to see on this list, but hear me out. The pet sitting and dog walking industries are massive - the pet sitting market alone is estimated to reach $5.14 billion globally.

The dog walking services industry has continued to grow steadily, with the global market now valued at over $1.3 billion and projected to keep climbing through the decade.

The low barrier to entry and flexible hours make this one of the easiest hustles on this list to start quickly. Dog walkers typically earn $15–$25 per hour, while pet sitters can charge $25–$50 per visit or $50–$85 per night for overnight stays, depending on your market. Platforms like Rover and Wag make it straightforward to find clients and get started within a week.

This side hustle offers flexible hours, which should work well for teachers. This is one of the only side hustles on this list that leads to time outside, which may be a welcome break from the classroom.

If you own a dog and are already taking walks regularly, this is a great way to earn some extra cash for an activity you do for free.

Offer your services through word-of-mouth or set up shop online. Advertise services at schools, dog parks, and local doggy daycares.

#7: Photography

With the rise of mobile phones, everyone is a shutterbug on some level.

There's even a subset of photography now called iPhoneography. While iPhones are amazing at capturing photos, there's still a high demand for professional photographers. There's a wide range of opportunities to capitalize on.

I'd break this side hustle into three categories of photos:

Personal Moments

Consider this route if you love getting personal with your customers.

You can specialize in moments such as weddings, graduations, and birthday parties. If you live somewhere with a good amount of tourism, consider offering photo sessions to travelers who are visiting.

There are tons of ways to advertise your services in this area, including with TripAdvisor and Airbnb. It's a fun way to meet new people and show off your local area.

Professional

There's a ton of opportunity here, and you'll likely be able to pay more as your customers have larger budgets.

Think of events such as corporate or school headshots, real estate listings, imagery for small business websites, and even ad campaigns. I've personally seen brands pay photographers thousands of dollars for a single day of taking photos.

Mass Appeal

While I would argue this is the least personal of the three, there's an opportunity to make a ton of money.

From stock photography to taking photos for mass publications, there is ample opportunity. If you're photos gain in popularity, you can even consider selling them as printables.

Take some time to figure out what you'd enjoy capturing and focus on that niche when creating your book of business.

#8: Buy, rent, or flip real estate

Getting into real estate is a classic way to build wealth over time. It reminds me of dividend investing, it takes time and cash to build a strong portfolio, but once set, can support you financially for the longterm.

Let's break it down a bit.

Buying

You have to live somewhere right? Our parents and grandparents typically advised that your home is one of the largest and best investments you'll make in your life and that renting is just throwing money away.

While there's some truth to that as homes are very expensive and can be your largest investment - I don't believe it's the best investment.

Between high-interest rates and home values leveling off, renting may be a better option for you.

Depending on where you live, the all-in cost for renting may be lower than purchasing a home, freeing up more funds to invest for the future.

Property typically goes up in value, but keep in mind that the "buy and hold" method takes time to see a return on your investment. The same is true for commercial real estate.

Renting

There are a few ways to make money renting out real estate.

There's a huge market for renting out extra space, whether it's a room on Airbnb or renting out your garage for someone to use as storage space.

If you can afford a second property, even better. You can rent property out on either a long-term or short-term basis. Consider furnishing the property and renting it to tourists, travel nurses, or students.

Flip

Flipping a home is a very lucrative path, but possibly the hardest in this side hustle. You essentially buy a home that needs some TLC, fix it, and sell it for a profit.

Sounds simple enough right?

In reality, there can be hidden issues and costs that you aren't aware of until after you purchase the home.

Not a huge deal if you're a contractor or a DIY enthusiast. A bit harder for some of us who are more comfortable with hands-on keyboards.

BRRRR Method

The BRRRR method is a powerful strategy for anyone who decides to pursue real estate as a side hustle. BRRRR stands for Buy, Renovate, Refinance, Rent, and Repeat.

Essentially, you buy a home that needs work, fix it up so it's worth more, refinance to get your cash back (and hopefully a better interest rate), rent it out, and repeat.

It's a powerful strategy in setting up a real estate portfolio, you essentially use the same initial set of capital to continue purchasing multiple pieces of property.

Bonus: REITs & Crowd-Funding

A bonus route to consider is investing in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or through crowd-funding platforms such as Fundrise.

These are more passive options and require minimal capital (Fundrise requires a minimum of $10 to invest).

Making It Work as a Teacher

Teaching is one of those careers where the passion for the work is real, but passion alone does not pay the mortgage or build a retirement account. The good news is that the same skills that make you effective in the classroom translate directly into some of the most viable side hustles available: the ability to explain things clearly, connect with people, manage your time, and create content that actually helps someone learn something.

The eight options on this list were chosen because they fit the reality of a teacher's life. Not the version where you have unlimited evenings and boundless energy after a full day in the classroom, but the real one. A few hours on the weekend. A summer with genuine breathing room. A planning period that occasionally stays a planning period.

You do not need to pursue all of them. Pick one that fits your skills and your schedule right now, start small, and give it enough time to gain traction before you decide whether it is worth expanding. The teachers who build meaningful side income are not the ones who found the perfect hustle — they are the ones who picked something reasonable and stayed consistent with it.

If you are still figuring out which direction makes the most sense, the three types of income framework is a useful lens for thinking about active versus passive versus portfolio income — and how each of the options above fits into a longer-term financial picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can teachers have side jobs?

Yes, and most do. There are no federal laws prohibiting teachers from having a side hustle or second job, though some school districts have moonlighting policies that require disclosure or limit certain types of outside work. Before you get started, it is worth a quick review of your district's employee handbook or a conversation with HR — particularly around intellectual property, since some districts have policies about who owns curriculum materials created on district time or using district resources.

What is the best side hustle for a teacher during the school year?

The best school-year side hustles are low-lift, flexible, and easy to pause when things get busy in the classroom. Tutoring is the most natural fit — you can take on one or two students per week and adjust your schedule as needed. Selling curriculum on Teachers Pay Teachers is another strong option because the upfront work happens on your own timeline and the income continues without ongoing effort. Both work well around evenings, weekends, and planning periods.

What are the best side hustles for teachers in the summer?

Summer is when the higher-effort hustles make the most sense. Creating an online course, building out a curriculum shop, launching a photography business, or getting into real estate all benefit from the longer blocks of uninterrupted time that summer provides. Pet sitting and dog walking are also popular in the summer months since the weather makes it more enjoyable and demand tends to increase as families travel.

Do teachers have to report side hustle income on their taxes?

Yes. Any income earned outside of your teaching salary is taxable and needs to be reported to the IRS. If you earn $400 or more from self-employment in a year, you are also required to pay self-employment tax. The upside is that legitimate business expenses related to your side hustle (software subscriptions, equipment, a portion of your home office) may be deductible. A tax professional can help you set this up correctly from the start, which saves headaches later.

How much can a teacher realistically make from a side hustle?

It depends heavily on the hustle and how much time you put in. Tutoring and dog walking can generate a few hundred dollars a month with just a few hours of work per week. Curriculum creation on Teachers Pay Teachers can scale to $500–$5,000 per month once you have a solid catalog built out. Online courses and photography have higher income ceilings but require more upfront investment of time. A realistic starting target for most teachers is an extra $500–$1,000 per month, which for many makes a meaningful difference.

Can teachers sell their lesson plans and curriculum?

Generally yes, but with one important caveat: check your district's intellectual property policy first. Most districts allow teachers to sell materials they created entirely on their own time using their own resources. Materials developed using district resources, on district time, or as part of a specific district initiative may be considered district property. When in doubt, create your sellable materials outside of school hours and keep them clearly separate from anything developed for your specific classroom.

What side hustles work best for teachers who do not want to tutor?

Plenty of strong options exist outside of tutoring. Selling curriculum on Teachers Pay Teachers or Etsy, creating online courses on Teachable or Thinkific, freelance writing, pet sitting, and photography are all solid choices that do not involve working directly with students after hours. If you want something more passive, curriculum creation and online courses are the strongest long-term bets since they generate income without requiring your time once the initial work is done.

8 Best Side Hustles for Teachers to Earn Extra Money in 2026