Life as a student can be tough financially. With student-loan debt mounting up, bills to pay, and nights out to enjoy, most students need to earn money alongside their studies. While you could always get a part-time job in the campus café or work in a local retail store, you might not have the time [or the inclination] to go to a place of work for set hours every week.
But in the present day, you don’t need to rely on conventional employment to earn money to support your studies. Freelance may be your answer. Thanks to the proliferation of the gig economy, you have a whole host of options when it comes to earning through a side hustle. In this post, we introduce you to ten guaranteed ideas for students to freelance and earn money while at school, college, or university.
1] Write.
Throughout your studies, you’ll spend a lot of time writing. So why not get paid for it? In the world of online media and blog sites, you can find clients on RadialHub who are looking for freelance writers to contribute to their websites. You don’t need to make any online commitments and can take on as much work as you can handle. It’s the perfect side hustle to manage alongside your studies.
2] Setup an eBay store.
Setting up an eBay store is an effortless way to turn old items into cash. Speak to your parents, family friends, and neighbours, and ask them if they have items in their home that they’re looking to get rid of. You can then begin to upload photos of the items to your eBay site and watch the money trickle in. As you develop a small portfolio of income, you can then look to buy and sell items that you can make a profit on. Before long, you’ll have a thriving eBay store with a healthy balance.
3] Work as a delivery driver.
The internet has revolutionized the way we buy things. From groceries to flat-pack furniture, you can order almost anything online and get it delivered to your front door in a matter of days or sometimes hours. Therefore, the need for delivery drivers has never been greater. Whether you pick up a job working for a multinational like Amazon or Deliveroo or deliver on a more localized scale, it’s a great side hustle to maintain while you’re a student.
If you have a talent on social media and have amassed a large following, think about becoming an influencer. While it doesn’t happen overnight, if you can attract advertisers to your social media pages, you can earn a fortune by promoting their products and publishing sponsored posts on your site. Young people are ideally positioned to become social media influencers, and it’s an excellent way to make money while you’re focused on something else.
5] Offer web design services.
If you have an eye for design and have some basic coding skills, you can earn money as a website designer and developer. Clients on RadialHub are always on the lookout for affordable web solutions for their businesses, so you can easily monetize your skills. What’s more, if you land a few gigs to begin with, you may even be retained by a company to manage and regularly update their site, which will result in a long-term collaboration and increase your earning potential.
6] Teach a language.
The internet is awash with opportunities to teach and learn languages. And contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be bilingual to teach a language. By signing up as a language tutor to a site like Italki, you can connect with people who are looking for help to improve their conversational English. You charge an hourly rate for your service and can set your availability. It’s another great way to earn money on the side while you’re studying.
7] Become a pet sitter.
One of the toughest things about leaving home and heading to school is leaving your beloved pet behind. While you’re sure they’re perfectly fine in the care of your family, you miss them all the same. As such, while you’re away, you could work as a pet sitter and get paid to look after other people’s animals. Some pet sitter gigs involve daily visits for a few hours at a time, while others require you to move into a place for a week or so while your clients are on vacation. You tend to be well paid as a pet sitter, and while the dog or cat is chilling out for the afternoon in your company, you can catch up on your studies while being paid a tidy sum.
8] Complete paid surveys.
Although not overly lucrative, completing paid surveys is a good way of earning some extra pocket money on the side. Some take a matter of minutes to complete, so if you have a fair amount of time to spare in the evening, you can rack up a fair amount of money in exchange for your comments and answers. While you won’t earn enough to pay the rent, you could pick up some extra money to treat yourself to a meal out with your friends once in a while.
If you know everything there is to know about Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, consider marketing yourself on RadialHub as a social media account manager. Many entrepreneurs and small business owners outsource their social media accounts to freelancers, who keep their followers regularly updated with relevant content. While updating your own status, you can easily earn money by posting for your clients at the same time.
10] Work as a personal trainer.
Personal training is an extremely popular side hustle with people who are committed to living a healthy lifestyle. In the past, personal trainers commonly worked inside gyms, but the landscape has shifted somewhat. Nowadays, it’s possible to teach your clients via Zoom or Skype while working out from home or in your garden. Consider completing a PT course online to make sure you’re fully qualified before taking on clients.
Closing thoughts.
We fully appreciate that life as a student can be tough; after all, we’ve all been there! It’s hard to strike a balance between managing your finances and completing your studies, which often makes it tough for students to find appropriate work. We hope that by sharing these ten ideas, you will be inspired to look for opportunities as a freelancer and set up a side hustle to support you financially during your studies.
