Small Business Ideas for Teachers: Are you looking for a way to make some extra income? Look no further.

Did you know that school teachers make the best private swim school owners? It’s true. They have the perfect blend of knowledge, experience, and dedication to make them successful private swim school owners.

They understand the importance of planning and preparing for each lesson and know how to engage with students in a friendly yet educational manner.

Their years in the classroom have given them invaluable insight into their pupils’ levels of comprehension, which helps them identify what works best for their own classes.

With a natural ability to motivate and inspire young swimmers, school teachers make ideal candidates for private swim school ownership.

A private swim school could be the perfect small business idea for you. You can help people of all ages learn the life-saving skill of swimming while also making a lot of extra money.

Click this link to learn more about starting your own private swim school!

Small Business Ideas for Teachers

Of all the small business ideas for teachers, I will cover only one in this article: Starting your own private swim school business without experience or a pool.

And since you already know how to teach kids regardless of the subject and how to communicate with parents, owning a private swim school business is a no-brainer for a teacher such as yourself.

Swim lessons are very much in demand, especially over the summer (your break). Once you’ve established your swim school business, it can generate significant sales.

It depends on how many classes you want to teach per week, but to give you an idea; you could bring in anywhere between eight and ten thousand dollars or more per month.

Still not convinced? With their permission, below are the real-life stories of teachers who transitioned from the classroom to the swimming pool and are happier now than ever.

In Doubt of Your Ability to Garner Enough Business?

Read the following conversation I had with Aneika, who gave me permission to share it for reassurance.

Do you know what else is so great about owning a swim school? It’s a recession-proof business.

There is no shortage of parents looking to enroll their children in swim lessons. It’s a life-saving skill, after all. Without the ability to swim, children are in danger of drowning accidents.

In fact, formal swimming lessons are associated with an 88% decrease in the risk of drowning in the 1 to 4-year-old age group.

So, starting your own private swim school is an excellent option if you’re looking for a great small business idea as a teacher.

In this article, I will share the strategies that helped my swim school go from the unknown with only a handful of students to a thriving profitable business with a waitlist. And I did it all without any previous experience.

To gain free access to the more comprehensive version of this article in ebook form and additional free content, I invite you to join my free Facebook group, Swimming in Profits – Secrets to Starting a Successful Swim School.

My Story

My husband’s brilliant idea drastically changed my life in the best possible way.

My story began in 2011 when my husband, Ross, our son, Ethan, and I moved into our new home (a house my husband inherited from his dad, along with its mortgage).

One of the first things out of Ross’s mouth was, “We should open up a swim school. We have an indoor pool, and there are no indoor swim schools in this area.”

“I’m not a swim instructor! I don’t know anything about teaching swimming!” I said.

After that first day in our new home, we let the idea of a swim school lay by the wayside until about two years later.

I was at work at a gym as a gymnastics instructor when I overheard a mother conversing with another mother during a mommy and me gymnastics class.

Mother number one asked, “do you know of any indoor swim schools in the area?”

“No.” Replied mother number two.

OMG! I thought to myself; we really should open a swim school. So, I approached mother number one and told her that I had an indoor pool and that if she wanted to hire a swim instructor, I would let them use my pool for lessons.

She replied, “I want YOU to teach my son.”

“But I’m not a swim instructor,” I said.

“Then become one. You’d be great at it.” She said.

I couldn’t wait to get home that day to tell Ross what had transpired. I immediately enrolled in a swim instructor certification program with the American Red Cross.

Shortly after, I opened up my swim school in 2013, starting with one student, Kyle, the son of mother number one.

As time went on, I slowly attracted more students, and after one year in business, I was able to quit my gymnastics instructor job. Woohoo!!

My swim school became one of the most sought-after in my area. So much so that I was booked solid with a waitlist. But this success didn’t just happen overnight.

Soon after I opened my swim school, I realized that a swim certification program was not nearly enough training to achieve the best results from my students.

After years of research, testing various methods, learning from the best, and discovering my own tricks throughout my journey, I developed a teaching method that has proven to be very successful.

As my students progress through the program and become more independently mobile, I feel a rush of pride as I see their confidence skyrocket as they rule the pool with their newfound skillset.

It is mostly due to the method I use in teaching my students that made my swim school gain popularity.

My students’ parents get so excited about their children’s progress that they can’t help but spread the word about my swim program. And that is why I am always booked solid with a waitlist.

What Is A WSI, And Why Does It Matter?

When I was looking to get certified, I chose the American Red Cross water safety instructor, aka WSI certification program.

It is imperative that you also complete the CPR and first aid courses. The American Red Cross is your one-stop shop for all the above certifications.

The certification process occurs over a weekend. But before that weekend arrives, the Red Cross will send you the relevant manuals and instructions to complete some written assignments.

In addition to the required homework, you will need the time before the in-person training weekend to prepare for the swimming and written tests.

And if you don’t have a swimming background like me, you’ll require some practice time to develop your swim strokes sufficiently to meet the Learn-to-Swim Level 4 requirements.

All the swim strokes include freestyle, aka front crawl, backstroke, aka back crawl, breaststroke, butterfly, elementary backstroke, and sidestroke.

But don’t worry, level 4 is more or less a beginner level, so perfect form is unnecessary.

For example, during my swim test, one of the WSI students’ butterfly strokes looked more like the breaststroke, and she still passed.

Why Does Certification Matter?

When parents call you to inquire about swim lessons for their child, they will ask you, more often than not, if you and your instructors are certified. Many of them will also ask if the instructors’ CPR and first aid certifications are current.

Can you blame them? No. These are legitimate questions. And since these certification programs can be completed relatively quickly and easily, there’re no excuses.

However, it is worth noting that even though the WSI certification program is relatively comprehensive, it is not the only training you should consider. You will need more training than the American Red Cross offers. I found myself in this same position as a newly certified instructor.

Additional training is needed to get the best results from your students. Luckily, I have already created the training required to satisfy your needs, which you can find within the Online Swim Academy.

It is an in-depth swim instruction training program that provides you with everything you need to teach babies and children to swim, including prepared lesson plans. You will go from having a limited understanding of how to conduct your lessons to expert knowledge on the subject.

I attribute my swim school’s success to these teaching techniques found in the Online Swim Academy. My students’ parents rave to other parents about my teaching methods, and as a result, I haven’t had to advertise my swim school in years.

My students’ parents are like my sales staff: they’re all the most amazing salespeople. They all deserve “Sales Person of the Year” awards. Seriously. Your best advertising is word of mouth. Once you get the parents buzzing about your swim program, you are set for life, my friend.

How Much Will All This Training Cost Me?

It’s all very affordable. As I write this, a WSI certification costs around $300. First aid and CPR certifications cost about $150. These certifications need to be renewed every two years.

And to dive deep (no pun intended) into a more comprehensive training program that will provide you with everything you need to teach babies and children to swim, not to mention blow your competition out of the water (again, no pun intended) you will need to join the Online Swim Academy.

It’s $27 per month or $297 per year. It’s an investment in your future and a small price to pay for what will be the most rewarding career choice imaginable.

Keep in mind that these prices are subject to change.

What If I Don’t Have A Pool?

One excellent alternative to not having a pool is to rent a lane from your local community pool or a similar facility with private or public pool access, like a hotel or a health club.

Here’s a helpful link. It covers everything you need to know about renting a facility to conduct your lessons.

Another great easy-to-sell option is to position yourself as the swim instructor who makes house calls. The student can learn to swim in the privacy, comfort, and convenience of their home pool.

Important note: Whether you have your own pool or you’re conducting lessons at a remote location(s), a business license, insurance, and liability release forms are required in California. I can’t speak for other states or countries.

For more details on the business license etc., plus so much more, join my free Facebook group, Swimming in Profits, for free access to the comprehensive ebook version of this article.

Why Private Lessons Are The Best

I choose to conduct only private lessons and sometimes semi-private (2 students) because, generally speaking, it’s far less stressful. If you were employed at another swim school, you wouldn’t have a choice.

For example, you would have to deal with all types of class sizes with impossible teacher-to-student ratios and mixed levels within one class. If I had to deal with that, I wouldn’t last a week at that job.

This is why going into business for yourself is not only the most rewarding experience, but you are in charge of your schedule. No one can throw you a curve ball.

I belong to some swim instructor Facebook groups, and I’ve repeatedly seen instructors posting about wanting to quit on the spot.

All because their supervisors expect them to teach classes with those ridiculously stressful teacher-to-student ratios, or they include students ranging from beginner to advanced all within the same class, ultimately creating toxic workplaces.

Here’re all the reasons why I prefer private lessons:

• Less disciplining is involved. When you only have one student to focus on, the stress level is minimal since disciplinary issues arise less in a private setting than with multi-student classes.
• Fewer safety concerns. There are no distractions to avert your attention from your student, guaranteeing their safety under your supervision.
• Quicker progress. The one-on-one attention the child receives in a private lesson speeds up the student’s progress since the instructor can customize the curriculum to fit their needs.
• Easier to keep track of the student’s progress. I keep detailed notes on each of my students. It helps me track which skills need reviewing and what to introduce next time to build on those skills. This detailed note-taking wouldn’t be as manageable with multi-student classes.

Create An Effective Marketing Plan

To ensure your swim school’s success, you must plan your marketing strategy. This includes everything from advertising to creating a website.

Your website can be whipped together in no time with Godaddy. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy.

My website consists of only two pages: my services, prices, about me, reviews, a photo gallery, and a contact form.

I didn’t overcomplicate the website mainly because Godaddy re-invents the wheel from time to time, and as a result, I have to copy and paste everything into a whole new type of website builder with a fresh new look.

I’ve gone through this ordeal two times now, so the less you have to copy and paste, the better.

Don’t forget to SEO your site. SEO stands for search engine optimization; without it, your swim school may not appear in search results. Godaddy will walk you through this process.

Other effective marketing strategies include:

• A Facebook business page. This is a must for your swim school. You can easily boost posts as one effective way to advertise your swim school.
• A Yelp account is one of the best ways to attract new customers. Everyone reads reviews, and you’ll never have to advertise again if you keep securing 5-star reviews.
• Place flyers and business cards throughout your community. By far, most of your students will be children, so keep this in mind when deciding where to distribute. Call all private and public preschools and elementary schools in your area before dropping off your flyers because you will need their permission first. Other kid-based businesses you might want to approach are dance studios, children’s gyms, martial arts dojos, ice-skating arenas, and pediatrician’s offices.
• Chamber of Commerce membership is necessary to make the right kind of connections and promote your business. Your visibility in the community increases as a member since your business will be listed in their newsletter, online directory, and other chamber publications.
• Promote your business through community events. Set up a booth at local fairs, where you can interact with people individually and talk about how great your swim program is. Offer four private swim lessons as a silent auction item at the next private school fundraiser.
• Order t-shirts, hoodies, and baseball caps with your logo, and wear them with pride when you go out and make sure you have plenty of business cards. You will never know when you will need them. Someone may strike up a conversation with you about your swim school while you’re in line at the grocery store.

How To Keep Your Customers Coming Back

A quality swim program is essential to a high customer retention rate. With the right curriculum that meets each student’s individual needs, your customers would have no reason to do business elsewhere.

As mentioned earlier, my Online Swim Academy (OSA) provides everything you need to teach babies and children to swim.

I have been creating this training since March 2020, when I had to temporarily close my swim school due to COVID-19, and I continue to add to the curriculum.

The in-depth training that you’ll find in OSA mirrors how I teach my students to swim with excellent results. It’s broken down into easily digestible bite-sized chunks.

It consists of very easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions and includes prepared lesson plans. Planning lessons can take up a lot of your time, but since you’ll have access to my prepared syllabuses, that won’t be an issue.

And where OSA delivers the goods tenfold is when your swim school gets so busy that you need to hire swim instructors.

The one component that can make or break your swim school is your teaching staff.

Your staff is your business, and you’ve probably heard the following axiom multiple times. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. As old a saying as it is, there’s no more accurate statement regarding your business.

So if you want to create a dream team of swim instructors with your philosophy and where every link in the chain is as strong as the next, OSA can make that a reality.

The training inside OSA delivers a standard of excellence and will produce the very best instructors making your swim school the most sought-after in your area.

You’ll appreciate the time efficiency and cost-effectiveness of OSA’s convenient do-it-yourself online training.

You and your newly hired instructors will learn OSA’s proven teaching method. It’s the best way to help children of all ages develop a love of the water and learn to respect it, not fear it.

The OSA philosophy is to always progress at the child’s pace and never force them to do anything they don’t feel comfortable with. This teaching method ensures a lifelong love and respect for the water.

Other Business Ideas That You Might Consider

As a teacher, you have a lot of options for business ideas. Mainly education business ideas. Some of these might include the following:

• freelance writing business
• professional organizing business
• grant writing business
• museum consulting business
• public speaking instruction business
• art lessons business
• editing services
• online courses
• translation services
• summer camp business
• teaching business

Of All The Perfect Business Ideas: This one’s for you

If you’re a teacher looking for the perfect small business idea, I understand that maybe a freelance writer is a perfect fit for you, and for others, starting a private swim school is it.

It’s a great way to use your teaching skills and make extra money during the summer. And who knows? You may find that you have a talent for running your own business and will love being your own boss. It’s the best feeling ever! Trust me. Click on the image below and join my free Facebook group so I can help you get started. Hope to see you there soon.