Here are 36 great job alternatives for teachers who want to quit. Are you ready to leave teaching? Are you desperately searching for other viable options? Then look no further. Here is a list of jobs that can pay similarly or more than what the average teacher makes now.
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Educational Jobs
In-Person Tutoring
In-person tutoring has long been a mainstay for teachers. However, not many teachers choose to go full time with their tutoring business. The financial incentive is definitely there. Globally, the private tutoring industry is worth over 100 billion dollars annually. Another perk for teachers is that you will get to work face-to-face with students, without the hassle of classroom management and bogus school programs. You need to read this book if you are interested in starting your own successful home-based tutoring business.
Online Tutoring
Online tutoring is becoming an increasingly viable way to supplement or replace your teaching income. More and more companies are opening the doors for teachers to easily and conveniently connect to students who need tutoring. Here is a list of the top 10 tutoring companies that could hire you.
Online ESL Teaching
Teaching English to non-English speakers is a market that is blowing up right now. Not only are qualified teachers in demand, but the pay is very competitive. VIPKids is probably the most popular. Forbes ranks them as the number 3 best work at home company right now. However, there are many other companies out there working in the same market. Check out 10 other ESL tutoring companies that teachers would be a great fit for.
Virtual School
If you are in love with the thrill of teaching, but working at home appeals to you, then virtual school could be the answer. Twenty three states have their own virtual schools that need qualified teachers and pay similarly to the teacher averages in their states. Here is the virtual school website for the state I live in.
Writing Coach
Can you help others become better writers? If the answer is yes, then becoming a writing coach is a great option for you. You can work with people of all ages helping them hone their writing skills so that they can meet their writing goals. Here is a great article that can help you get started down the writing coach career.
Educational Products Designer
This one is an easy choice. As a teacher, you already create educational products on a daily basis. Why not get paid? There are so many people out there who would pay to benefit from the creativity and knowledge you have. You can go all out and try it full time, or you could sell on Teachers Pay Teachers. There are many teachers who make hundreds and thousands of dollars a month selling on that platform. If you want to find out more, check out this great crash course on creating and selling profitable items on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Course Creator
This is another job alternative that will come naturally to teachers. There is a big market out there for online courses. If you have a unique skill that people want to learn, there is money to be made! If you know how to create and market a useful course, the sky’s the limit on the income you can earn. Udemy is a great platform to sell your course on if you are just starting out and need an easy-to-use setup.
Business Support Jobs
Remote Bookkeeping
If you are good with numbers, then bookkeeping could be right for you. Bookkeepers are necessary for almost every business.With a little training, time, and commitment you can create a very nice income for yourself while working at home. Here is a great training course for those who are interested in becoming bookkeepers.
Data Analyst
This is another great job alternative for those who are good with numbers and can handle interpreting large amounts of data. A data analyst will often work with sales and social media coordinators in order to help them decide where and how to place ads. They can serve as consultants or work full time for big businesses. If you want to find out more about what data analysts do, read this article.
Customer Service
Customer service has long been a mainstay for work at home jobs. If you like interacting with people and are willing to work on solving problems for those people, this could be a good choice for you. There are many different kinds of remote jobs for people who want to work in this industry, and there are usually an abundance of openings that need to be filled.
Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant (VA) is a person who assists a business or business owner in a variety of different ways. They can create images, run social media, run community management, generate emails, make connections, and so on and so forth. Depending on how many clients you have and how much you charge, you can make a very successful living for yourself. Esther offers an amazing VA course that can help you fast-track your virtual assisting career.
Data Entry
Data entry is one of the best work at home jobs for beginners. It requires very little training,very little education, and very few skills. And for the most part, data entry is easy to do. Many data entry positions simply require people to punch data into computers. It is a great way to boost your current income without adding stress to your life. Here is a great list of data entry jobs that are hiring.
Writing Support Jobs
Proofreading
Proofreading is a skill that comes naturally to teachers. You do it everyday in the classroom, and you probably do it everyday when you take home work to grade. Why not get paid to do it? Good proofreaders are always in demand, and many people make a profitable career out of it. If you are looking to get into proofreading, Caitlin has the premier course on the subject and can help you get on the fast track to extra income.
Scoping
Scoping is a lessor known work at home job. After court reporters transcribe court proceedings into “steno writers”, they have a program to translate it into English. Then they need someone to make sure it is edited and transcribed properly. That person is called a scopist, and you can make real money doing it. If you like working with words and require a flexible job that allows you to work from anywhere, this would be a great job for you. Check out Scopeschool to learn about the amazing course they have on starting a career in scoping.
Transcription
With the boom of the podcast, audio, and video industries, transcription is a job that is steadily growing. Transcriptionists also serve in the government, legal, and medical fields. A transcriptionist takes audio or video content, and copies it down into written form. It is a job that allows you the freedom to work when you want and where you want. If you are interested in trying transcription as a pathway to freedom, check out Janet’s course, where she walks you through all the steps you need to know in order to start your own transcription career.
Translation
If you speak more than one language, translation services could be a good fit for you. As the world becomes more connected, the ability for businesses to communicate across language barriers has become even more important. The demand for quality translations, especially in Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic, has grown exponentially. If translation is something that interests you, check out these jobs that are hiring translation services.
Writing Jobs
Content Writer
If writing is your jam, becoming a content writer could be right for you. Content writers can work in all kinds of writing mediums, including blog posts, ads, news, articles, product descriptions, etc. If you are flexible and willing to master many different writing styles, you can create a very lucrative income in this industry. If you are looking for content writing jobs, Upwork has a long list of freelance work.
Blogging
If you have more of a long-term goal in mind,, it is possible for you to create immense wealth through blogging. Let me be clear: Blogging is not for everyone. It requires hard work, patience, and the ability to adapt and learn new skills. But if you are dedicated, blogging can help you create a work at home living for yourself. If making money by blogging interests you, check out this article from Harsh, who makes over 30,000 dollars a month from just 1 of his blogs.
Ebook Writer
Ebooks can be a great way to make some passive income. Write a book on a topic that interests you, market it, and sell it. Over time, you can make a nice chunk of change from the sales. If you want to learn more, check out Self-Publishing School.
Freelance Writer
Freelance writers work for themselves. They set their own schedules, are responsible for their own earnings, and can work in a variety of different writing styles with a variety of different clients. Jobs could include guest posting, copywriting, ghostwriting, SEO writing, working with magazines, working with small businesses, working with big businesses, and many more. If you want to learn more about freelance writing, check out this very detailed post by Elna Cain.
Marketing Jobs
Sales
Great salesmen can make a good amount of money for themselves. If you are able to connect with people and have the ability to recognize a need and provide a resolution for that need, there is a strong chance this could be a profitable move for you. Here is a list of companies that are hiring in 2019.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is an extremely important part of how businesses generate sales. Because effective email marketing can generate big money, businesses are willing to pay big money to people who have mastered this form of writing. Yara Golden has a great email marketing course that can help you build the skills necessary to create your own business. We also sat down and did a podcast interview with her where she told us her journey to becoming a successful email marketer.
Copywriter
A copywriter writes copy. Copy is the text used in advertising. Great copy is needed for all types of things. It is used for sales pages, magazines, social media marketing, ads, funnels, and so much more. Good copy can mean the difference between a customer buying or leaving. Businesses always need good copy, and they will pay a lot of money for it. Because of this, there are many great opportunities for new copywriters who are willing to hustle and promote themselves. If you are interested in copywriting, check out Tina’s Authentic Copy course. It will walk you through everything you need to start your copywriting career.
Pinterest Marketing
A Pinterest marketer specializes in helping businesses reach paying customers through Pinterest. The process of pinning and repinning on Pinterest can be time-consuming, especially if you do not know what you are doing. Many businesses hire or delegate this process to a Pinterest Marketer or manager rather than deal with it themselves. If you like the idea of Pinterest Marketing, check out Maia’s program where she teaches you how to start your own profitable Pinterest business.
Facebook Ads Marketing
A Facebook Ads manager specializes in helping businesses reach paying customers through Facebook. The Facebook Ads process can be complicated, and you need to understand how to analyze a lot of data to do it successfully. Because of this, many businesses hire outside help to run their Facebook Ads. Here are 10 free courses you can take to learn more about creating and running Facebook Ads.
Google Ads Marketing
Google Ads are another avenue that businesses use to reach customers. Google recently changed how they did advertising, so many people have had to relearn the best way to approach this type of marketing. If you can learn to use Google effectively to send clients to businesses, there is a lot of money to be made. If you are interested in learning more, this article does a good job of explaining how the new Google Ads works.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In order for a business to gain more traffic and make more sales, they need to rank highly on Google’s search engine. The closer to the top of the first page, the more people will visit their site. The more people that visit their site, the more money they will make. In order to rank, they pay people to optimize their websites. And because the process can be very involved, most businesses would much rather pay for SEO services than to do it themselves. If SEO sounds interesting to you, check out this great list of courses that you could take in order to begin your own Search Engine Optimization business.
Affiliate Marketing
If you have an influencer, have email list, or are willing to create an affiliate website/blog, you can make money by suggesting products to people who trust your opinion. For example, if you know a lot about tools and recommend a power saw to buy on Amazon, and people use the link you provide to buy that tool, Amazon will give you a percentage of that sale. Many businesses have affiliate programs, and if you work hard on building a list of people who trust you, you can make a lot of money solely through promoting other people’s products. Udemy has several courses on affiliate marketing. Udemy often has promotions, so I would wait until they go on sale before purchasing one of these courses.
Creative Jobs
Funnel Building
A funnel builder designs and builds sales funnels for business websites. Funnels create higher conversion than regular web pages, so businesses are willing to pay a lot of money for great funnel builders. For each funnel you build, you can make hundreds or even thousands of dollars. So if you learn how to build funnels and how to build a portfolio to promote yourself to potential clients, you can make a lot of money. If you want great training on how to build a portfolio that will gain clients, you need to get the Portfolio Power Advantage.
Website Builder
There are over 1.5 billion websites in existence. If a business wants its website to stand out, it has to make it look good. They will pay great money in order to make that happen. Whether you are already tech savvy, or are willing to learn, becoming a website builder is a great option for teachers who want to leave. You will have to learn design and some code, but these skills are very attainable. Here is a list of free resources that you can use to start developing those skills in order to land your first clients.
Podcaster
Roughly 150 million people listen to podcasts every month. What a huge opportunity! If you have a microphone, an internet connection, and a passion for your topic, you literally have the chance to influence a gigantic amount of people. And with that, you have the opportunity to make a lot of money. Find your niche, set up your podcast, and get started. It might take some time and will definitely take some patience, but you can do it. Here is a detailed article on how to set up and start your own podcast.
Graphic Design
One skill that many teachers have that they don’t even recognize is graphic design. Just walk into an elementary classroom, chances are you will see amazing hand drawn anchor charts that are clear and exciting. Now imagine using that talent and making extra cash while doing it. Good graphic designers are always in high demand. If you are interested in this line of work, check out these courses that walk you through some of the basics.
Micro-Freelancer through Fiverr (Voiceover, Design, etc)
You can do all sorts of things to make money on Fiverr. Voice overs, music, graphic design, proofreading, video editing, logo making, video advertising, and many, many more. If you have a skill, try selling it on Fiverr. Many sellers earn over a thousand dollars a month with their skills, and the best are able to go full time.
Video Editing
Sites like YouTube, Twitch and Vimeo have blown up in the last few years. On YouTube alone, over 300 hours of video are being uploaded every single minute. And the majority of that content has to be edited. A lot of content creators outsource editing to other people. If you put yourself out there, you could earn a nice chunk of change or even replace your income. Here is a video giving more information about how much a video editor can earn.
Etsy
If you are creative and have the skill to make beautiful things, you can make money selling on Etsy. Etsy is a platform where creators sell thousands of different types of unique items. The platform earns almost 3 billion dollars in sales each year. It is a great way to make some profit on the side. If you want to see a great example of an Etsy store, check out SunshineDesignBoutiq, founded by Kat, a fellow teacher and friend of mine.
Flipping Products (Ebay, Amazon FBA)
Flipping products has been a great way to make extra income for a long time. A little bit of training, a good eye, and the time and patience to find good deals, you’d be surprised of the income potential how one person’s trash can become another person’s treasure! Rob and Melissa have been flipping full time for years. Check out their course if you want to learn how to make full-time income by flipping items.
Where to go from here
Brittany has been where you are. If you are tired of teaching, and want to get more resources, we can help. If you are an English teacher check out our 8 Legit Work at Home Jobs for English Teachers Post. If you are a Math teacher check out our 7 Legit Work at Home Jobs for Math Teachers post.
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