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Finding ways to earn extra income is not a new concept to most people, from the Millennial “side hustle” to Dave Ramsey inspired “Dave Jobs,” every generation has its own methods for creating new sources of income. This isn’t any different for the auxiliar de conversacion. Here are 3 tried and true methods for earning a bit of extra money while teaching abroad, and one bonus way to start earning extra income before you even move abroad.

THE SIDE HUSTLE

According to CNN Money, 44 million Americans have a side job. Many people need these jobs just to keep up with their regular bills. One benefit of teaching English in Spain, is that you can avoid such inflated bills, since the cost of living is so much lower than many of our cities back home. As an auxiliar, you shouldn’t NEED extra income just to get by, but it can really help improve your travel opportunities. Extra income can also be used to pay down debt back home.

PRIVATE LESSONS

The easiest way to earn extra income when you get to Spain is to set up private lessons. This idea may seem overwhelming if you have never taught English before, but there are a lot of online resources available for free.

The easiest type of private lesson is conversation classes for adults. If you’re worried that you don’t know much about teaching language, start with this. You can get started by writing down a couple of prompts from a conversation generator.

If your conversation classes are geared towards specific exams, you may need to do some more research. Find out their English level, and gear the topics towards what they will need to know. For example, here is a List of Conversation Topics (B1-B2) I’ve gathered for intermediate level students. These topics come from here, a thorough guide for the Cambridge PET exam.

If you are teaching children, your role could either be as homework support, or as a speaking instructor who mostly plays games. There are a lot of good of good, free, online resources that you can find here and here.

How much extra income can you earn giving private lessons? That depends on a couple of factors. First, you will want to find out the going rate in your area. You can check this out on Tus Clases Particulares or ask auxiliars who have lived in the region before.

In Huelva, I had trouble finding one to one classes for more than $10-12 and hour. It is possible to charge more, and you should if you’re doing outright exam prep, but you will need to find a balance between the price you charge and how many hours you fill.

In Vitoria-Gasteiz, the going rate was closer to $15 an hour. After talking to a friend who was charging $20 an hour and had a full schedule (working 12+ hours in private classes), I decided to do the same. I didn’t work as much as she did, because I didn’t need to, but you can definitely more than double the auxiliar income by supplementing it with private classes.

ENGLISH ACADEMIES

Another way to earn extra income is to work for an English Academy. These private language schools are located all over Spain, even in some of the smaller villages.  These often pay less than you could make teaching private lessons, but they have the benefit of being a steady extra income.

When I first arrived to Huelva, I assumed I wouldn’t be able to work at an academy. All the blogs I’d read said that the only way to do it was under the table, and I didn’t want to risk it. However, an academy called me. They got my number from a Canadian friend who had just started working for them. There is a process that allows non-European students to get work permission through their student visas, so long as it doesn’t interfere with their school schedules. Skip to the part that says “Autorizacion de trabajo por cuenta ajena”. You can work up to 20 additional hours.

Some of the other benefits of working in an academy are that you don’t have to look for classes on your own, you can receive support and training from experienced teachers, and, at the best academies, paid holidays. I was earning $150 a month for teaching 3 hours a week, and I didn’t have to worry about flaky parents or trying to collect payments for last minute cancellations. Working at an academy is also a great CV/Resume booster.

ONLINE ENGLISH TUTORING

Something that has really blown up in the last couple of years is teaching English online. There are the really big Chinese companies, as well as thousands of smaller startup companies. You can check them out on Online ESL Reviews.

When choosing between the more established companies and some of the startups, there are a few things to consider. The larger companies will likely be more organized. They will have good systems in place and pay on time. However, they are much more competitive in hiring. Some of the smaller companies may still have a few kinks to work out, but be easier to get your foot in the door. I started with a smaller company in May of 2016, and by March of 2017 I got promoted to a training position. There is more room to grow in these companies if you are able to deal with the growing pains.

In my experience, teaching online is the best way to earn extra income in the summer months. This is how I survived my first summer in Spain. These jobs are available year round, so if you find that you like working from home, you could do this instead of teaching private lessons or working at an academy. Just make sure you have a computer – many companies aren’t equipped for tutoring from a phone or a tablet, as the operating systems are different. With this in mind, there’s no need to go out and drop a lot of money on a macbook. Just a basic netbook will do.

EARN EXTRA INCOME BEFORE YOU ARRIVE

There’s no reason to wait until you get to Spain to start earning extra money. If you’re thinking about trying online teaching, you can get started from wherever you live now. It will be a great way to build up your starter budget to help get you through your first month (or more).

Another way to earn extra income and even gain a bit of teaching experience is to try substitute teaching. In Michigan, anyone with 90 university credits or more can sign up to substitute teach. Gaining this kind of experience before you go will make your job as an auxiliar seem even more like a breeze.

If you’re already earning extra income abroad, which is your favorite method? Feel free to share tips in the comments bellow!