What are good side hustles for teachers?
Good side hustles for teachers split by season: in term time, things that fit a free evening, like paid user testing of websites and apps or short research studies; over the summer, things that use what you already know, like tutoring, curriculum writing, exam marking and selling lesson resources. Paid user testing pays a fixed amount per 15 to 45 minute recorded study and needs only a laptop, a microphone and a quiet room.
Term time
Evenings are short and the energy is low, so the options that work are the ones with no preparation. A user test is 15 to 45 minutes at your own laptop with no one to manage. On Inflight the pay is shown before you start, and a study done in good faith is paid even if you got stuck; you take the studies you are invited to, so it is extra rather than a plan. Short research studies on Prolific fit the same slot.
Summer
| Side hustle | Needs | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Tutoring | Your subject, a webcam or a kitchen table | Hourly, often well above minimum wage |
| Curriculum and content writing | Your subject, a portfolio | Per project |
| Exam marking | Your subject, a window in June and July | Per script or per day |
| Selling lesson resources | Resources you already made | Small amounts, over time |
| Summer school and camps | Availability | Weekly or hourly |
| Paid user testing | Laptop, mic, quiet room | Fixed per study, when invited |
Why panels like teachers
Education products are tested constantly, and a company building a gradebook, a classroom tool or a parent app wants a teacher's first reaction to it, not a product manager's. Answer screeners honestly about your job; it gets you into those studies. You must be 18 or older and live in the United States, with a desktop or laptop, a microphone and Google Chrome. Studies run on desktop; there is no phone app.
Money and your contract
Some districts and schools have rules about outside work, especially tutoring your own students. Check yours. Inflight does not withhold tax and issues no tax forms. Taxes on user testing income explains what it does and does not do.
Questions people ask next
- Can I do user tests in the staff room?
- Only if it is quiet. The recording needs your voice without a room full of people behind it; home in the evening is easier.
- Do education studies pay more?
- Pay is set per study, shown before you start. Studies that need a specific profession sometimes pay more, but not always.
- Is there anything to buy?
- No. Applying to a testing panel is free, and Inflight never charges anything.