5 Flexible Online Summer Jobs for Teachers

After the final bell rings on the last day of school, signaling the start of summer, teachers get a much-needed break from the hustle and bustle of the school year. The Monday through Friday routine is temporarily put on hold for the next 60+ days, as educators and students alike enjoy their time off during summer break.

But those two to three months that school’s not in session isn’t all fun-in-the-sun and leisure-filled days. Many teachers often spend the summer months prepping for the year to come or take on a seasonal job to supplement their income outside of the school year.

After 180 days in the classroom following a lesson plan made months in advance, adhering to a set schedule for the summer may be a less-than-ideal working arrangement for educators on break.

Fortunately, teachers have several online summer job options that offer tons of flexibility and enough freedom to earn extra money while still having plenty of time for summer fun.

1. eNotes Content Developer

As an online learning resource, eNotes brings together teachers, students, and researchers into one education-driven virtual community.

Students turn to eNotes for study guides, practice quizzes and general help when they’re feeling stuck. And during the school year, teachers use eNotes to discover classroom resources and connect with other education professionals.

To grow their scholarly community, eNotes hires current teachers to share their knowledge with students as an academic expert. You’ll get paid for each question you answer and can contribute as much or little as you’d like. Pay rates for answers can range from $4-$37 depending on how much students bid per question and your rank as a contributor.

To apply for the educator and writing program at eNotes, just submit an application and answer one sample question. That’s it. You should hear back within 72 hours whether you’ve been accepted as a paid contributor for eNotes.

2. TeachersPayTeachers

TeachersPayTeachers is an online marketplace built specifically for educators. This easy-to-use platform is the perfect place to sell your original classroom creations like lesson plans and worksheets. You can even sell physical products and other educational resources you no longer need.

Since 2006, educators have made more than $200M selling their original work and gently used classroom goods on TeachersPayTeachers. As an educator, you too can set up shop and offer your unique instructional ideas for sale digital downloads or clean out your classroom and earn money on items you no longer use.

It’s free to sign up on TeachersPayTeachers, and as a seller, you’ll have two membership options:

Basic Membership – Basic Membership is free, but you’ll be charged $0.30 per transaction on teacher-created items and $0.99 for each used item sold. The Basic Membership also offers a 60 percent royalty on gross sales.

Premium Membership – Premium Membership comes with a $59.95 annual fee but offers a greater royalty of 85 percent on gross sales, and there are no transaction fees to pay.

Whether you choose Basic or Premium, teachers are paid once a month for sales made the previous month. Payout options for educators living in the U.S. include PayPal or Dwolla.

TeachersPayTeachers is a great platform to be a part of during the summer, but it also offers the chance to earn passive income well into the fall and beyond since digital goods can be created once, yet sell over and over again.

3. Wonder Researcher

As an online personal research assistant tool, Wonder helps save busy people time by answering their questions with detailed responses that are backed by reputable sources.

Here’s how it works: Clients submit a question to Wonder, and one of their researchers gets to work finding the best possible answer. The final product is delivered to the client in a well-written synopsis that comes complete with references.

When you join the Wonder Research Network, you get paid to conduct online research and answer questions – and, as a teacher, you probably know a thing or two about research best practices!

But first, you’ve got to go through the application process which includes a short quiz and a mock research task. Your application is then reviewed and depending on how well you do on the quiz and submit mock research; you might be invited to become an independent researcher in their network. But be patient, it can take seven to 10 business days before you hear anything.

Once accepted, you’ll find this is a super flexible summer job option that allows you to work whenever you want and as much as you’d like. Simply log in and claim any available questions and get to work.

On average, you can expect questions to pay $8-$40 each. Top researchers can earn as much as $20-$30/hour. Whether you choose to answer one question a day or just one a week, all payments are made every two weeks via PayPal.

4. PrepNow

PrepNow is an online tutoring company that aims to provide personalized test prep services to their students. As a PrepNow tutor, you’ll mainly support U.S. students who are preparing to take the SAT, ACT or PSAT.

This flexible summer job can easily be carried into the new school year since PrepNow will work around your busy schedule; you just tell them which times and days work best for you.

Ideal PrepNow tutors have at least two years of teaching or tutoring experience, graduated from one of the top 50 colleges or universities in the U.S. and are confident tutoring students in both the math and reading portions of the SAT/ACTs.

On top of the super flexible schedule, PrepNow tutors are paid via direct deposit and get to be a part of a fun company culture that includes contests and an active teacher community on Facebook.

5. Online Test Scorer

While the majority of student tests are graded by computer today, a significant portion still needs the attention of a human eye. Essays, written short answers, and portfolios are reviewed in-person – oftentimes from a large home-based workforce. That’s where you come in!

As a work-from-home test scorer, you evaluate student testing online fairly and consistently using a standardized rubric. While a teaching background is advantageous, training for each individual test will be provided.

There are a number of companies that hire test scorers to grade student responses in standardized testing, ranging from elementary to college-level subject matter. Pay generally ranges from $10 to $20 per hour, and many scorers set their own schedule. The availability of work is seasonal, with the highest demand in spring and summer months as high-school students are preparing for college.

Here’s a look at some of the companies that hire work-from-home test scorers:

• ACT – The ACT is a college readiness test that includes written short answers and essays. The ACT hires readers to score essays online, using specialized software. Scorers earn an average of $12 per hour and receive benefits.
• ETS – Educational Testing Services (ETS) hires online test scorers for various educational institutions. At any given time, scorers could be grading written answers, spoken responses, or portfolios from the AP®, GRE®, or various other tests. Scorers earn anywhere from $10-$20 per hour.
• Pearson – Pearson is the company responsible for developing The College Board’s SAT. Online test scorers, writers, and reviewers are hired in language arts, math, science, and social studies. Pearson offers its test scorers part-time employment and benefits, with pay starting at $10 per hour.
• Measurement, Inc. – Measurement Inc. (MI) hires contract readers and reviewers to score student responses among all grade levels – elementary to high school – in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. Reviewers are hired on a per-project basis and earn around $11 per hour.

6. Bonus Job: Teach Conversational English

You don’t need to be an ESL teacher to teach students a new language when you take on a summer job as a conversational English tutor.

Join the global community of Cambly tutors and earn $0.17 for each minute spent talking with students. You can log in and work whenever you want, day or night. The Cambly dashboard will ‘ring’ when a student is ready to chat; it’s entirely up to you whether or not to answer.

Gogokid is another platform you can use to teach ESL classes. You need to have a Bachelor's Degree and the pay is $14.00 – $25.00 per hour and payments are made via PayPal once a month.

Conclusion: Earn On Your Own Terms

Even though school is out, the truth is, you’re probably still busy at work as you constantly come up with new ways to introduce learning into your classroom. And, during the summer months when there are plenty of activities going on, the last thing you’ll want is to be completely tied up with a seasonal job.

With these online jobs for educators, you can easily prepare for the school year ahead and earn extra money all while leaving enough time to enjoy the summer season. In fact, these jobs are flexible enough that, who knows, maybe you’ll hold onto your summer job year-round as a way to supplement your income—even when school’s in session.

How do you earn extra money during the summer months? Do you know of any other online summer jobs for teachers? Drop us a note we'd love to hear from you!

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Ashlee Anderson is a freelance writer, blogger, and gig economy enthusiast who enjoys the freedom and flexibility of working remotely. After starting a note-taking business in college, she’s continued to work for herself as a solopreneur ever since. Today, Ashlee continues to embrace solopreneurship and the endless possibilities to make money as an independent worker. She encourages others to ‘think outside the cubicle’ so they too can find happiness in working on their own terms. Follow along with Ashlee over at Work from Home Happiness where she shares plenty of practical advice, ideas and beginner-friendly ways for freelancers, solopreneurs and remote workers to use their existing skills and experience to earn a living from home.

Originally published on June 10, 2016. Updated by Aimee Pass and republished on May 17, 2018.

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