Why a “High-Dollar” Side job?
We’ve all read those articles about “50 Ways to make money in your spare time.” We get all excited, but when we read the article and then figure how much we’d make per hour, it works out to about $1.50 if we’re LUCKY! I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the time for that! If I’m going to get a job on the side, it had better be worth my time. That’s what I call a high-dollar side hustle. So here are four jobs on the side for teachers that can earn you $20/hour or more.
Side Hustle #1: Pet Sitting (or walking during the summer months)
This is a high-dollar side hustle that will make animal lovers smile. Rover.com matches animal lovers with people who want pet care while on vacation. The pets come to your house and you care for them. Some providers snap pictures to send to owners and do other cute things, but mainly it’s about providing safety and care without the pet having to experience the stress of a kennel. The going rate usually runs between $20-25 per day per pet, and some care givers also offer pet sitting, drop-ins, or house sitting.
Rover is ideal for someone who can really demonstrate they have experience and a knowledge of dogs, but they only accept about 20% of people who apply to work through them. However, you can also let your friends and neighbors know this is something you’d be willing to do. Just know your limits and make sure you can adequately care for any pets you are entrusted with.
Since rover.com provides the insurance, you don’t need to worry about it. Yes, they do take a cut, but the insurance plus the fact that they help with getting your name out there makes it not such a bad deal.
Side Hustle #2: Teaching English online
Teaching English remotely to students in China and other countries has become a huge business, and it can be a flexible and portable job on the side for teachers. One of the best things about this plan is that it allows several options, based on what you’re looking for.
If you’re interested in freelancing, you can sign up through verbalplanet.com. It costs nothing, but you have to build your own clientele base and create your own lessons. VIPKID, on the other hand, is a little more corporate. They provide lesson plans (which you are expected to use). One of my close friends has been doing VIPKID for over a year, and it really works for her. Read more about her experience here. If this interests you, this is one of the most up-to-date articles I’ve found on the different options available.
Side Hustle #3: Offering premium classes in person
Offering group classes can allow you to earn a great per-hour rate (think over $80 per contact hour!). Now that’s a high-dollar side hustle that beats the pants off of filling out surveys online! I am a language teacher. Instead of offering one-on-one tutoring, I teach group classes in preschools and just-for-fun classes at a local winery.
Maybe you are a dancer, a black-belt in karate, or have a knack for making science irresistible for kids. All of these are currently successful businesses in the preschool enrichment world. But you don’t have to build a huge business. If you can get 1-2 locations with lot of interest, it can add $800 or more to your monthly income.
Or if you’re not into the preschool scene, wineries and micro-breweries might partner with you to lure clients in at off-peak times.
If you’d like to offer a group class, think about what skills you have and who might be interested in them. Be creative. Do you knit? Are you an artist? The winery where I offered classes also partnered with a henna artist, a tarot card reader, a message therapist, and a yoga instructor to use their back room when it wasn’t booked. So this is limited only by your creativity and ability to market your skill as fun and useful. If you want to learn more about starting a successful preschool group class, check out my article on three make or break steps.
What you are looking for here is a skill that 1) you know well enough to teach 2) you enjoy doing and 3) people are willing to pay for. Often, after you’ve built a class up, you can earn $60-$100 per contact hour. Not too shabby!
Side Hustle #4: Offering autism-specific services
This one is for you, special ed teachers. You know you are amazing in the classroom every day, but how about using your gift to not only make money for yourself, but also allow a special-needs parent to get a service with peace of mind and zero stress? Do you have a knowledge of autism or other special needs? Have you ever thought about how stressful it must be for the parent of with special needs to get good-quality family photos done? Or find a babysitter they feel confident leaving their child with? From what I hear, it can be a nightmare.
Let’s look at photography as an example. Most photographers don’t understand how to work with these special kids, and so a lot of parents don’t even try to get professional quality pictures. So instead of marketing yourself as just another photographer (or whatever your service is), do some thinking about how your service could be made more attractive to parents of kids with special needs. Then use your expertise to market yourself as a provider of services for this special demographic. This high-dollar side hustle will also let you help others in a big way.
What other services do you think create stress for parents of special-needs children? I’ll bet you can think of a few, and some of them might even be something that you love doing.
Work it
There you go. Four possible high-dollar side hustles than can earn you $20 or more. Will they all work for everyone? Heck, no! But you don’t need five or ten different ways to make money. You need 1-2 ways that fit your personality and work for you.
The other thing I hope you gain from reading these ideas is the belief that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Once you start thinking about business ideas and how you can turn your own skills and interests into a viable income, you’ll eventually hit on an idea that is perfect for you. It might not be the first idea you try, or even the second or third. But action is the important thing here. Try something. Do something. See what works and what doesn’t. Then adjust if you need to.
Have other brilliant ideas? Share them below.