Japa Without Leaving: How Nigerian Teachers Can Earn Dollars From Home

In July 2024, the then Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, said something that got a lot of people talking.

"We have lost even teachers in primary and secondary schools because of this." Tahir Mamman, then Minister of Education, July 2024

"This" was japa. He went as far as saying education had lost more people to it than any other sector. Was he right? Ripples Nigeria checked, and found the claim lacked reliable evidence, because nobody keeps a proper database of teachers leaving.

So the exact numbers are fuzzy. But ask around any staff room and you'll find plenty of teachers who have thought about it. This article isn't about whether you should go. It's about something else: what if you could get some of what japa promises, without leaving?

What the numbers do tell us

At university level, the picture is clearer. The Guardian reported in December 2025 that nearly 1,800 of the University of Lagos's 3,000 academic staff had relocated in five years, and that ASUU estimates over 5,000 lecturers leave every year.

Stop and do that sum. By our count, that's about 6 in every 10 lecturers at Nigeria's biggest city university gone in five years. That's roughly one lecturer walking out of UNILAG every single day for five years. ASUU's president put the mood bluntly.

"Who wants perpetual poverty?" Chris Piwuna, ASUU President, December 2025

For schools, the bigger problem is shortage. UBEC figures cited by the NUT show a shortfall of 194,876 primary school teachers. That isn't the number of people who left. It's how many more teachers we need, which tells you why every good teacher matters.

Teachers don't leave lightly

A 2026 study by Chidubem Deborah Adamu spoke with teachers across five Nigerian states about wanting to relocate. They described "brain pain": loving the job, but struggling to survive on it.

"teachers do not leave lightly" Chidubem Deborah Adamu, Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 2026

They feel torn between duty and survival. And when you look at the money, you can see why.

The money behind the decision

By our own sum, using official exchange rates, the minimum wage was worth about $83 in April 2019. Today's ₦70,000 is worth about $52. Your pay went up in naira and down in dollars.

That's the real pull of japa for many people. It isn't about wanting to live abroad. It's about wanting a higher income ceiling. Fred Swaniker, founder of the African Leadership Group, put it this way: the main thing that drives young Africans to relocate is "lack of opportunity". To be fair, the Techpoint article that quoted him argues that Nigeria's brain drain is smaller than people think. Either way, the pull is opportunity.

So here's the good news. Some of that opportunity can now reach you at home.

Three honest ways to earn dollars from home

1. Teach Nigerian children who live abroad

Plenty of Nigerian families in the UK, US and Europe want their children taught by Nigerian teachers, whether that's maths, English, Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa, or help with the Nigerian curriculum. The Guardian reported back in November 2024 that Lagos-based teachers were already teaching students abroad, mostly children of Nigerians in the diaspora.

Big marketplaces like Preply accept tutors from Nigeria. Be realistic, though. New tutors there often start around $3 to $5 a lesson while they build reviews.

Even so, look at the maths. By our sum, at $3 to $5 a lesson, about 10 to 17 lessons a month adds up to the whole ₦70,000 minimum wage at today's rate. That's two to four lessons a week, on top of your teaching job.

2. AI training and evaluation work

AI companies pay people to check and improve what their AI writes. It's close to marking and explaining, which you already do. Some platforms that accept Nigerians pay in dollars, but access and pay vary a lot. We wrote a full guide on this: can teachers really earn dollars from AI training?

3. Sell your teaching materials

Good lesson notes, worksheets and revision packs can sell more than once. Teachers Pay Teachers lets sellers outside the US sell and pays them through Hyperwallet, though the payout options depend on your country. Check what works for Nigeria before you put in the work.

Keep your eyes open

None of these will replace your salary next month. Think of them as a second income you build over a few months. And watch out for the traps:

• Never pay to get tutoring or "online jobs". Real platforms don't charge a joining fee.
• Never refund an "overpayment". It's a well-known scam where someone "accidentally" sends too much and asks for the difference back.
• Use official websites only. The TRCN has warned teachers about fake portals collecting money in its name.
• Keep your day job while you build. Check your school's rules on outside work, and grow your side income alongside teaching, not instead of it.

So, do you actually need to leave?

The teachers in Adamu's study weren't torn because they didn't want better pay. They were torn because leaving means giving up family, home and a classroom they care about. Earning from home doesn't solve every reason someone might want to go. But it answers the biggest one: opportunity.

If you want to teach diaspora families from home, Scholarleveling lets you run live classes from your phone, bring your own students and set your own fees. It's free to join and your first month is free.

Read next: what AI training work really pays teachers, or what a Nigerian tutor online really costs.