Side writing jobs/freelance gigs to earn more money?

[Double J]

I recently landed a great job at a well-established company. I start next week and am very excited.

 

One of the employers I interviewed with but have yet to hear back from is a local college I attended a few years ago. I had ambitions to break into higher education because of my love of writing, research and education. I've always been a scholar at heart and look to pursue a master's degree in the near future. (Note: I'm not interested in becoming a teacher/professor. My passion is educational writing.)

 

In the interim, however, I've thought about working on side projects that will indulge my academic tendencies. I just don't know which avenue to pursue. My main focus would be educational writing. Here's what I had in mind:

 

1. Write educational articles for sites like the Yahoo Contributor Network. I don't presume this to be the most lucrative option.

 

2. Start a small business dedicated to tutoring and/or helping college students write their research papers. I'd imagine that getting this off the ground won't be easy given that community colleges offer these services free of charge.

 

3. Respond to ads on Craigslist (or other sites that offer freelance gigs) from students and others who might need assistance writing/editing their essays and papers.

 

Might any of these prove effective? Do you guys have any other ideas?

 

Thanks in advance.

[catfeeder]

I'd wait to determine how demanding the new job will be before committing myself to anyone else's needs or expectations. Meanwhile you can research and compose articles within your areas of interest or expertise, and when you deem them submission-ready, you can shop them around.

[Double J]

Thanks for the tip, catfeeder.

 

Anyone else??

[Applewhite]

I have some vague plans of possibly starting a tutoring business one day! (I have issues I need to resolve first so it is a long term goal). There could be some money to be made in the SAT prep market. Although there are big companies (like Kaplan) to compete with I think a local, more personalized business has a chance to succeed provided the environment conditions, location and strategy are optimal. I am more geared toward Math rather than English/writing etc so I would most definitely need a partner/employees. Interested? LOL

[catfeeder]

I have some vague plans of possibly starting a tutoring business one day! (I have issues I need to resolve first so it is a long term goal). There could be some money to be made in the SAT prep market. Although there are big companies (like Kaplan) to compete with I think a local, more personalized business has a chance to succeed provided the environment conditions, location and strategy are optimal. I am more geared toward Math rather than English/writing etc so I would most definitely need a partner/employees. Interested? LOL

 

I taught for The Princeton Review for several years and did group and individual tutoring on the side. The beauty of this was decent pay from an already established firm and not taking on the admin, overhead, marketing, managing and all other aspects of running a business when I wanted to focus on teaching--and my 'real' jobs.

 

Determine whether moonlighting is about earning extra money and gaining satisfaction or whether it means minimizing your current job in order to take on a business start-up for satisfaction down the road. There are business plan templates you can access on the web, and don't forget to also build a full marketing plan to get the foundational plan off the ground. Once you see these steps, you'll be better able to estimate how feasible it is to get a business in motion while also starting and learning a new role for your employer. Some people chip away on the side, others opt to go straight to 1099 or W4 for an established firm that will simply pay you for your time.