Summer Jobs for Teachers

Every year teachers face the same dilemma: take the summer off or work. Taking the summer off sounds nice, but it requires saving a summer fund throughout the school year. Instead, many prefer to work low-stress jobs so they can earn a good wage while still enjoying the summertime. 

For this article, we made a list of profitable summer jobs that give teachers the freedom and creativity they need to unwind from a hectic school year. Read on to learn more about the many employment possibilities right outside your door this summer. 

Monetize Your Hobby

Teachers wear many hats throughout the day—they connect with students over pop-culture, fix classroom equipment, console concerned parents, pacify quarreling students—and so much more. Each teacher has a unique style and flair influenced by their hobbies, skills, and interests. So it’s no surprise that teachers are a wildly talented bunch of individuals. 

If you’re a teacher, put your creativity to work this summer by making your hobby your summer job. Combine work and play and you won’t “work” a single day all season. Below are some ideas on how to make your hobbies work for you. 

Photography

If you have a natural eye for angles, lighting, and backgrounds—offer your photography services. Summer is a busy time for weddings, reunions, vacations, parades, and more. You can boost sales by creating summer photoshoot specials.If you work as a photographer, you won’t have to worry about staying in one place all summer. You can follow clients to their vacation destinations or travel in between photoshoots. Or, if you prefer to stay local, you can set up a photoshoot studio within your home.

Arts and Crafting

If you have a knack for creating handmade items, make some money off of them this summer! You can still spend your days vacationing, playing, and travelling—all you have to do is spend your evenings unwinding with your artistic endeavor. Sell your inventory at your local farmer’s markets— which will be teeming with tourist activity during the summer months—or simply sell them online. 

You can also set up classes or workshops to teach your artistic skills to community members. Whether it’s sewing, knitting, woodworking, pottery, sculpting, or something else—chances are there is someone nearby who wants to learn how to do it.   

Music and Singing

Music is an essential component of the day-to-day routines of most teachers. If you sing, play an instrument you can make money this summer by performing at an endless amount of venues. You can perform at

• Bars and clubs

• Restaurants

• Farmer’s markets

• Parks and gathering places

• Birthday, beach, and pool parties

Wherever you go, don’t forget to bring a jar for tips!. 

Gardening and Landscaping

If you love nature and have a green thumb, you can offer your expertise in a variety of ways. You can:

• Start a yard and lawn care business

• Contract landscape design services

• “Doctor” sick or dying plants

• Create sustainable food gardens

You’ll likely earn the bulk of your income from the yard and lawn care since those are recurring jobs. However, you can get away with charging extra for landscape design, food garden design, and sick plant remediation because those are services that require expertise. 

Sports Coach or Referee

Teachers are noble people that want to bring out the best in their students. They’re also sticklers for rules, natural negotiators, and fair penalizers. If you happen to be a teacher who loves sports, consider taking on a coach or referee role. You can work with kids or operate in an adult’s league if you need a break from them. You can increase your revenue potential by coaching or refereeing for multiple sports or leagues. 

Handyperson

Teachers are famous for their creative solutions and workarounds. If you’re a natural tinkerer and enjoy working with your hands, monetize your expertise by working as a handyman or handywoman. Summer is a popular time to complete household projects, so you’ll have no problem getting bookings. 

House Cleaner or Car Detailer

It may be hard to believe, but some teachers genuinely love to clean. If you love to make things shine and sparkle, you should pursue a cleaning job. If you like to work indoors, you can clean houses. If you like to work outdoors, you can detail cars. Either way, you get to work with your special cleaning tools while listening to your favorite songs. 

Work with Family

If you’ve been itching to start a business with one or more of your family members, summer is the time to give it a try. If you have a family member that already has an established job, check to see if they need help throughout the season. Working in your family business is a wonderful way to reconnect with relatives, possibly visit a new location, and learn new trade skills.

Summer School Teacher

Some teachers would rather teach all year long. Summer school teachers work shorter days and earn a great rate. Summer school may have a bad reputation, but as long as you approach your students with a positive and relaxed attitude, everyone is sure to have a great time.  

Caregiver or Tutor

Teachers are nurturers at heart. For those of you who love to plan activities and outings, here are several child-centered summer jobs that are perfect for teachers. 

Nanny, Babysitter, or Au Pair

Plenty of teachers turn to in-home caregiving during the summertime. There is no shortage of parents that need childcare while they go to work. There are also lots of opportunities to provide childcare for date nights and vacations. Teachers who turn to caregiving have an easy time finding work because they can network with families from their schools. 

Tutor 

During the summer, you will find many families eager to help their children catch up or get ahead in their studies. Tutoring is a very flexible summer job with a high hourly rate. You can work as a private tutor remotely or in person. 

If you want to pursue remote tutoring opportunities with more friendly hours for traveling abroad, consider teaching English online. Several tutoring companies teach English to non-native speakers in a variety of countries. 

Camp Worker

If you loved team obstacle courses, cooking outside with solar ovens, and swimming in lakes as a child, summer camp may be the perfect job for you. Just don’t forget your bug spray. 

Summer Camp Counselor

Become a summer camp counselor to ensure your kids have their greatest summer yet. Plan super fun and active games while providing the best supervision and care. Keep them safe in the wild while letting them have the time of their lives being wild. 

Boy or Girl Scout Camp Leader

Teach life and survival skills to your local scout troops. Go on camping, fishing, horseback riding, and archery adventures. Help troop members grow their confidence by teaching valuable life skills like first aid in the wild, sewing, and building a shelter in the woods. 

Park Ranger

A park ranger’s job is not directly related to children, although their duties do affect the kid campers who come to your campground. Become a park ranger and ensure your little campers have the best experience by maintaining a clean and safe park. You can also indulge in your love for nature by going on hikes, trying dispersed camping, riding quads and dirtbikes, and sailing in kayaks. 

Plant, Dog, or House Sitter

Being a sitter for anything other than a child is one of the easiest summer jobs you can get. And it pays well. You can take on several dogs and plant-sitting jobs at once to increase your revenue. If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, you can earn more by dog walking or pet grooming. If you land one or more of these jobs, try to combine them with a job from above to maximize your profits, like gardening or house cleaning. 

Community Worker

Even on their days off, teachers still look for ways to give back to their community. If you want a job that will stimulate you mentally and physically, give these community jobs a try. 

Librarian

Some teachers work for their local libraries throughout the summer. While some teachers use this job to indulge their love for reading, others use it as an opportunity to level up skills and add to their classroom and lesson resources. 

Museum Educator

Work at your favorite museum and teach art, science, or history lessons. If you prefer a less structured job, offer your services as an exhibit guide and tell engaging stories about the displays. You’ll maintain a sense of awe and wonder all summer long as you surround yourself with beautiful relics of the past. 

Hospital Activity Teacher

Plenty of hospitals require qualified individuals to teach art, craft, and music activities to long-term child and senior patients. With this job, you can bring creativity to those who need some carefreeness in their life. You can also offer educational support, as teachers are wont to do. 

Play Gym Teacher

If you’re a high-energy teacher or love working out, you should seek out a role at your local play gym. Play gyms and play spaces are fantastic places to observe learning through play, exercise on the job, and dive into a colorful ball pit. Plus, you’ll probably learn some useful tips, tricks, and games to bring back to your classroom when the school year starts back up. 

Service 

Service jobs are familiar to many because it’s where most of us worked while we went to school for our degrees. Service jobs are a great summer-work option because they are relatively flexible and easy to re-enter.

Bartending, Hosting, and Waiting

Like teachers, food service workers are a hard-working bunch. If you enjoy working in a fast-paced, client-facing environment, this could be a great summer opportunity for you. Plus, you can make a lot of good tips from summer traffic. 

Ride-Hailing and Deliveries

If you prefer to have alone time and don’t mind driving most of your day, you can drive people around and deliver take-out or groceries. It’s a relaxing job; you listen to music or podcasts, take in the city sights, and hear interesting passenger stories all day long. 

Cooking and Catering

Catering companies are busy during the summer months and could always use an extra hand. If you are a creative cook and want to share your food with others, try catering. You can also host kitchen pop-ups where you sell tickets for a plate of your signature food.  

Specialty Goods Store

If you have a favorite specialty store that sells expensive things you don’t usually buy, work there. Maybe it’s a special imported goods store, maybe it’s a meat and cheese deli, a bakery, or a wine store. We know the real reason you work there is to apply your employee discount code and make a delectable snack board.

Summertime and the Working is Easy

Necessity is the mother of ingenuity. When a teacher needs a job, you can bet she will find one. We know your teachers are super resourceful when it comes to finding creative solutions. However, we hope this list helped you narrow your options to find the perfect summer job.