Teachers seriously have the coolest job—we work tirelessly for 10 months, then we get a 2-month break. But what about the bills? The travel? The little extra money in the bank account? Even if you do get paid during the summer, it’s still nice to make a little extra money to help offset spending. Or maybe you just need to do something to pass the time (like it doesn’t already go by fast enough). Let’s dive into a pool of summer work ideas that might help keep your finances afloat!

School-Related

You may be one of those teachers who just love to do school all year round. Well, guess what? There are summer jobs that are perfect for you! Here are just a few:

Tutor:

Whether you’ve taught one year or twenty years, you know there are always students who struggle in your class. Summer is a great way to offer tutoring services to students who need a little extra help before next school year.

If your school offers a summer tutoring program, offer to tutor students at your school to help them excel in subjects that are more difficult for them. Your local area may have a tutoring program available. Check to see if they need tutors for the summer.

If neither one of those options works out, consider offering your independent tutoring services. Find a place, whether at your house, at school, or maybe at the library and advertise your services in your local area.

ESL Instructor:

You don’t have to be an English teacher to be an ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor. You just need to have a mastery of the language. There are many online platforms that need the help of professional teachers to participate in their learning programs.

Most of the instructional hours will either be early morning or late nights (because of time zone differences), but you can set your availability, allowing you to be flexible in your scheduling. This is a great opportunity—as long as you’re willing to look past the unconventional hours!

Test-Prep Instructor:

If you’re really wanting to keep your mind academically challenged this summer, consider being an ACT/SAT test-prep instructor! There are options to instruct in-person or online. Either way, this will put your knowledge (and application of it) to the test. Depending on your degree, you may be able to help prepare college students for the MCAT or GRE.

There are a couple of ways you can pursue this opportunity. You can either go through a test-prep company, or you can advertise your services and do test-prep on an individual basis, similar to tutoring. Either way, summer is the perfect time for students to prepare for these tests, especially those who are serious about getting scholarships and other academic recognition.

Hobby-Driven

As teachers, we rarely have the opportunity to pursue our hobbies during the school year. Why not use summer to engage in those hobbies and get paid for them?!

Reading:

If you love books but don’t get to spend a lot of time reading or just exploring new books, summer is a great time for you to get that opportunity. Check out your public library to see if they have a position you could fill. Even ask about a summer reading program—who knows, they may ask you to start one!

If you’re really wanting to just sit on the couch and read a book, you might as well get paid for it. Explore different book review companies that pay you to read and review their books.

Coffee:

It’s safe to say that most teachers run on coffee throughout the school year. During the summer, instead of spending money at your favorite coffee shop, earn money (then you can spend it on coffee!) from the coffee shop. Apply at a coffee shop near you and enjoy making coffee and interacting with baristas you see quite often during the school year!

Summer Sports:

You may have a niche for playing sports, but you don’t have time during the school year to devote to playing, coaching, or even watching sports. Use the summer to rejuvenate your hobby by finding a summer league who needs coaches. There’s always a need for them, and you may be able to travel too!

Another avenue that you might be interested in is refereeing/umpiring. Because there are so many summer sports happening, referee associations are looking for summer help. Contact your local association to see how you can participate in summer refereeing/umpiring.

Customer Service

We rely on customer service quite a bit during the school year. Whether that’s running to the store late at night to grab materials for an experiment the next day in class or grabbing some dinner after a ballgame, customer service greatly helps us—now, you can help them!

Retail/Food Service:

Check your favorite retail stores and restaurants to see if they’re hiring for the summer. Many of them could be hiring for “seasonal” work, especially home improvement stores where they’re the busiest during the summer. If you’re not interested in working fast food, consider working at a dine-in restaurant as a server or a cook.

Real Estate:

If you’re really ambitious, you can obtain your real estate license and focus on that during the summer. Check out some local real estate agencies in your area to see how you can become a real estate agent.

A benefit of having your real estate license is that you can choose how much or how little you want to work, and this is something you can do on the side during the school year as time permits.

Insurance:

One thing we have to be good at as teachers is selling our students on the fact that our subject is worth learning. Well, all that enticing has finally paid off—use your skill to sell insurance during the summer! Consult a local insurance agency on how you can obtain your license and begin selling insurance.

If done well, this can earn you a lot of money, but it does require you to spend quite a bit of time on the phone and meetings (in-person or virtual) with clients. If you don’t mind doing that, this may be the perfect job for you!

Freelance

You may be interested in doing some freelance jobs that allow you to capitalize on your personal strengths. Freelancing gives you the freedom to set your own schedule and to pick what jobs you would like to do. Here are just a few freelancing opportunities you may be interested in.

Blogging:

If you love to write and have a niche for sharing exciting stories or helpful tips, consider blogging during the summer. You can find different organizations that will pay you to blog about different topics, or you can be adventurous and start your own blog. You may not make a lot of money at first, but it is fun to share your perspective on certain topics!

Proofreading/Editing:

There’s always a market for people who can proofread writing or edit an article. Depending on the level of proofreading needed, you may not even need an English degree. Research different platforms where people post jobs for proofreading/editing assistance.

Field-Specific Freelance:

If you have a degree in a field that is heavily researched, you may be able to find jobs related to that particular area. Whether that is to research, or to write on a topic, or to review different written material, you may be able to land a freelance job in something you are experienced in. You can find jobs like these on various freelance job platforms.

Other Side Jobs

The summer could also be a time for you to fill your schedule with random side jobs to help change up the normal routine a little bit. A couple ways to advertise for side jobs are to post your services, availability, and rate on your social media and share the information with your family and friends. Here are a few side jobs you may be interested in:

Elderly Companion Care:

People are frequently looking for others to sit with their elderly family members and help take care of them. This is a great opportunity to lend a hand and have some time to do different hobbies like reading or crocheting when they’re sleeping or just sitting around.

Pet/House Sitting:

Summer means vacation, and people are always searching for pet and house sitters. Offer your services to take out the dogs, or feed the chickens, or check on the house every so often. This is a simple and effective way to make some extra money this summer.

House Cleaning:

If you enjoy cleaning your house, consider cleaning other people’s houses! This is a quick way to make some money and have the satisfaction of a clean house when you’re done. You may enjoy cleaning other people’s houses more than you do cleaning your own!

Regardless of what summer job you decide to embark on, remember to enjoy your two months of vacation before another crazy, yet exciting school year! Find a job you love and use the extra money to help yourself out. Your bank account will thank you!