Can I make any money as an educational entrepreneur?

If you are thinking about starting a program of any sort, you probably want to know if you can make a living at it.

Obviously, the answer is going to depend on which sort of program you start and, to an extent, how successful/large it is. But there are some guidelines.

Cooperatives for homeschoolers, by definition, are a cooperative group of volunteers. They are a lot of work for someone to organize and plan, but the whole group is committed to volunteering so the work is generally one of collaboration and exchange. Unless organized as a business with fees or tuition sufficient to pay the director, this model is not one to start if you want an income.

Microschools, on the other hand, can be a very viable option for income. Starting an LLC is pretty simple and with just you and yourself as the staff, you can provide a service just like any childcare provider or tutor does in exchange for payment. A class of ten kids paying 4k per year will bring in $40,000 (minuses expenses such as books, supplies, insurance, and taxes) and a class that size can often be very well-taught in just 20 or so hours per week. Twenty hours with only 10 kids as your own boss isn’t so bad!

Hybrid schools have more complex staffing but look a lot like a private school. As an entrepreneur you may very well end up as the director with plenty to keep you busy without even being a teacher. For example, a well-planned budget for a four-class, two-day program may include a director working about 25 hours per week and teachers working 14 hours. Depending on the length of year and school day, the teachers may make 13k-15k (for 60-70 days) of contractual work and the director may make around 30k. Of course, this depends on the number of classes, size of classes, and tuition, as well as if they continue to grow such that more planning is needed, etc...

These are just very general numbers and there are many other variables to take into account. In short, the answer is that, while you may never make 6 figures as a small program director or teacher, is not at all out of the question to make a reasonable part-time to full-time salary while doing work you love as your own boss. And that counts for something!