Over the many years that I’ve been making money online, I’ve often been asked by teachers to provide advice about how they can do the same. The way I respond to this question tends to be quite different, as I consider each persons unique skills and abilities, however, one thing remains constant.
My enthusiasm…
I love this stuff, and sharing the possibilities that exist with my fellow teacher friends & colleagues is a borderline obsession for me. So with this is mind, I wanted to share with you 7 ways that ANY teacher can leverage their skills, knowledge and special interests to create income online.
Fiverr.com is a digital service based website offering freelancers the opportunity to sell their specialty services in the form of gigs, also know as micro-jobs. Every micro-job listed on Fiverr.com starts out at $5, but can go up in price based on the buyers specifications.
A teacher could very easily list their own ‘Gig’ on the site and within minutes be setup to serve customers requiring their services from all over the world. Unsure what you could offer as a teacher? Fiverr’s freelancers offer a variety of digital services such as; content writing, website reviews, graphic designs, marketing campaigns, programming and much more. A quick look at the various categories on offer will give you insight into what you could provide, otherwise you can check out the ‘Fun & Bizarre‘ category for some really out of the box gig ideas.
What could a teacher do?
- Create a proofreading gig
- Translate content between languages
- Teach an international student via Skype
- Sell a lesson plan or study guide for a popular course
2. Create an Online Course on Udemy
You do this everyday, so why not get paid to deliver amazing content online via a platform such as Udemy? While this is not the only place on the web to do such a thing, it certainly is incredibly well marketed and easy to use. Simply sign up for an account and get started recording a course. Once you’ve finished upload it to Udemy and benefit from their intense marketing efforts.
Not sure how to create an online course? Then you can join the FREE course by Udemy here, which will take you through step-by-step to bring yours to life.
What could a teacher do?
- Teach a course surrounding their speciality
- Run a revision or study course for students/teachers
- Teach a language
- Teach a software package or musical instrument
3. Work as a Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant is generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients remotely from a home office. Essentially if you have an internet connection and a website such as ‘Upwork‘, then you have all of the tools you need to browse jobs in areas such as Admin Support, Writing, Translation and much more. You apply and once accepted enter a contract with the client to deliver the service etc. You’re normally paid by a hourly rate, with the upwork software periodically snapping screenshots of your computer and sending these to the job board so that your client can follow the progress.
As an online entrepreneur I have used Upwork for years and on a number of occasions secured the services of teachers & students working online for extra income.
4. Online Tutoring
You do this everyday! So why not leverage the internet to get paid tutoring students. You could use a website such as Verbal Planet to teach languages to overseas students and get paid direct to your PayPal account. Other options include registering as a tutor at www.tutor.com where you can share the love of your field and get paid for it. One of the easiest ways that teachers can earn extra income RIGHT NOW. The best part about this is that you can work from home and earn extra money using a skill set deeply connected to your day-to-day job.
5. Sell an eBook
With websites such as www.lulu.com it’s never been easier to make and distribute eBooks to an online audience. With this in mind you could write your very own fiction novel, or an instructional guide on your key subject area or expertise. The possibilities are endless.
The following approach is also very close to my heart as it is the very FIRST thing I ever sold online way back in 2011, with my first sale of 0.99cents radically changing my mind on what was possible online. It provided the exact motivation that led to a 7 figure online business.
6. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is the process of earning a commission by promoting other people’s (or company’s) products. You find a product you like, promote it to others, and earn a piece of the profit for each sale that you make. The best part about this method is that you don’t need to build the product, you simply need to fine one that you would recommend to others and ensure that people buy it through your special affiliate link.
How to get started!
- Build a blog or Facebook page/group around a specific topic
- Grow the audience to the above online spaces
- Find affiliate programs that meet the needs of your audience at places like “ClickBank’
7. Sell Lesson Plans & Resources
Surely people wouldn’t pay you for the lesson plans you’ve produced over your teaching career?
Of course they would and there is even entire website dedicated to concept!
Simply visit a place like Teachers Pay Teachers, where you can list your lesson plans and resources for sale.
‘So you can actually make a decent living with this?’
Of course you can heres some examples!
- Shane & Jocelyn Sams [From Teachers to Totally Rocking It Online]
- Deanna Jump [Kindergaten Teacher Earns $700,000]
While the above list is anything but a complete roundup of the various ways you can leverage your skills and knowledge as a teacher to generate an income online, it certainly highlights many of the most popular ways to make it happen. To download this as PDF click the button below
