As a former teacher, you have a unique set of skills and experiences that can help you make money in a variety of ways. Teaching requires patience, organization, communication skills, and the ability to break down complex subjects – all qualities that are valuable across many industries. The key is identifying ways to apply your existing expertise to other roles. Here are some of the best options to consider if you want to make money after leaving the teaching profession.
Tutoring
One of the most natural fits for former teachers is to continue working in education, just in a different capacity. Tutoring provides the flexibility of setting your own hours and rates. And with your classroom experience, you already have the skills to help students of all ages improve their knowledge in academic subjects.
You can offer in-person tutoring services in your community or work with students remotely through online platforms. Subjects like math, sciences, language arts, and test prep are frequently requested by students and parents. Build up your reputation and client base by listing your services on tutoring directories, classified ads, community bulletin boards, and your own website. Charge anywhere from $25 to $100+ per hour, depending on your expertise level and location.
Freelance Writing
Former teachers have an advantage as writers because you already know how to take complex information and present it clearly for a specific audience. Consider freelance writing as a way to make money from home by using your writing and communication abilities.
There is high demand for writers across many industries, including online media, marketing, technology, and more. Sign up for job boards dedicated to freelance writing gigs like Contena, Skyword, and Flexjobs. You can get assignments writing blog posts, web content, social media posts, email newsletters, white papers, eBooks, and other projects for clients. Rates vary greatly, but $20-$50 per hour is common based on your niche and experience level.
Corporate Training
Tap into your skills developing lessons and training students by working in corporate training. This role involves creating training programs, modules, and materials to help employees develop skills related to their jobs. You’ll learn the company’s specific training needs and then design customized courses and content.
Look for openings at large corporations, governmental agencies, healthcare systems, financial institutions, and other large employers. You can also contact them speculatively to offer your services. Expect to earn $50,000-$70,000 per year or more as an entry-level corporate trainer.
Education Consultant
If you want to continue working in the field of education, consider becoming an education consultant. This role allows you to apply your insider knowledge of school curriculums, teaching practices, and education administration to help schools and organizations enhance their programs and operations.
You can work as an independent consultant and offer your services to multiple clients or seek a full-time position at an educational service firm. Typical projects include developing curriculums, designing school programs, providing teacher training, conducting education research, and advising education leaders. Average salaries range from $50,000-$80,000.
Open an Online Store
Former teachers often have knowledge and passion for specific subjects that lend themselves well to opening an online store. For example, you could sell lesson plans and teaching materials in your subject area. Or offer products tailored to students and parents, like study aids, organizational tools, educational toys and games, etc.
With drop shipping, you can sell products online without having to keep an inventory. Identify a niche, build a store through platforms like Shopify, create listings, and fulfill orders directly through your wholesaler. Profit margins vary widely, but $30,000 per year or more in earnings is possible. You’ll need to invest time and effort into marketing your store and optimizing your product selection.
Educational App Developer
Teachers have direct insight into the types of apps and digital tools that effectively engage students and support learning. Put that knowledge to work by developing educational apps and programs. From math games to interactive science videos to language learning apps, there are endless possibilities.
Team up with a technical co-founder to build and launch your app ideas. Submit your apps to app stores like Google Play and Apple App Store. Monetize your creation through paid downloads, in-app purchases, sponsorship, or ad revenue. Top educational apps generate over $1 million per year. The potential earnings depend greatly on the app’s popularity and purpose.
Resume Writer
Help job seekers land more interviews by crafting compelling resumes and cover letters. Your skills writing lesson plans, creating persuasive essays, and explaining concepts make you well suited for this work. Resume writing services typically charge $100-$500 per document depending on level of experience and turnaround time.
Start taking on clients by promoting your services, building a portfolio website, and listing yourself on resume writer directories. Attend career fairs and networking events to connect with potential clients in-person. Full-time resume writers can make $40,000-$60,000 per year.
Virtual Assistant
Virtual assisting is an easy remote work option for former teachers because it allows you to leverage your expertise through a variety of administrative tasks. Typical responsibilities include making travel arrangements, managing schedules, coordinating projects, creating documents, performing research, and more.
Search sites like Upwork and Fiverr for virtual assistant jobs. You can find full-time, part-time, or one-off gigs. Hourly rates span $15-$50 based on your skills and types of services offered. It’s a flexible way to earn part-time income from home or build a full-time virtual assisting business.
Grant Writer
Many nonprofits and charitable organizations need skilled grant writers to win funding through foundation and government grants. As a teacher, you already know how to research, write persuasively, meet deadlines, and adhere to rigid requirements.
Successful grant writers can make $30 to over $100 per hour. It helps to earn a certificate in grant writing to build credibility. Reach out to nonprofits in fields that interest you to inquire about grant writing contract opportunities.
Online Instructor
Make money sharing your teaching talents with even more students through online instruction. Many online education platforms connect expert instructors with students around the world. You can create courses in academic subjects, hobbies, professional skills – anything you have expertise in.
Platforms like Udemy and Outschool let you set your own course prices and take a percentage of sales. You may also be able to earn income through ad revenue. Other sites like VIPKid connect virtual tutors with Chinese students learning English. This option pays $14-22 per hour. Being an online teacher has high earning potential if you build a large student following.
Education Blogger
Launch an education blog where you share tips, resources, and your insights from years as a teacher. Build traffic to your blog through SEO, social media, and networking with other education bloggers.
Once your blog is established, there are several ways to monetize the site through advertising, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, online courses, and selling teaching materials or merch. Top education blogs earn anywhere from $1,000 up to $40,000 per month and more.
Sell Lesson Plans & Teaching Resources
As a teacher, you have access to or have created countless lesson plans, activity sheets, assessments, and other curriculum materials. These teaching resources are very valuable to other educators.
Save time lesson planning and earn extra income by selling your original teacher materials online. Platforms like Teachers Pay Teachers allow you to easily upload and sell resources in your subject area or grade level. Popular teaching resources generate thousands of dollars in passive income as buyers download and use your materials.
Substitute Teaching
Working as a substitute teacher enables you to return to the classroom part-time with extreme flexibility. You can choose which grade levels and subjects to teach and accept jobs at your convenience.
Long-term substitute teaching assignments that fill in for months at a time offer income stability. The average pay rate for day-to-day subs is $80-$120 per day depending on the district. It’s an easy way to earn supplemental income if you miss teaching.
Education Consultant
School districts, private schools, education agencies, and ed tech companies seek the advice of education consultants to get expert guidance designing and implementing programs. With your hands-on teaching experience, you bring valuable insight as a consultant.
Much of the work can be done virtually through phone and video conferencing. Areas you can consult in include curriculum development, education technologies, literacy programs, special needs, teacher coaching, homeschooling resources, and more. Experienced consultants earn $50-$150 per hour or higher based on niche.
Online Educational Games
Design educational games and activities then sell them through online marketplaces like Outschool and Teachers Pay Teachers. For example, create a fun Jeopardy-style quiz game covering algebra concepts. Or an educational word scramble focused on vocabulary.
Online instructors and teachers are always looking for engaging games to incorporate into their teaching. Each game or activity can sell for $3 to $10 or more. The more products you design, the more potential passive income you can earn each month.
Sell Teacher Planners & Materials
Teacher planners, lesson plan books, grading sheets, passes, and decorative classroom materials are big hits on sites like Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers. These types of products cater directly to the needs of teachers.
Digitize and sell materials you’ve made like printable binder covers, welcome letters, substitute folders, birthday signs, and more. Create templated versions that allow teachers to customize details. Set up your own teacher supplies shop online and earn residual income each month.
Children’s Book Author
Combine your teaching creativity with your writing skills to become an author of children’s books. Self-publish illustrated eBooks through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing at no cost. Or submit your work to children’s book publishers through querying.
Sell books through your own website, online retailers, bookstores, school orders, speaking engagements, and live events. Successful children’s book authors earn anywhere from a few hundred to a few hundred thousand dollars per year based on sales and brand growth.
Sell Teacher-Designed Apparel
Design t-shirts, mugs, totes, and other products with fun teacher-inspired sayings, motifs, or images. Set up a shop on print-on-demand sites like Teespring and Redbubble to take custom product orders without any upfront inventory costs.
Promote your teacher designs on social media and through educator communities online. Each product sale earns you a commission, usually $2-$5 per item. Popular teacher shops generate thousands in passive sales each month.
SAT/ACT Test Prep Instructor
Turn your teaching and test taking knowledge into a lucrative test prep business. Offer customized SAT and ACT tutoring to students either locally or online. Familiarize yourself fully with both exams to cover all concepts students need to master.
Charge $25-$200 per hour for private and group test prep sessions based on your student’s score goals. Attract clients by promoting your services at local high schools and directly to families.
Sell Editable Documents
Create templates for documents that teachers need like syllabi, parent letters, emergency sub plans, gradesheets, behavior charts, and more. Then sell downloads of your creations on online marketplaces.
Teachers are always seeking editable templates that save them time creating the resources they need most. Offer your templates in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and PDF formats. Earn up to $10 per document download.
College Admissions Consultant
Help high school students gain acceptance into top colleges by starting an admissions consulting business. Charge parents and students $100-$250 per hour for your guidance applying to schools, writing essays, obtaining recommendations, completing forms, practicing interviews, improving test scores, and more.
Promote your admissions consulting services through high school counselors, online ads, and community contacts. College admissions is competitive, so skilled consultants can earn six figures.
Proofreading & Editing
Your expertise correcting papers and providing feedback makes you perfectly primed for proofreading and editing work. Lots of writers, businesses, academics, and other professionals seek outsourced editing help perfecting their documents.
Sign up with proofreading service sites to access jobs. You can also offer services directly to authors or publish a rate sheet. Charge $25 to $50 per hour or more depending on experience and turnaround time. Expand into copyediting, formatting, transcribing, and other services over time.
Private Tutor
One of the best ways to make money as a former teacher is by tutoring students in academic subjects, test prep, college admissions help, homework support, and more. You set your own schedule and hourly rates based on the tutoring services you provide.
Market your services to families and parents at schools, religious institutions, community centers, and online forums. Get referrals from counselors, teachers, and existing clients. Tutors typically charge $25-$100+ per hour based on expertise, subject matter, and location.
Sell Your Lesson Plans
All the time you’ve spent meticulously creating lesson plans is about to pay off. Sell access to your plans so other teachers can use them as-is or customize them. Upload your lessons onto marketplaces like Teachers Pay Teachers, Etsy, and Sellfy.
Set your plans apart with clear instructions, aligned standards, strong visuals, creative elements, details about student engagement, and ways to differentiate instruction. Price based on completeness, subject area, and grade level.
Educational Program Development
Use your curriculum development and teaching skills to create educational programs for schools, nonprofits, tutoring centers, publishers, and beyond. Programs can span early childhood, special needs, language learning, test prep, music, summer activities, and more.
Design programs end-to-end including materials, lesson sequencing, training, and delivery models. Earn income through program licenses, development fees, royalty shares, and ongoing partnerships.
Online Course Instructor
As an online instructor, you can teach your own live or pre-recorded courses through platforms like Udemy, Outschool, and Skillshare. Set your schedule and share your expertise with students worldwide.
Choose your course topic based on subjects you’re passionate about and experienced in – cooking, arts, math, college prep, fitness, technology, and endless other options. Promote your classes to attract enrollments. Earn from 40-60% commissions per course sale. Top instructors make over $100k annually.
Sell Study Guides
Existing teaching materials like your course notes, old study guides, and sample tests have value to students prepping for exams. Adapt them into comprehensive study guides that offer key facts, concepts, examples, and practice questions.
Self-publish study guide eBooks on Amazon and list physical book versions on platforms like Lulu. Market your guides through social media, search ads, and direct outreach to students. Set prices from $15-$60 based on page count.
Educational YouTube Channel
Inform, inspire, and engage students worldwide through your own YouTube channel focused on education. Develop videos that teach academic lessons, test taking strategies, career advice, life skills, hobby tutorials, and more. Monetize your channel once you reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours.
YouTube lets creators earn ad revenue, channel memberships, tips, and merchandise sales. Popular education YouTubers make $2k to $15k+ per month. But it requires consistent, high-quality content.
Conclusion
Teaching equips you with a unique combination of skills that opens up numerous career options, side gigs, and business ideas to earn income beyond the classroom. Play to your existing strengths in communication, public speaking, writing, research, curriculum development, tutoring, and technology. Consider roles that align with your interests and expertise. With creativity and effort, former teachers can leverage their skills in many lucrative ways.
