Another way to use your hobbies and talents to make money is through giving lessons. There are many different skills you may take for granted that other people will pay to learn. The good thing about these potential jobs is that you can schedule them around your availability, as well as according to how much extra income you're looking to earn. This works especially well during the school year when you may not have that much free time. When teaching someone something new it's important to remember to keep your cool; don't get frustrated if they don't understand something right away, that will just discourage them.

Tutoring
The first type of lessons that come to mind are those based in academics. When I was having trouble in math my mom hired a tutor to come to our house. He ended up being a very old man with abnormally long fingernails, pretty creepy. Needless to say he only came once. My point is that young people often feel more comfortable learning things form their peers, and perhaps your perspective and wording as a student yourself could make things easier to understand. You can hire out your services based on your area of expertise in school. Your academic achievements (good grades, AP classes, etc.) should be listed in your resume or advertisement. Use the tips in Marketing to get the word out, and focus on places like elementary, middle, or high schools. The Money section will help you with bookkeeping solutions and collecting your money easily and quickly using Obopay.

 

Riding Lessons
If you live in an area where horses are easily accessible and a popular pastime, consider giving riding lessons. You must of course be well versed with horses and skilled enough to teach someone else. This works especially well if you live on or have access to a ranch or plot of land suitable for teaching grounds. If you aren’t familiar with how a riding lesson should go or what it should cover, look up details online or better yet enroll yourself in a beginner’s class and check it out yourself. Pricing should be dependent on expertise and the local market; look up the fees others are charging and adjust accordingly. Be sure you have a legal document written up and signed by clients to protect yourself from liability should any potential harm befall a customer (i.e falling off a horse). You can schedule customers according to your availability and the amount of extra money you’re looking to earn, which opens up the possibility of part time work. Check out the money section to learn about bookkeeping and using Obopay to easily collect and keep track of payments. Use the tips in the Marketing section to get the word out about your services.

Instrument Lessons
Are you a piano prodigy? A guitar god? Use your musical magic to help others be as cool as you. Be sure to specify whether students should bring their own equipment or if you have some they can use. As with all lessons don’t go too quickly or get frustrated if they don’t get it right away; what comes easily to you may be much more difficult for someone else. When I took guitar lessons my teacher focused on teaching me rhythm and blues (which I wasn’t that interested in) instead of the basics I wanted to learn. Guess what, I gave up and now I can’t play anything. Try to get input from your students as to what it is they want to learn; it will keep them interested and motivated. Base pricing on your experience and on scale with what other local places are charging. You might even want to get into contact with some music stores who could be looking for someone to give lessons to, these places have the advantage of a steady stream of eager students. Since your students may be younger than you and the payments might be taken care of by the parents, using Obopay is a great tool to be sure you get the money you’re owed in a timely manner. Visit the Marketing section to learn how to spread the word, and focus on places that the musically inclined might frequent.

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Can you think of another skill you could teach that has a potential market? Let me know! MeMyOwnBoss@gmail.com OR myspace.com/memyownboss