Ways to Make Cash When There Are No Jobs

As the jobless rate has spiked to a 26-year high, more Americans are looking for part-time work to bridge the home-budget gap.

About 19 million currently hold part-time positions by choice, a number that has remained steady for the past five months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

If you're thinking of joining the crowd, here are a few options to consider:

1. Tutoring: With a college degree and expertise in a particular field -- say, business or accounting -- you can earn extra cash in the evenings and on weekends by tutoring high school or college students, or those studying for standardized grad-school tests such as the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). Tutoring certifications are available from a number of organizations, such as the College Reading and Learning Association and the Association for the Tutoring Professional, but they aren't a requirement in most cases. Advertise locally or contact your local high school or college to ask about tutoring opportunities. Alternatively, consider working for an established tutoring outfit such as Kaplan, owned by The Washington Post(WPO), or the Princeton Review(REVU).

2. Teaching English: There is high demand for teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL), both domestically and abroad. Certification from well-recognized institutions such as the Boston Language Institute can cost more than $2,600 and require a month or more of class time. Alternatively, you can get certified online for much less at places such as TEFLOnline.com and TEFL Institute, but you'll still have to make up the required in-class practice hours. But beware that many online certifications don't meet the requirements to teach in the U.S. Regulations to teach ESL domestically vary from state to state, so contact your local college or university to see what teacher education programs are offered near you.