5 Passive Income Ideas For Educators
As rewarding as teaching can be, it can be very time-consuming and energy-draining. Many of us aren’t able to work another job on top of being a tutor or teacher – even if we could benefit from the extra money.
Fortunately, there is a solution: passive incomes. This is a way of making money without having to actively work for it all the time. Such incomes typically require an upfront investment of time and energy, but once they are successfully up and running they can earn you money while you are sleeping.
There are many different types of passive income that you can pursue. This post delves into a few education-related forms of passive income that could allow you to use your existing skills and experience.
Write an e-book
Writing and publishing a book might seem daunting. However, it’s a lot easier nowadays thanks to the introduction of e-books. Unlike physical books, e-books can be as short or as long as you want, and you can easily self-publish them. When people pay to download a copy of your book, you also don’t have to worry about manufacturing and shipping out physical books.
What should your e-book be about? That’s entirely up to you. It could be a book that’s completely unrelated teaching. Alternatively, you could center it all around education and aim it at fellow teachers. If you teach a specific subject, another option could be to delve into a topic within that subject that you are passionate about. As an educator, you may be able to find fun ways to teach this topic that interest readers and make your book stand out.
A successful e-book will require a certain amount of marketing – which you’ll need to set aside a budget for. Be prepared to pay for a book cover, and pour some money into online advertising and potentially a website. The likes of Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing can be used to easily publish your book.
Create an online course
An online course can be another great passive income solution for educators. This is a chance to remotely teach a subject without having to teach lessons at set times.
Online courses typically consist of content you have written yourself, recorded videos and a series of tests that can allow students to learn flexibly in their own time (also known as self-paced learning). You’ll need to invest a lot of time upfront creating your course and you’ll need to promote it – but no work is required once a student buys your course.
You can host online courses on platforms like Udemy, Teachable or your own website. Try to find a subject that you are passionate about and an expert on and aim to make it as engaging as you can. This guide explains more as to how to sell online self-paced courses.
Start a blog/vlog
It’s possible to make money through blogging or vlogging through affiliate marketing, sponsors and ad revenue. This could be a blog or vlog centered around education tips aimed at teachers, or it could be centered around the subject you teach.
Blogs can be created through platforms like Blogger, WordPress and Medium. You’ll need to be fairly passionate about writing and you’ll need to create consistent content to attract loyal readers. However, you don’t have to spend hours blogging per week – so long as you’re posting something each week and you’re choosing engaging subjects, you can build an audience. Consider investing in a custom domain name and SSL certificate to make your blog feel more official.
YouTube meanwhile is the most popular platform for vlogs. To launch a successful vlog, it could be worth investing in a decent camera and microphone, as well as editing software. As with blog posts, aim to create new videos consistently to attract subscribers and keep getting views.
You can extend the reach of your blog posts and videos by sharing them on social media. This leads onto the next potential passive income idea…
Become a social media influencer
Social media influencers come in many forms – from TikTok dancers to influencers posting educational content. As a teacher or tutor, you could consider dedicating a social media channel to educational tips or news for fellow teachers. Alternatively, you could give advice to parents.
Successful social media accounts are often able to make money through sponsorships, while some platforms allow you to get paid based on how many engagements your posts are getting. Aim to post new content consistently and share a range of different types of content including images, videos and text.
As with blogging/vlogging it’s debatable as to how passive this income stream truly is as you do need to be constantly creating content and engaging with your audience, however it is a very flexible form of income, which makes it easy to fit around your full-time teaching job.
Sell lesson plans/study notes
There are sites like Sellfy where you can sell study resources like lesson plans and study notes. These can be sold as digital copies that people can download and print if they desire.
If you regularly plan out lessons using documents or written notes, selling these lesson plans could be an easy way to make money. Other teachers could find such notes valuable when looking for inspiration.
Study notes can meanwhile be sold to students (not your own students) online. These could provide summaries to help students prepare for exams. Consider choosing evergreen topics that you will know will be taught each year so that your study notes continue to sell year on year.
Conclusion
Writing an e-book, creating an online course, starting a blog/vlog, becoming a social media influencer and selling lesson plans/study notes could all be fantastic ways to make a passive income as an educator. You can use your existing skills and knowledge, and you can work your income around your main job. It’s a simple and flexible alternative to having to take on another job. Just be prepared to invest some time upfront.
