Summer. For students and teachers, it’s typically the most anticipated time of year. After a long school year, the summer recess gives everyone a well-deserved break; time to relax and renew.
Yet, while the summer offers the allure of long leisurely days at the beach, the summer season also brings with it the opportunity for extra income. Fortunately, summer jobs for teachers are varied and plentiful in most areas as employers seek qualified, professional help during the busy season.
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If you are a teacher considering summer employment, there are tons of great options — whether you want to continue teaching or whether you want a complete change for a couple months, the list below will give you some ideas.
Summer Jobs for Teachers
1. Tutor or Summer School Teacher
Do what you do best, all year round! There is no one more qualified to tutor or teach summer school than a career teacher. Tutoring offers the primary benefit of flexibility. You can tutor kids and adults in your local area or even tutor individuals online, through tutoring websites such as Wyzant. And you can do it all on your schedule.
The other benefit is that the pay is typically good (up to $85/hour for teachers) and you can pick and choose the jobs you want to accept. Working as a summer school teacher may not have the same degree of flexibility as tutoring, but it does offer more stability.
If you know you want to make a certain amount of money during the summer and not worry about lining up tutoring jobs, a summer school teacher may be the better option.
Where to find tutoring jobs
- Care
- Indeed
- Wyzant
- Varsitytutors
- EduwizardS
- Chegg
- K12
- Homework Tutoring
- John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
- Kaplan
- TutaPoint
- Universitytutor
- Sylvan Learning
- Institute of Reading Development (IRD)
- Connections Academy
- Lindamood-Bell
- Local libraries
- School/town social media
- Local café boards
Average Pay
Rates will vary depending on your location, experience, and subject. According to Care.com, certified teachers with experience can expect to receive as much as $85 per hour.
2. Freelance ESL Instructor
Help speakers of other languages learn English. Not only is this a rewarding job but it is one that is in high demand.
“English language learners remain the fastest growing population in the U.S. public schools, even with more than 6 million currently enrolled. It is expected that by 2025, English language learners will make up 25 percent of the U.S. public school population,” according to ESLteacherEDU.org.
As a freelance ESL instructor, you can choose to teach in person or online and create your own schedule.
Where to find ESL teaching jobs
- GoFluent
- I Speak U Speak
- Teach Away
- VIPKID
- Rosetta Stone
- Local organizations
Average Pay
Pay varies depending on location and other factors but the median pay for ESL teachers according to payscale.com is $20.34 per hour.
3. Summer Camp Director or Counselor
What could be more fun than going to camp for the summer?! Teachers are a camp’s dream employee, as they have education and experience in managing and inspiring children. Since you already work in education you are likely aware of, or have heard rumblings of, the many local summer camps. But if you need more ideas consult the list below. Depending on your situation, and how adventurous you are, you may even consider working at a camp in another state! Some overnight camps will provide lodging for counselors.
Where to find summer camp jobs
- YMCA
- School Spring
- Social media
- ACA (American Camp Association)
- Cool Works
Average Pay
Job Monkey reports that seasonal camp employees can expect to make roughly:
- Head Counselor: $310/week
- Camp Counselors: $230/week
- Summer Camp Nurses: $430/week
4. Extracurricular Instructor
Have a special talent or passion? Share it with others this summer by becoming an instructor. Art, music, sports, swimming, whatever you’re into, there is probably a child (or adult!) who could benefit from your instruction.
Where to find extracurricular instructor jobs
- Happy Swimmers
- Cool Works
- YMCA
- Town recreation department
- Local golf courses, tennis clubs, fitness clubs
- Indeed
- Local colleges and universities
- School departments
- Private schools in your area
Average Pay
Since this job category is so broad it is not possible to pin down an average salary. But it’s safe to say that private instruction will bring in more than group instruction will.
5. Curriculum Designer
Want to go beyond teaching and actually shape the curriculum your students will learn from? If so, a curriculum designer might be the perfect summer job for you. Teachers are prime candidates for curriculum design positions. In fact, many jobs require that the candidate have a certain number of years of teaching experience along with education to match (a master’s degree in education is usually preferred).
Where to find curriculum designer jobs
- EdSurge
- HigherEd Jobs
- Indeed
- Rosetta Stone
Average Pay
National hourly rate data from Payscale reports that curriculum designers can make between $20 – $60 per hour.
Looking to take a break from teaching altogether? Here are some areas to consider if you’d like to try something new. While you probably won’t need a teaching degree for most of these jobs they can offer an opportunity to make extra income over the summer and give you a break, so that you can be ready to go — and excited to get back to teaching — once the fall rolls around.
6. Freelance and Consulting Work
Find jobs at: Eloquenti
7. Nanny
Find jobs at: Care, Sittercity, GreatAuPair, UrbanSitter, eNannySource, SeekingSitters
8. Uber or Lyft Driver
9. Pet Sitter
Find jobs at: Rover
10. Catering/Waitstaff
Find jobs at: Local restaurants
11. Retail
Find jobs at: Local shops
12. Virtual Assistant
Find jobs at: Indeed, Zirtual, Upwork, Remote.co, Virtualassistantjobs.com, Flex Jobs, LinkedIn
Alternative Ways to Make the Most of Your Summer
Working a summer job is one way to keep busy during the school recess. But if you’re idea of summer is to take a break from work, there are many more options to fill your days and even help you progress your career.
1. Earn Your Master’s Degree
If you don’t already have your master’s degree, the summertime can be the best time to get started on it. Many colleges and universities, such as the University of San Diego, now offer online degree programs which can make completing your degree even easier, especially once the school year rolls back around.
2. Take Continuing Education Classes
Not quite ready to dive into a full graduate program? Or already have your master’s degree? Take some continuing education classes! Online or in-person, there are always tons of options available through colleges and universities looking to attract summer students.
3. Volunteer
Do good and feel good and then share with your students how you spent your summer helping others. Not only will you be helping an organization in need but you can role model for your students what it means to be a force for good and a positive, contributing citizen of the community.
Ready to kick off your summer?! If you are interested in dedicating a portion of your summer season to furthering your education, the University of San Diego offers a 100% online Master’s of Education program that was developed specifically for educators seeking quality and flexibility. USD’s Master of Education program is ranked as one of the top 25 in the country by U.S. News and World Report. What’s more, admissions are rolling, meaning we accept students year-round. Should you have questions on summer employment for teachers or advancing your education, contact us today.
