Summer Jobs for Education Majors: A Comprehensive Guide
For education majors and teachers, the summer months offer a unique opportunity to supplement their income, expand their skill sets, and explore new interests. While the allure of leisurely days may be tempting, the summer season can also be a time for professional growth and financial stability. This guide explores a variety of summer job options tailored for education professionals, ranging from opportunities that leverage existing teaching skills to those that offer a complete change of pace.
Leveraging Your Teaching Skills
Many teachers use the summer months as a time to make much-needed extra cash. Wondering about teaching summer school in a local district? These jobs will keep your teaching skills sharp and look good on a resume.
Tutoring and Teaching Opportunities
There is no one more qualified to tutor or teach summer school than a career teacher. Tutoring offers the primary benefit of flexibility. 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. Rates will vary depending on your location, experience, and subject.
- Cambly: Lead 1:1 or group English classes for children or adults through Cambly. They’re looking for native English speakers, so you don’t have to be fluent in another language.
- Catapult Learning’s Summer Journey Program: If you need a break from kids? Catapult Learning’s Summer Journey program is dedicated to eliminating summer learning loss.
- EF International: Ever dream of spending the summer abroad? Prefer to stay home but love working with students from around the world? EF International’s summer programs offer the chance to do either.
- iTalki: If you’re a world language teacher, italki is a good place to gain tutoring clients. After you pass the application process and are accepted, you create an online profile with an introductory video. This profile shows your qualifications and rates.
- Lindamood-Bell: Lindamood-Bell invites you to “create the magic of learning” as an instructor at one of their learning centers. You’ll use their research-validated programs to teach reading, spelling, language comprehension, and math to learners of all ages.
- Outschool: If you’ve always dreamed of designing the curriculum for a class on one of your favorite subjects, consider Outschool. Educators can create a class on any subject they like, from academic subjects to hobbies like cooking or music lessons. Design a curriculum, then offer your class at times and rates that are right for you.
- Pear Deck (formerly TutorMe): Pear Deck, formerly TutorMe, has some of the highest ratings out there from real tutors, who consider the pay reasonable and the company good to work with. You teach in their online lesson space, with tools to help you and your student succeed.
- PrepNow: PrepNow focuses on preparing high school students to succeed on the ACT and SAT, though they also offer tutoring in math subjects like calculus and trigonometry. Their test prep curriculum is pre-designed, and they’ll train you in how to use it.
- The Princeton Review: The Princeton Review hires test prep instructors.
- Varsity Tutors: From test prep to specific subjects, Varsity Tutors connects students to tutors who specialize in the area(s) where the student needs help.
- VIPKid: VIPKid has changed a lot in recent years due to changes in Chinese law. The company has expanded its program to work with ESL learners around the globe, and while there aren’t as many jobs available as there once were, they can still be a good place for teachers to get jobs that will help them make some money over the summer.
- Wyzant: If you’re looking to establish your own tutoring business but you’re not sure how to get clients or handle the administrative part, check out Wyzant. Teachers create a free profile that lists their subject area expertise, availability, and rates.
Summer Camp Opportunities
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!
- Drobots Company: Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a … drone? Yup, these ubiquitous flying machines are everywhere these days. Drobots Company hires teachers who love STEM and have experience with technology to instruct summer camps around the country.
- Interlochen: If you know anything about visual art, music, drama, creative writing, or the arts in general, you’ve certainly heard of the famed Interlochen in Michigan. Their summer camps draw more than 3,000 students every summer, and they hire an enormous number of instructors each year.
- Kids ‘R’ Kids: Kids ‘R’ Kids runs summer camps in a variety of locations around the country for students up through 5th grade.
- Museums: Many science, natural history, art, and other types of museums offer summer camps for kids, and they offer jobs to teachers.
- SIG (Summer Institute for the Gifted): SIG works to provide high-quality educational and social opportunities for academically gifted and talented students. Their three-week summer sessions are offered at major universities around the country, and they hire instructors in STEM, humanities, and visual/performing arts.
- US Sports Camp: Spend the summer coaching your favorite sport at a US Sports Camp. From baseball and basketball to field hockey and water polo, kids can learn just about any athletic skill set at these camps.
- YMCAs: YMCAs throughout the country offer great summer camp programs for kids of all ages. If you want an active summer to soak up some vitamin D (a tough feat inside the classroom), being a camp counselor is a great option.
Curriculum and Content Creation
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.
Read also: What makes a quality PE curriculum?
- Create a profile: Create a profile and you can browse jobs from across the United States and around the world. The opportunities range from curriculum design to content creation. You can also set up a profile with your expertise and a service to sell and employers may find you.
- Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT): TPT has changed the way teachers get and share content. Chances are you’ve downloaded something from it yourself. So why not take the summer to create great lessons and put them on there too?
- TinkerEd: Want to play a role in the educational tools students will be using in your classroom? TinkerEd hires educators to give their thoughts and opinions on educational technology that companies are developing.
Other Education-Related Opportunities
- Happy Swimmers: Happy Swimmers is a nationwide private swim-lesson provider. They also place lifeguards at events like pool parties. They love offering summer jobs for teachers because of the patience and compassion they’re sure to show their swim students. And teachers love working for Happy Swimmers because it’s a fun and different way to use their teaching skills. Plus, you get to spend the summer in the water!
- IRD (Institute for Reading Development): IRD aids students with reading comprehension and literacy from pre-K through their senior year of high school. A unique part of the program is the way that parents are involved every step of the way. This job isn’t quite as laid-back as other options because you’ll first go through (paid) training and then have to teach 10 to 14 classes over four to five days a week-including weekends. You’ll also have to regularly evaluate students’ progress, review curriculum, and more.
- NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School): The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) has courses in wilderness survival, medicine, and more. NOLS is looking for teachers who are passionate about teaching and the outdoors to become field instructors.
- Outward Bound: Outward Bound is well known for their wilderness courses, but they also work in urban centers and with at-risk youth.
- Really: Really! We’re always looking for submissions on educational topics from real educators in the field.
- Sylvan Learning Centers: There are more than 700 Sylvan Learning Centers around the country, offering tutoring in a huge variety of subjects.
Exploring New Avenues: Non-Teaching Summer Jobs
Looking to take a break from teaching altogether? Here are some areas to consider if you’d like to try something new.
- AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate Program: Want to travel and give back to a community this summer? Look into the AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate program. It’s designed to allow participants to join an existing AmeriCorps project for 8 to 10 weeks. You’ll receive a living allowance throughout the season and a stipend or Education Award upon completion.
- Care.com: This company helps families find quality in-home childcare. Lots of families need extra help with childcare over the summer, so take a look at Care.com’s summer nanny jobs to find opportunities in your area.
- Design Hill: Design Hill is a creative marketplace with design and brand development jobs, like logos or brochures.
- Disney: With multiple theme parks and stores around the country, Disney is always looking for seasonal help. If you live near their parks and resorts, look into the huge variety of positions available, including lifeguards, guest services, bus drivers, and so much more.
- DoorDash: Like driving but not interested in giving people rides? DoorDash lets you have food as your passenger. Someone orders food from a restaurant, and you pick it up and deliver it to them. Simple as that. And if you’re a foodie, there’s an extra perk: Since you’re not delivering food from one place, you’re likely to learn about up-and-coming or hidden-gem spots in your city.
- Freelance Writer: Freelancers there set their own rates and take on only the jobs that appeal to them.
- House-sitting: Earn income by house-sitting. It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? You can earn money just by hanging out at someone’s home? It’s true! Plus it could be a good way to get in a little vacation for yourself.
- Travel Planner: If you love to travel, you can share that passion by helping others plan their dream vacations.
- Lawn Guru: Make sure your lawn mower and shears are read to go and you can start getting gigs with Lawn Guru.
- Rev: How does working from home in your PJs sound? Rev is a company that hires people to transcribe or caption audio-from the comfort of their own home. You’ll be asked to take an English and grammar quiz and submit a sample transcription. Once you pass, you can start earning. Rev pays per audio minute, and you’ll receive your money via PayPal every Monday. The faster-and more accurately-you type, the more you can earn.
- Rover: Is a dog your best friend? If so, the Rover app is always looking for dog sitters and walkers. Hanging out at the dog park or just going for a jaunt around the neighborhood-what better way to spend a summer day? Plus you get to choose your own gigs.
- ServiceScape: If you speak another language fluently, a freelance option is document translation. Sites like ServiceScape provide ways for companies to connect with translators for small and large projects. Sign up to become a translator on the site.
- Shipt: Shop and deliver to people straight from your favorite markets.
- Data Entry: Data entry is a job that’s easy to do from home and uses the skills you already use in teaching-entering student data, keeping files organized.
- Six Flags: Summertime means amusement park time! Families are on vacation, and tourists are aplenty. If you live near a Six Flags park, take advantage and nab a seasonal job. Operate rides, sell tickets, host special groups-and, of course, eat all the cotton candy or nab all the roller-coaster time you can handle!
- Task Rabbit: If you’re good at fixing things or completing odd jobs-doing grocery shopping, assembling furniture, helping someone move houses or organize their pantry-Task Rabbit is the site for you.
- Tour Guide: How well do you know your city? If you have tourists in your area, use Indeed to find summer tour guide positions! You can do walking tours, biking tours-even ghost town tours!
- Uber/Lyft: Have a car? Then you’re hired! The best perk of driving for ride-share apps like Uber and Lyft is flexibility-you set your own hours and schedule, so these two companies offer the perfect summer jobs for teachers. It doesn’t matter if you want to be on the road one day a week or 24/7.
- User Tester: Become a user tester. You can give sites and companies feedback by testing out their products, reading their material, etc.
Investing in Your Future: Education and Professional Development
Working a summer job is one way to keep busy during the school recess.
- If you don’t already have your master’s degree, the summertime can be the best time to get started on it. 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. News and World Report. What’s more, admissions are rolling, meaning we accept students year-round.
- Not quite ready to dive into a full graduate program? Or already have your master’s degree? Take some continuing education classes!
- Do good and feel good and then share with your students how you spent your summer helping others.
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