Episode 65: Side Hustling While Teaching
When people ask me about leaving the classroom and how to build their experience I advise them to do something on the side while they're still teaching. Sometimes that's not possible. Maybe you just need to leave or you've already left, and that's totally fine. But if you do have a little bit of time to do some work on the side while teaching, it allows you to try out things before completely flipping your world upside down.
In this episode I talk about my own exit from teaching and how trying things out on the side helped me find a new career. But it comes with the caveat that while I use the word "side hustle" to describe the work, it's not about hustling to the point where you sacrifice your happiness.
Topics Discussed:
Finding that extra energy after a day of teaching
How a teacher’s skillset doesn’t limit you to teaching
Recognizing and embracing your passions beyond teaching
Resources mentioned:
Take our FREE quiz to nail down your next best career step in education.
If you’re enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.
Related episodes and blog posts:
Read the transcript for this episode:
Welcome to educator forever, where we empower teachers to innovate education. Join us each week to hear stories of teachers expanding their impacts beyond the classroom and explore ways to reimagine teaching and learning.
When people ask me about leaving the classroom and how to build their experience I often give the advice to do something on the side while you're a classroom teacher. Sometimes that's not possible. Maybe you just need to leave or you've already left, and that's totally fine. But if you do have a little bit of time doing some work on the side while full time classroom teaching can allow you to try things out without going full force into it, like “this is how I need to make my living now.” That said, I know that it's hard to do anything as a classroom teacher and I'm not here saying “go burn yourself out even more by working on the side.” But I am here to say that I found that doing the right thing actually gave me energy. When I was a full time classroom teacher I started doing consulting and curriculum projects on the side, and I found that instead of burning me out they gave me life. They helped me to see my skills in a different way. They helped to give me income that I needed and they helped me to. From there I figured out my next step and build a new career pathway for myself. So, I know as a tired teacher, it can be like” I just can't do anything else” but I encourage you to think about what you can do to test the waters if you're really serious.
When moving beyond the classroom, it is important to have a time where you are trying things out for building your experience and your skills. This could look like doing some side hustles while you're classroom teaching. Disclaimer: I don't love the term side hustle. I use it because I haven't found a better one but I don't want you to think about hustling hustling hustling. I Want you to think about building your experience knowing that your experience can be used in lots of different ways and knowing the best way to get experience is by doing the thing. So really taking on some side hustles while teaching can let you do all of these things.
Only you know what the right mix is so I encourage you to think about what type of side hustle you might take on while teaching, and then how you're going to make it enjoyable, productive and sustainable for you. So first I'll talk a little bit about some of the side hustles you could consider and then we'll talk about how to manage doing something on the side while full time classroom teaching. First step, let's think about some side hustles for teachers. There are so many ways that you can use your education experience beyond the classroom. We need teachers to be the ones creating the learning experiences and curriculum and products used in schools.
My very favorite side hustle is curriculum development because we need a curriculum that's created by people who know what it's like to be in the classroom, and who know what resonates and engages kids who know what resonates with and engages kids. So really doing some curriculum projects on the side can help you build up your skills. You can also be a consultant, like somebody wants to create an education product or for an education company or an Ed tech company. They need people who know what it's like in the classroom to consult with them. You could be an education writer writing about your experience as an educator or about research or about research around education or really any education related topic. You could start your own education business and really get something off the ground that is your own while you're full-time classroom teaching. You could do some tutoring either in person or virtually and so really leaning into your experience as a teacher but maybe in small groups or 1 on 1. You could be a teacher coach and do this online as an instructional coach or in person you could create an online course really leaning into some of your expertise as a teacher.
There are so many things you can do and it starts with thinking about what feels exciting to you. What lights you up? What are you passionate about? What do you have a lot of experience in and so really making a list of potential side jobs that you might take on and then really consider your goals with these side jobs. Maybe your goal is to gain some experience. Maybe you want to at the end of the school year leave the classroom so you want to use the next few months building up your skills adding to your resume and really making it the next step in your career or maybe you want to stay a classroom teacher and you just need to make some extra money. We get that. Really thinking about what is your goal both personally – like do you want to create more income for yourself? More sustainability? What do you hope to fill in the gaps with on your resume? What do you hope to do in terms of making connections with different companies? You should be thinking about what you want to create for yourself and being intentional about what side hustle will get you there.
As you explore options, you might be like “I want to do all the things.” I've been there too and I think many of us as teachers are multi-passionate. We really want to do a whole bunch of different things. We want to make a difference. We want to help students grow. We want to cultivate creative lessons like the list goes on and on and so having interests outside of the classroom doesn't mean you're not a great educator. In fact, being a multi-passionate teacher could open up amazing new opportunities that help you make a bigger difference in education. So let's first think about what it means to be multi-passionate? It means that you're somebody who has more than one interest that you really care about. And oftentimes multi-passionate people aren't satisfied with focusing on just one career path. So if you're like, “I kind of want to do instructional coaching” and “I kind of want to do curriculum development,” that’s awesome! Multi-passionate people often make great entrepreneurs because they're willing and able to learn a variety of skills to help make their businesses successful. Being a multi-passionate teacher means you might be interested in using your teaching skills outside of the classroom and you might be interested in doing it in a whole bunch of different ways.
Doing some side hustles can be a great way for you to hone in on what your right mix is, since you don't have to choose just one. Maybe you want to do a little bit of coaching and a little bit of curriculum development. Maybe you want to do education writing and tutoring you get to decide. But don't feel like you have to just narrow it down to one if that doesn't feel good to you when thinking about how to move forward as a multi-passionate person who is interested in a whole bunch of things but is also a classroom teacher with limited time. Really think about embracing your passions. What feels exciting to you? Do you have a long list of ideas that you're excited to try and does the thought of choosing one career make you feel kind of uneasy or uninspired. That's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. Really embrace that you are a multi-passionate person and get some clarity as you explore and take action. So when you look into different side hustles I want you to pay attention to your feelings and experiences as you try out different things. Think about what's bringing you joy and lighting you up. What gives you energy? What makes you feel alive? Then look at the flip side of that. What's sucking your energy and making you feel depleted? Then keep taking action towards what's making you feel energized. You don't need to have everything figured out or know what's next.
To be a successful multi-passionate side hustling teacher, you just have to take small steps and then as you really prioritize your passions leave room for flexibility. You really won't know what you want to do until you're in it and you won't know what you don't want to do until you're in it. So embrace the process and really think about making this work practically. Think about time management and make space in your schedule based on what you want to achieve. Maybe you will leave work a little early so that you can work on a curriculum project. Maybe you'll take a sick day or a personal day so you can work as an instructional coach. Whatever it is to you, you get to decide how you're going to fit it all in. It's always possible if you feel excited about it and remember you're never stuck. In the words of CSLewis, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream another dream.” Trust your path and believe each step leads you to where you're meant to be. As you consider how to go about getting a side hustle, or experimenting with what you want to do as a multi-passionate person, let that guide you. Just do it. Just set some goals, dream some dreams, and try it all out. I can't wait to see what you do.