Guest post from Bethany of MathGeekMama.com:
For as long as I can remember, I've dreamed of being a teacher. The only question, really, was what to teach, because I simply love learning and had a hard time settling on just one subject!
What I was not expecting, however, was that I would get pregnant at a young age, and then have four kids in four years! I was also not expecting to have such a strong desire to stay home with my children, or to homeschool. That was never part of my plan!
But God had a bigger, more perfect plan for our family, and that has meant giving up my dream of teaching high school in exchange for a new dream: staying home to homeschool the four most amazing kids on the planet!
Because of my teaching background and experience, however, I have been able to find other ways to bring in some extra money for our family, even while staying home.
If you are a teacher, here are some ways you can make some extra cash from home:
1. Tutor Local Students:
Depending on what age and subject you teach, you can likely find a handful of students to tutor in the evenings or on weekends. If you're not sure where to find students, try posting fliers at the local library or local schools.
Another idea is to hand out business cards to the school secretaries or classroom teachers so that when parents are looking for a tutor they can give them your card.
And if you live in a larger city, you may be interested in Wyzant. This is a service that works as a middleman between the tutor and the student. One benefit of this service is that parents pay through Wyzant, meaning you don't have to be the one to ask for payments or handle invoices.
2. Tutor Online:
There are also online tutoring sites that allow you to work and teach from your computer. One benefit to this type of tutoring is that you can work from anywhere, at anytime, and you don't have to factor in travelling expenses. The downside (in my experience) is that it can be difficult to get hired on with some of the larger sites because so many people want to work for them.
Some sites you might be interested in are Tutor.com, Ask A Nerd, InstaEDU or MathCrunch.
3. Teach Online:
If you are no longer in the classroom, but really miss teaching, you may be able to find a job teaching at an online school.
Online options are becoming increasingly popular, so do some research to see what's available for your area of expertise. A great place to start is K-12's job board, which often has a variety of opportunities available.
4. Sell Teaching Materials:
If you create your own teaching materials, you can sell them online!
There are lots of places to share your products, but some popular options are Teachers Pay Teachers, Teachers Notebook and Educents. This is an especially great option if you already have materials created!
5. Become an eBook Editor:
Self-published eBooks are an ever-growing market, and with it comes a need for skilled editors.
If you are an English teacher with an eye for grammar and punctuation, this may be a great fit for you!
6. Start a Blog:
If you are willing to think long term, maybe you should consider blogging. There is a huge amount of potential to make a part time or even full time income from blogging.
It's hard work, but if you're willing to put in the time and effort, it can be a great way to share your passion and knowledge of teaching with other teachers and homeschoolers, as well as help support your family!
If you are a current teacher who would like a little extra cash, or a teacher who is no longer in the classroom, maybe one of these options is a good fit for you!
Bethany is the mom behind the blog MathGeekMama.com, a website dedicated to helping parents and educators teach math in a way that is fun and engaging, while building a strong conceptual understanding of mathematics. She also shares free math teaching materials and games for kids of all ages.
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