How to Make Money Freelancing as a Teacher

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I love being a teacher! Now that I’ve left the classroom to homeschool my own kids, I thought about letting my teaching certificate expire. But then I realized that I was able to make money freelancing by putting my teaching skills to use. So I took classes last fall and renewed my credentials for another five years.

While having a degree isn’t a requirement for freelancing, if you have one you might as well leverage it! Here are some specific ways I’ve used my teaching degree to make money freelancing:

Curriculum Writer

I’ve now helped write two different English Language Arts Curricula. Both companies paid well. It’s a way to combine a love of writing with expert knowledge you’ve gained in the classroom.

Curriculum Content Editor

I really enjoyed being a content editor. It wasn’t my job to catch comma errors or anything like that, but rather to ensure that the curriculum was:

• Properly aligned to standards
• Actually teaching to the stated objectives
• Grade appropriate

Writing Educational Blog Posts

I’ve found plenty of writing gigs in the educational field. For my first ever writing gig, I wound up writing about homeschooling. I’ve also written:

• About the new SATs
• Blog posts for tutoring companies
• Posts with fun learning activities

Create a Course

If you’re a teacher, you probably enjoy actually teaching. I know I do! So I created a course for other freelancers to help them minimize their decisions and maximize their productivity. You can check out my freebie and paid course options here.

Create Homeschool Materials

I’m a homeschooling mom, and create plenty of materials for my own kids. It’s nice to be able to take these items and market them.

As one example, I created a homeschooling early reading course, Teach Your Child to Read Through Play, which uses games and activities to teach crucial reading skills. I saw a need in the homeschool market for a play-based curriculum, and knew I could fill it.

This curriculum fit well with my education, as I have a master’s degree in elementary reading and literacy. What’s your background? Can you create a curriculum or product that utilizes your specialties?

Start a Blog

I truly believe that children learn so much through play. Sometimes parents don’t see the value in play, so I started another blog to help parents bridge the gap between learning and fun.

It’s a fun place for me to record some of the activities we do, and work on building an audience to promote any play based products I create.

While this site isn’t yet monetized, I’m working on it.

How to Find Freelancing Opportunities

Now that you know some ways to make money freelancing as a teacher, you’re probably wondering where to find opportunities. Here are some of the methods I’ve used:

• Looking for openings for writers or editors in virtual schools (Google helped with this one!)
• Checking Craigslist (the Gigs section in major cities)
• Pitching through Upwork (I don’t usually recommend this platform, but I did get an educational ghostwriting gig through there)
• Utilizing job boards (I like Contena!)
• Cold pitching companies

When you pitch, be sure to highlight your relevant experience. Tie your expertise into what the company is looking for. And remember to have confidence in your pitch! You CAN do this.

Do You Make Money Freelancing as a Teacher?

Chime in below and share your experience. Are you doing one of the items I shared, or something different?