If you are a casual supply, relief or substitute teacher, or you a teacher living contract to contract, you know how stressful it can be when it comes to school holiday periods. And now that school holidays are upon us, money can get a little tight. Here are some suggestions to make a little extra money to help make ends meet.
- Vacation care and holiday camps. These are becoming more and more popular since families can’t afford to take such a long period off to look after their kids. Teachers are the perfect candidates since you are more than qualified to look after them in this setting. Plus it can be a welcome change to just enjoy hanging out with kids without the pressures of testing and outcomes.
- Teach online. This seems to be a growing avenue for teachers to diversify their teaching portfolio and make some extra $ from the comfort of your own home. Plus there is the added bonus of it being after hours meaning it won’t interfere with your day job.
- Start a side-hustle. There has never been an easier time to start your own business. Start by finding something that you love and are good at and work out a way to get people to pay your for your expertise. It could be by selling eBooks, courses or resources or perhaps selling physical items you make or import. There are a million experts out there paving the way before you willing to share their knowledge and skills through podcasts, free courses and ebooks which is a great way to start researching. And who knows, your side-hustle may just become your full-time hustle! Don’t be that person that wonders all their life, what if…
- Childcare centre. Use your skills and approach your local kindergartens to do some casual hours over the holidays. Depending on your qualifications and their requirements, you can help with staffing issues and allow staff to have the time off that they want and get the holiday income you need.
- Babysitting. A relatively easy way to make some casual cash. Many parents (myself included) would love to ditch their kids to someone. Why not you? Start by offering to people you know but if your social circles are childless, then check out some online companies to help you get started.
- Private tutoring. Most parents have received test results and report cards and may be freaking out at how poorly their child seems to be doing. Capitalise on this by offering tutoring over the holidays.
- Teachers Pay Teachers. Pull out all your resources, jazz them up in a powerpoint document (watch some YouTube vids on how TpT sellers create their resources) and start making some cash! It’s really simple, something you can easily do on the holidays even if you are stuck at home with kids AND some teachers are making $50 000+ per year doing it. Get on it!
- Go back to your previous employer and see if they need a hand over the break. You know the job so can fit in easily and if you’re lucky they may need some casual help. Don’t feel too proud to return, as you know it is only for a short period of time.
- Try Uber. Ride hire or Delivery driving is the hot new thing to make a few extra bucks and if it is in your town or city, why not give it a go? You pick and choose your own hours so like Supply Teaching, you’ll still feel like your own boss. There are a bunch of options to choose from- Uber, Didi, Ola, MooVr, Shebah etc.
- Delivery Driving. If you have an older car or don’t like the idea of driving strangers around, don’t stress, you could give UberEats, DoorDash, Jimmy Brings or the equivalent to deliver food and drinks or Amazon Flex is an option to deliver packages as a self-employed driver.
- Code Camp. These new holiday camps are all the rage. They are often looking for people with Teaching qualifications to fill their roles so what better way to use your experience while learning some new tech and STEM skills along the way.
- Swimming Teacher. Spending weekends, after school and holidays by the pool can’t be too bad. This job can give you some steady income throughout the year and all you need to do is a weekend course and have your CPR to qualify.
- Freelance. Technology has opened up a world of opportunities and people will pay good money for your expertise. Perhaps you are a grammar nazi that could be hired for proofreading and editing, or you dabble in photography in your spare time and could help others out with Photoshop. Get on Upwork or Fiverr and sell your skills. Or you could try the newer kid on the block, Airtasker, which could have you making $$ for random tasks with something as simple as making a delivery. You don’t have to be an expert and you could end up make a pretty penny on the side to subsidise those slow weeks of teaching.
- Sell your stuff. Sort through your garage, your shed and your cupboards. No doubt you will have something hoarded away, not getting used, that someone else will be willing to pay for. That food processor you never use. That dusty surfboard still waiting for the “perfect” conditions. That expensive outfit that you didn’t end up wearing to that wedding. Sell it all on Gumtree, Ebay or on Facebook Marketplace or the Local Buy/Sell groups going around. You will sleep a little easier knowing that not only have you helped contribute to the finances, but the feeling of decluttering can be oh, so cleansing!
- Mystery Shopper. Most of us love shopping, right? Why not get paid for it?! There are plenty of companies out there paying $15-$80 per assignment. If you are frequenting the shops anyway or hanging out online, might be worth your while! There are plenty of companies that offer both in store and online options.
- Surveys.You look puzzled. Did you know you can actually get paid for doing surveys? If you like giving your opinion then this could be for you. You can sign up for different survey sites then pick and choose what surveys will be worth your time and effort. Sounds like a cushy way to make some cash from home! Here is some interesting information I found- https://www.workhomelife.com.au/make-money-paid-surveys-online/
- Rent a Room. If you have a spare room it could be worth renting it out to an international student or have people stay through Air BnB. You can pick and choose your availability and make money from your vacant space.
- Pet Sitting. Had enough of working with kids? Instead, spend some time out with the 4-legged kind. If you are an animal lover, Pet Sitting might be a handy way to make some extra cash on the side whilst getting your animal fix.
- Tax time. Waiting to do your tax until holidays to help you get through the breaks and tougher times so it can be a wise strategy to hold off doing it to ease the financial stress.
- Win the lotto. Ok, I know you can’t control this one, but it would be nice, wouldn’t it?!
Remember to take off some time for yourself. There is a reason that teachers get so many breaks, they DESERVE them! So, if cash is tight, give some of these ideas a go, but be sure to give yourself some downtime too!
Happy holidays!
KELLY
