how make extra money?

[rabbitandfox23]

How many of you TT-faculty engage in a side hustle during the summer months? I'm thinking about tutoring or even doing delivery to make extra money to help pay off loans. I feel that I should be spending my summers catching up on research and writing articles (there isn't much time to do this during the school year with a 3-3 teaching schedule).  It would certainly be unorthodox in my dept.  I think my colleagues would even look down on me for considering this. But I live in an expensive town, and though my salary is good, it doesn't allow me to save very much...  How have you guys made this work or thought about this dilemma?

[clean]

My advice to anyone is to live on your 9 month salary.  I taught summer school as much as I was allowed and used that money to pay off my debt and then save for retirement. 

So take advantage of any extra money you can earn from your university.

After that, then there is a lot to say for NOT working in the summer so that you can recharge.  Also, do your research so that you can find a better paying job and not need to work!

Good luck

[spork]

^ For the most part I agree. Similar to energy, the cheapest money is the money that's never spent. I was raised by very frugal Yankees and am always looking for ways to cut expenses.

Summer employment was fairly common among K-12 teachers when I was a child. House painting. Tutoring and test prep. Music lessons. But this was the pre-Intertubes and pre-Covid era. I would be wary of something like being a delivery driver for UPS or Amazon. There are up-front expenses, long hours, and lots of physical exertion.

[the_geneticist]

Do you have any start-up funds or grants that you could use to pay yourself a summer salary?  That's what I did at a previous 9-month TT job.  I spent most of my summer doing research with my students, reading papers, and doing a bit of a reset.
Summer classes barely pay enough to be worth the stress and bother and are NOT looked at favorably compared to a summer where you published a paper, submitted a grant proposal, and made progress on your research.

[clean]

Summer classes barely pay enough to be worth the stress and bother and are NOT looked at favorably compared to a summer where you published a paper, submitted a grant proposal, and made progress on your research.

Yes, certainly summer pay is variable!  Some places pay a % of your 9 month salary, and sometimes they want to pay a flat fee.  The flat fee is a fraction of the 1/12th  of my 9 month pay I get paid for summer classes not.  The university frequently discusses going to a flat fee of something like $4K a class. 
For $4K a class, I will stay home and pad my Vita to better qualify myself for a better paying job OR just relax!


(Off topic some, but I worked at a place that claimed "Summer School Lost $500K".  My economics training said to me that if you do not cover your variable costs, then Shut Down!  However, the reality was not that they "lost" money, but rather that they had budgeted one profit number and ended up short by $500K.  So the problem was not exactly that wages were too high (or even that revenue was too low), but that the Admincritters Could Not Plan a Budget!!)

[polly_mer]

Summer teaching or tutoring has never been good money for the effort required.

If it's money you need, then get a real summer job that pays real money.

Or examine whether your 3/3 job that doesn't pay enough is a viable long-term plan and be looking for a professional job that pays enough for all year.

[the_geneticist]

OK, if you want some job ideas, here is what comes to mind:
Got experience caring for pets with medical needs?  Folks pay a TON of money to have their critter boarded at the vet so they can get their daily meds.  You can offer the same service, but the pet stays in their home & you visit to feed/play/monitor & give medical care.
Got any active hobbies?  Get paid to be a guide/expedition leader at a climbing/river rafting/outdoor adventure company.  Pay isn't great, but at least the job is fun.
Any culinary skills?  Now that places are opening up, they are hiring.  Bartending is higher pay, dishwashing & bussing is lower.  Risks of getting sick are higher.

Otherwise, think of ways to cut your expenses, get a roommate, or look for another place to work.