Teachers: 10 Freelance Alternatives to the Classroom

Are you a teacher looking for a freelance alternative to the classroom?

Or maybe, you want to teach part-time and branch off into alternative areas of work?

Whatever your reason for wanting to move away from a full-time teaching career there are many ways you can use your valuable skills, knowledge and experience as a teacher to create an alternative freelance career.

I did it, so for sure you can!

Maybe you want to quit the field of education altogether – okay, great – but this post might not be for you.

This post is about how you can use the wealth of expertise you ALREADY have as a teacher to branch out and create a highly rewarding freelance career related to education.

If you have read any of my other blog posts, you will know that I am an advocate for living a freedom orientated lifestyle. What this means to me might be very different to what it means to you, but at the very heart is the ability to live your life, on your terms, not how society (or the staffroom) dictates.

We spend most of our adult life working, so why not make that work an exciting and enjoyable experience?

The pandemic has provided many with the opportunity to revaluate their careers and lifestyle, and whilst leaving an established teaching career may seem like a daunting prospect, side-stepping into a freelance alternative might be just the ticket.

Below is a list of ten education related jobs that are perfect for teachers, and great for slotting into a freelance workstyle (there are undoubtedly more, but these are the roles that I have direct experience of).

Note: each of these roles are unlikely to provide you will a full-time income, but each will make up a proportion of your freelance pie!

If you would like to read more on how to create a Freelance Portfolio Career, read here.

An image of a laptop on a table next to an open window, with lots of flowers and a linen curtain swaying in the breeze — Swop teaching for freelance…and breathe…

”Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” Albert Einstein

10 Freelance Jobs for Teachers

1. Education Content Writer

If you consider the wealth of education related written material in both print and digital format, you will have some idea of the range of opportunities available to write educational content.

Examples include student workbooks, teacher resources, readers for primary, training manuals and articles to support teachers, parents and students on various aspects of education.

Benefits: homebased, flexible, varied, enables you to develop a range of writing styles

Negatives: limited work in specific educational areas thus it is crucial to diversify into a range of sub-areas, no sick/holiday pay

Requirements:

experience and knowledge of the qualification, subject or area you would like to write content for
excellent writing skills
an interest in innovative learning and how to engage and motivate students
efficient research skills
able to work to a brief
SEO knowledge (for digital formats).

How to get work: check out employment agencies such as Indeed or join an agency specifically attuned to educational content and copywriting

2. Online Teacher

Opportunities to teach online had dramatically increased even before the pandemic took hold, and now of course we are seeing an even greater demand for online teachers. Whether you want to teach privately or through a company, with children or adults, part-time or full-time there is a place for you.

I have written several posts on the merits of teaching English as a Foreign Language online here. However, whatever your subject specialism, the world of online tuition is there to be enjoyed.

Benefits: flexible, homebased, teaching resources already prepared (depending on who you teach for)

Negatives: varied pay, irregular hours, no sick/holiday pay

Requirements:

subject specialism and experience of teaching
confident teaching online
able to think outside the box to engage students
great communication skills
relevant teaching qualification.

How to find work: join an online tuition agency, apply for work with an online teaching company, set up your own tuition business

3. Presenter/Actor for Interactive Course Material

With the expansion of digital education, the need for pre-recorded content to use in educational videos and interactive digital course material is also increasing. This is particularly evident in the area of English as Foreign Language where interactive courseware is becoming a popular choice with parents of young children and teachers.

The role of the presenter is to deliver pre-written lessons in a studio setting.

Benefits: flexible, enjoyable, rewarding

Negatives: sporadic work, intense, need to travel to the recording studio, no sick/holiday pay

Requirements:

excellent presentation and communication skills
confidence in front of a camera
experience and knowledge of the subject area
able to work under pressure in short bursts
able to take clear concise instructions and be adaptable.

How to find work: join a Casting Agency

An image of myself in front of studio cameras, in front of a green screen — I didn’t expect this when I quit the classroom!

4. Supply Teaching

Joining an agency that will provide you with supply/substitute teaching can be a great way to move out of a full time teaching career and into a more flexible style of working. It can also provide you with a fall back, whilst you explore other avenues of work.

Substitute teaching is often seen as the poor relation to a full-time teaching career, and yet actually it can be a highly rewarding alternative and significantly less stressful.

Joining a supply agency, means that you can pick and choose work that appeals to you and also enables you to try out alternative facets of teaching. For example, in the UK, the growth of SEN & SEMPH has resulted in an increase in specialist supply agencies that require teachers to work either 1-1 or in small groups.

Benefits: flexible, try new areas of work

Negatives: no holiday/sick pay, seasonal variations

Requirements:

relevant teaching experience
teaching qualification
great communication skills
highly adaptable
able to manage time effectively.

How to find work: join a teaching agency

5. Freelance Internal Quality Assurer (IQA)

An IQA monitors teaching, learning and assessment activities at a training centre. They are responsible for ensuring qualifications are being run in line with the qualification specification. They liaise with the EQA (see below) to arrange quality assurance visits.

In large educational establishments, more often than not, the IQA is an internal member of staff such as the supervisor. However, it is becoming increasingly common for training providers to employ freelance IQAs.

Benefits: high demand for work, homebased, flexible

Negatives: may need to drive between centres, seasonal fluctuations

Requirements:

up to date subject knowledge
a thorough understanding of the qualification cycle
excellent organisational skills
great communication skills and be able to liaise with a range of people
assessor and IQA qualification
self-motivated, organised and able to work to tight deadlines.

How to find work: through an employment agency such as an Indeed or join an agency that specialises in providing freelance IQAs

6. External Quality Assurer EQA (also known as Standards Verifier & External Verifier)

The role of the EQA is fundamental to many qualifications, particularly in the FE sector. The majority of internally assessed qualifications require an EQA to verify their quality. Examples include: BTECs, internally marked assessments, NVQs and Apprenticeships.

The EQA represents the Awarding Organisation and they ensure that the assessment, internal quality assurance and administration of a particular qualification is compliant with the Awarding Organisation’s requirements. They also offer support and guidance to centres.

Benefits: flexible hours, homebased, international EQA opportunities, gain an in-depth understanding of the qualification

Downside: seasonal, fluctuations in qualification demand, no sick/holiday pay

Requirements:

excellent subject knowledge & superb attention to detail
an EQA qualification (some AOs)
a teacher, assessor or IQA qualification
great written and verbal communication skills
able to interact with a variety of people
self-motivated.

Related roles: International EQA

How to apply: check AO websites – see here for a list of Awarding Organisations in the UK

7. Examiner

An Examiner marks exams in their area of expertise in accordance with a pre-defined mark scheme.

Benefits: flexible hours, homebased, gain an in-depth understanding of the qualification

Downside: seasonal, fluctuations in qualification demand, no sick/holiday pay

Requirements:

excellent subject knowledge & superb attention to detail
experience of teaching the subject
a degree and a relevant teaching qualification
self-motivated, organised and able to work to tight deadlines.

Tip: Think about your subject area and the qualifications that relate to it. There is likely to be more than one qualification that you are able to be an examiner for, e.g., my area is English as a Foreign Language and within that there are several related qualifications that I can mark.

Related roles: Chief of Examiners, Supervisors

How to apply: check AO websites – see here for a list of Awarding Organisations in the UK

8. Visiting Examiner

Some exams, with practical or verbal elements require visiting examiners. In this case, the examiner will visit the school or college to examine the candidates in person.

Benefits: flexible hours, homebased, international opportunities

Downside: seasonal, fluctuations in qualification demand, no sick/holiday pay

Requirements – see above

Related roles: Chief of Examiners, Supervisor, International Visiting Examiner

How to apply: check AO websites – see here for a list of Awarding Organisations in the UK

9. Exam Writer

All exams need writing! An exam writer usually works with a team of writers and the qualification chairperson to produce exam papers that meet the qualification specification. A writer will produce a draft and then edit following a review.

Benefits: flexible hours, homebased, be at the cutting edge of qualification development

Downside: seasonal, fluctuations in qualification demand, no sick/holiday pay

Requirements:

excellent up to date subject knowledge & attention to detail
the ability to come up with new and engaging examination material
a degree and a relevant teaching qualification
self-motivated, organised and able to work to tight deadlines.

Related roles: Qualification Chairperson, Reviser/Reviewer

How to apply: check AO websites – see here for a list of Awarding Organisations in the UK

10. Exam Reviser/Reviewer

An exam reviser/reviewer is responsible for checking the exam that a writer has produced. They carefully check the whole paper to ensure that the questions and scenarios are fit for purpose, that answers are appropriate and that the qualification specification content and assessment criteria, and objectives have been met.

Benefits: flexible hours, homebased, be at the cutting edge of qualification development

Downside: seasonal, fluctuations in qualification demand, no sick/holiday pay

Requirements:

excellent up to date subject knowledge
superb attention to detail
a degree and relevant teaching qualification
self-motivated, organised and able to work to tight deadlines.

Other related roles: Qualification Chairperson, Writer

How to apply: check AO websites

A relaxing work table with green plants and a closed laptop — Create your own workstyle

The above examples are roles that can be implemented into a professional educational freelance portfolio career. It is unlikely that just one of these roles will provide you with a full-time income; however, if it is flexibility and freedom that excites you, I’d whole heartedly recommend pursuing these roles. They offer a rewarding alternative to teaching and will you use your teaching skills to the max!

If developing a freelance portfolio career appeals to you, you may also enjoy this post.