Curriculum Development Side Hustle for Teachers: Building a Sustainable Income Stream
Do you enjoy creating engaging learning experiences for your students? Do you often seek ways to boost student engagement in your classroom? Could you benefit from a bit more money in your bank account at the end of the month? Starting a curriculum development side hustle could be a great fit!
Curriculum development is an exciting path for teachers who are creative and passionate about shaping engaging learning experiences for students (and teachers).
One of the most thrilling parts about curriculum development is that it allows you to be creative in ways that teaching sometimes doesn’t allow. Maybe there’s a unit you’ve always wanted to create but couldn’t find the time for it. Or perhaps you want to incorporate some sort of technology, art, or hands-on activities in new ways. As a curriculum developer, you can experiment, try new things, and break outside the box.
One of the best things about working as a curriculum developer is that you don’t have to do it as a full-time job. If you’re looking for a teacher side hustle, there are lots of freelance and part-time curriculum development jobs out there, and many are available remotely!
A curriculum development side hustle is a flexible way to bring in more income and explore the field (while keeping your teaching career if you’d like). You can also gain valuable experience in case you decide to pursue a curriculum development career full-time.
And rather than taking on a second job that’s unrelated to teaching, you get to do a side hustle for teachers that’s focused on something you’re already passionate about and that enhances your career.
Interested in working as a curriculum developer? Keep reading to explore the low-risk approach of a curriculum development side hustle that lets you gain valuable experience, sharpen your skills, and grow both as an educator and a creative.
Exploring the World of Curriculum Development
If you think curriculum developers only work on textbooks, you’ll be surprised to know today’s curriculum development landscape stretches far beyond this. Think online course providers, edtech companies, nonprofits, children’s media outlets, museums, libraries, and curriculum marketplaces.
Education companies, cultural institutions, public and private school systems, and more are looking for experienced educators with subject-area expertise to help them create engaging materials and content.
As an educator, your skills and experiences are highly desired in the world of curriculum development. You can leverage your expertise to design meaningful learning experiences and make a wider impact beyond the classroom.
So, what exactly could you do as a curriculum developer? At its core, curriculum development is about crafting educational materials that resonate with diverse learners by blending sound educational pedagogy and real-world experience.
This could mean designing lessons, assessments, courses, and educational materials, or even creating professional development training, video scripts, or educational learning games – just to name some of the many options.
Keep in mind that the demand for educators to craft this content spans both the public and private sectors, making it a fantastic side hustle or career pivot. Your experience as an educator who understands the learning process and how to structure activities and experiences to maximize learning makes you a valuable asset.
Types of Curriculum Development Jobs
When you think about specific places where curriculum developers can work, consider how you’ve probably used a variety of materials in your classroom to engage students and improve learning outcomes.
Take a moment to think of some of your favorite resources and why you used them. For example, as a Social Studies teacher and librarian, I’ve always enjoyed using primary source documents with students as a way to foster a better understanding of the cultural and historical context of events.
These resources and materials we use in the classroom are created by curriculum developers. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the varied avenues and possibilities for curriculum developers:
Nonprofit Organizations
Organizations like Khan Academy and the National Park Foundation need educators to create accessible, engaging content including videos, scripts, lesson plans, assessments, and other resources.
Cultural Institutions
Museums and other organizations like the Smithsonian hire curriculum developers to bring history, math, language arts, and science to life for learners through lessons and projects.
EdTech Companies
Companies like Newsela and Nearpod constantly need fresh content for their subscribers. Curriculum developers at edtech companies create a range of materials including lesson plans, assessments, projects, and videos.
Traditional Publishers
Educational companies like Macmillan and Gale rely on educators' expertise in creating teaching materials, textbooks, and assessments.
Online Learning Platforms
Websites like Education.com and ABCYA.com offer opportunities to create interactive content in the form of games and virtual instruction for students ranging from Pre-K to Grade 12. There are hundreds of online learning platforms that seek to provide innovative learning approaches to supplement classroom instruction.
Teacher Marketplaces
Platforms like TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) and Made by Teachers offer educators a place to sell digital lessons and materials. You can sell your own plans or create materials for other sellers who will pay you for your work.
Children's Media
Organizations like PBS and DOGONews.com need educational content creators who understand young learners and can craft engaging, fun learning experiences to meet their needs.
These are just some of the many organizations that regularly hire curriculum developers. Whether you prefer part-time curriculum development jobs or a more flexible hourly contract, there are so many ways to build a consistent side income or make a full career transition. Curriculum development can be a fulfilling path, both toward financial freedom and making a wider impact beyond the classroom.
Tapping Into Your Expertise and Growing Your Skills
Curriculum development relies on many of the skills and experiences you already have as a teacher. And there are a few areas where your focus can make all the difference in your success:
Your Teaching Philosophy
Think about your teaching philosophy and how it will shape your approach to creating learning experiences. What do you already know about effective student learning strategies? How do you like to incorporate these into the materials you create? Tapping into these core beliefs and ideas helps you get clarity and a vision of how you’ll approach curriculum development opportunities.
Have a Growth Mindset
Developing curriculum opens you to a world of new and exciting tools and strategies. You won’t know them all right off the bat, so plan to embrace new ideas and make them a part of your own learning process with a growth mindset. Try to see each one as an opportunity to enhance both your skill set and your understanding of how different resources can enhance student learning.
Writing Skills Are Key
Remember that curriculum development is essentially a writing job. Be open to practicing and refining your writing skills and welcoming lots of constructive feedback. It’s all part of the process, and the insights you gain will sharpen your abilities and deepen your perspective, making you a more effective curriculum developer.
Building a Sustainable Curriculum Development Side Hustle
A curriculum development side hustle is a natural fit for educators looking to diversify their income. Whether you decide to create and sell digital products and materials on a teacher marketplace, license your materials for use by a school system, or design materials for other organizations, curriculum development offers numerous ways to build income streams.
With each opportunity, you’ll also build your portfolio and your resume, opening the doors to more and bigger opportunities.
Creating a sustainable curriculum development side hustle requires a bit of strategic thinking at the start that will set you up for greater success.
Here are a few things to consider when exploring this teacher side hustle:
Identify your niche and passion.
Consider the types of curriculum and materials you enjoy creating. What gets you excited? What strategies do you like to incorporate into your teaching? What is your subject area of expertise?
Knowing this information can allow you to better direct your efforts toward the organizations and paths that will be the best fit for you.
Plan your time and set boundaries.
Determine how much time you want to devote to your side hustle. When would you devote this time? Knowing your current schedule and the time you realistically have to spend learning and growing in the role will help you start from a place of work-life balance.
This better allows you to meet the needs of the people you love and the responsibilities you currently have while developing new personal and professional skills.
Grow and refine your skills, and learn new tools and strategies.
While your teaching experience gives you a strong foundation, curriculum development will introduce you to new strategies, skills, tools, and technology. Embrace opportunities to expand your skills and experience, which will also make you appealing to potential clients or employers.
Consider learning the foundational skills, pedagogy, and strategies to succeed as a curriculum developer through an online course like our Curriculum Development Foundations Program.
Ready to Start a Curriculum Development Side Hustle?
A curriculum development side hustle offers educators a unique pathway to diversifying their income streams while leveraging their classroom experience. You can expand your impact and reach while still maintaining your teaching career.
You can earn while you learn and enjoy flexibility, allowing you to test the waters of working in the field without losing the predictability of your teaching paycheck. This means a side hustle in curriculum development is not an “either/or” proposition but a “both/and” way to provide greater financial freedom while doing what you love in the classroom!
So, are you ready to find and land curriculum development opportunities?
Our Curriculum Development Foundations Program is a 5-week flexible and empowering program designed to give you everything you need to develop engaging curriculum, stand out in the job market, and take your career to the next level as a curriculum developer.
You'll also be assigned a curriculum coach, an experienced curriculum developer, who will give you support and personalized feedback on your work. You'll walk away from the program with a polished portfolio of curriculum samples and with an amazing community supporting you as you step into working as a curriculum developer.
At Educator Forever, we don't only teach about curriculum development, but we're actively working in the field through our Educator Forever Agency. If you choose to become a certified curriculum developer during Curriculum Development Foundations, you'll get even more access to job opportunities from our agency, as well as from other educational organizations looking for experienced curriculum developers.
Sign up now to start your exciting journey as a successful curriculum developer!
About The Author
Evonne Hall is the Program Coordinator at Educator Forever. She has spent the majority of her career in the field of education, working in public, private, homeschool, and virtual teaching roles. In 2016, she began teaching ESL online as a side hustle and grew to love the flexibility of teaching online in a variety of teacher marketplaces.
Evonne enrolled in the Educator Forever Network and discovered the additional ways educators could use their superhero skills. She began working in the field of curriculum development, working with TPT sellers and online ESL companies to create individualized and group offerings. With the confidence she gained, she honed in on her zone of genius to help teacherpreneurs build and grow their dream businesses. While Program Coordinator is her primary job function by day, Evonne also enjoys gardening, reading good books, and anything organizing-related.