Have Kids? These 3 Side Hustles May Be Available Through Their School

These could put some nice cash in your pocket.

Key points

• A side hustle could make it easier to deal with rising living costs.
• There may be work opportunities available through your children’s school district, such as being a substitute teacher, lunch aide, or crossing guard.

If you’ve been thinking about getting a side hustle, now’s a pretty good time to consider one. These days, living costs are sore due to inflation, and gas prices are through the roof as a byproduct of the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

Even if you’re not struggling to pay your bills, you may have financial goals a side hustle could help you meet. Those might include paying off your credit cards once and for all or socking money away to eventually send your kids to college.

But if you have kids, getting a part-time job may be challenging. The cost of childcare can be astronomical, to the point where it wipes out such a large chunk of your wages that it’s not worth working in the first place.

The good news, though, is that there may be a side hustle opportunity for you at your kids’ school, or through their school district. Here are a few part-time gigs that could put a nice amount of money in your pocket and make it possible to work without having to worry about securing childcare.

1. Substitute teacher

Generally, to work as a substitute teacher, you’ll need to go through a background check — but you won’t need specific education experience. Rather, you’ll be given a lesson plan to follow, and your main job will be making sure the children in your classroom stay put and don’t get into trouble.

The downside of being a substitute teacher is that the work may not be steady or predictable. After all, you’ll only be called into work when a teacher is out.

But remember, once you come on board as a vetted substitute, you’ll generally be able to take the place of any teacher in your school who’s out, whether it’s the person who teaches gym or the 7th grade math teacher. So in time, your workload could increase and your earnings could add up.

2. Lunch Aide

In many schools, it’s not the teachers themselves who oversee the lunch periods, but rather, outside help. That’s because teachers need a break to eat lunch themselves, so often, schools bring in people to oversee the lunchroom for a few hours a day. And if you’re willing to commit to a schedule, you could be one of those people.

The upside of being a lunch aide is that your hours should be steady and predictable. At the same time, you should still end up having most of your day free.

3. Crossing guard

Many school districts employ crossing guards to help children safely navigate busy intersections. If you’re willing to brave the elements, you could make decent money as a morning crossing guard, afternoon crossing guard, or both.

The upside of this gig is that the work is steady, and that you’re generally not working many hours. That leaves you with plenty of time to run errands, cook dinner, and do the many other tasks you no doubt try to cram into your day.

Of course, the downside is that you can’t just bail on your job when it’s pouring rain or 97 degrees outside. But if you think you can manage this sort of gig, it’s a great way to get fresh air and earn a little cash.

Getting a side gig isn’t always easy with kids in the mix, especially if they’re too young to stay home unsupervised. But if you’re eager to make some extra money, it’s worth seeing if these specific jobs are available through your local school district.