If you’re a working dad, you probably already feel like you have precious little time to spend with your kids. Thus, when considering ways to earn extra income, it’s worth considering kid-inclusive side gigs. These are money-making opportunities that can be done with kids by your side.
Kid-inclusive side gigs
Better yet, kid-inclusive side gigs can give dads the opportunity to share skills and values with your offspring. Many are well-paid, too. Here are five attractive options.
Coach
Have your kids started playing sports that you’re good at? It might be worth signing up as a coach. Most coaching platforms allow you to describe your experience as a coach and specify the sports and type of coaching that you do.
For instance, if your 10-year-old kids are into baseball, you can specify that you coach middle-schoolers in that sport. And while you’re coaching other kids for pay, your kids can shag balls and help you while they also practice and learn.
Four sites can help you find clients for your coaching business — CoachUp, Athletes Untapped, TeachMeTo and Wyzant. However, each of the sites operates a bit differently and some specialize in specific sports. (TeachMeTo, for instance, is one of the few that helps people learn to surf.) However, the cumulative list of sports that you can potentially coach is long — everything from golf to la crosse.
To learn more about each platform, you can click on links above to find SideHusl.com’s reviews of each site. These reviews include links to the individual sites, if you want to sign up.
Photograph
If you’ve got a good camera and a good eye, you can also take photos at sporting events, dances and graduations and sell the photos to other parents looking for mementos.
A site called Snapped4U allows portrait photographers to register and sell PDF files of their photography. You simply upload the photos; provide potential clients with a link to your portfolio; and tell the site how much you want to earn on each shot.
The site maintains an online gallery of your work, sends out PDFs of the photos, collects payments and remits the proceeds to you after subtracting a 10%-12% site commission.
Fix
Dads with handyman skills may also want to sign up with Taskrabbit. This site allows you to advertise your availability to do everything from fixing sprinklers to hanging television sets and assembling furniture. If you want to teach your kids these skills, bring them along and have them help you with the job. Nearly any in-person household service can be advertised on this site, including plumbing, painting, hanging lights, and even shopping.
Taskrabbit allows “Taskers” to communicate directly with clients to tell them that, say, your 14-year-old daughter is coming with you to assist. You set your own rates. However, if takes you longer to complete a task because you’re teaching your offspring how to do it as you work, you may want to give the homeowner a litte “free” time to compensate.
Teach
If you have a skill that you could teach to kids between the ages of 3 and 18 — perhaps like your own — you can sign up to be an instructor at Outschool. Outschool is a non-traditional teaching platform that allows instructors to offer classes in almost any topic — from academic to practical. Some popular classes include an intro to animation; using Minecraft to teach Math; investing basics; debate; and fitness.
The courses can be one-off classes, or a series of classes. It’s largely up to the instructor. You set the agenda, price the offering, and determine how many kids you can handle with each class. The site markets the class to its students for a percentage of the revenue. The amount you earn depends on what you charge and how many kids take your course.
Classes are held online, so this kid-inclusive side gig can help you teach your own kids at home while you work.
Walk
Looking for a simpler option? What about simply walking dogs with the kids? Rover allows dog walkers to sign up and create a profile. You decide what to charge and whether you want to limit the types of dogs you’re willing to walk or watch. (If your kids are afraid of big animals, for instance, you might restrict your dog-oriented services to small dogs…or hamsters, rabbits or mice.)
You can also screen any animal you choose to walk or watch to make sure it’s good with kids. Dog walkers set their own rates and schedules. The site markets your service and simply takes a 20% commission when it collects payment on your behalf.
