The Best Side Hustles For Students
Getting some extra cash to spend on food with friends is always good, but college comes with so many expenses that managing money becomes difficult. While taking student loans seems like a good idea, paying them back with 6 to 8% interest after a few years will be annoying for you.
How often have you thought about starting a side hustle, but the pressure of studies made you put it aside?
With our guide to the best side hustles for students, you don’t have to worry because we’ll help you earn extra cash without compromising on your studies.
So, let’s see what side hustles suit your interests the best!
1. Teach other students online
If teaching has always been your dream job, you can definitely do it as a side hustle while being a student yourself. For this, we would highly recommend Preply because this site offers flexible opportunities to people working remotely.
The registration process is super-easy, and you can teach students all over the world as they book lessons with you. Also, you don’t need any special certifications to sign up as a tutor.
On average, you can expect to earn anywhere between $100–500 while working on this platform.
2. Become a task rabbit
Task Rabbit is perhaps the best platform for students who want to start a side hustle. This website features different kinds of tasks like moving, shopping, cleaning, repairing, etc., and if you have expertise in any of these, it’s time to register here!
The best thing about becoming a task rabbit is that you choose the task yourself and can schedule the time to work. So, if you have quizzes or assignments due the next day, they’re not coming in the way of your work.
3. Deliver packages
If you have a car, delivering packages is another side hustle you can try to get some extra cash in your hands. Amazon Flex is an excellent option to try in this regard. You can register on the site as a driver, and you’ll be responsible for delivering goods and packages to their desired locations.
Amazon Flex is an amazing option for part-time jobs because the drivers have to inform about the days and hours they would work. Then, they are provided with time “blocks,” which they can accept or ignore.
The best part about Amazon Flex is that it pays more than the minimum wage, which is $15–20 per hour, and the drivers get 100% of the tips.
4. Sell photos
Do you love photography and have always wanted to make it your career?
Well, even if you cannot pursue it as a full-time career, why not adopt it as a part-time job?
You can do photoshoots of your friends and work part-time for people who want a photographer for their events. It won’t even affect your studies because you would be making the deal beforehand.
You can also sell stock photos and earn some extra cash. The best websites for selling stock photos are Alamy, Getty Images, and Shutterstock. If your photos are worth it, you can earn a good amount of money from these websites to pay off loans and have fun with friends.
Also, you can make and sell photos whenever you’re free as you’re not bound to work with a specific client or company.
5. Freelance
Freelancing is a growing industry due to the opportunities and benefits it offers to people who want to earn some side cash. Due to being successful in this field, several people have even turned to it for generating full-time income.
So, as a college student, it’s the best idea to make use of your skills and step into freelancing to earn money.
While freelancing is a diverse field, here are some skills you can try:
· Proofreading
· Content writing
· Virtual assistant
· Web development
· Graphic designing
· Video editing
The best sites for finding freelance jobs are Upwork, Fiverr, and PeoplePerHour. You can join any of these platforms and start looking for jobs that match your interests and skills.
Freelancing is a highly beneficial field for students, but you will need some patience and time to generate more income. If you have expertise in these skills, it’s better to make use of it!
6. Become a mystery shopper
Mystery shopping is one of our personally favorite jobs for college students!
Becoming a mystery shopper and acting like a corporate spy while wearing that invisible cape is super fun. You can join a mystery shopping company and get paid for the work.
The salary of a mystery shopper varies on the type of job. If you are paid in cash, you can earn almost $100–200 a month for the job, depending on the company you’re working for and the number of hours you work.
If you’re mystery shopping for a grocery store or restaurant, you get free meals and free items that you buy. But, some companies will also pay cash along with the free items.
The job of a mystery shopper is to visit the store or restaurant, shop or eat there without letting the staff know that you’re a mystery shopper, and then write a review of the services.
The timings are also flexible, and you choose when to work.
7. Website testing
Among all the side hustles for students, website testing has become an increasingly popular way of earning extra cash.
The job is super easy as you test different websites in your free time, which offers you complete flexibility for remote work. So, you would only need a good internet connection and a computer to do the job.
For this job, we would recommend UserTesting, which is an excellent platform for website testing. All you need to do is test a website and give your feedback about the experience. The company will then implement strategies to enhance customer experience according to your feedback.
The best thing about this site is that it pays well, which will actually depend on the time you take. For example, you can earn $4 for a test that takes 10 minutes and $10 for a test that takes 20 minutes. However, the live interviews can pay up to $120.
8. Babysit
No matter how small a town you live in, the need for babysitters is always there. People often trust college students more because they are old enough to take care of children.
To become a babysitter, you can create your account on Care.com, which is the best site for finding babysitting jobs. Whenever you’re free on the weekends, you can set up your hourly rate and take care of the children nearby.
While the salary will differ depending on your profile and the number of hours you work, you can earn an average of $18 per hour.
9. Host an Airbnb Online Experience
Airbnb Online Experience might sound new to you, but it has become an increasingly profitable source of income for many.
Put into simpler words, Airbnb started its online experience during the COVID-19 times, in which people would record videos and offer virtual tours to people all around the world. The host can provide interactive online sessions from the comfort of their home, and these lessons can be anything, including cooking classes, spa sessions, local tours, yoga classes, food tours, etc.
While it can help you generate money, you’ll have to keep in mind that the sessions are live and not pre-recorded. Therefore, you’ll have to manage your time according to the sessions.
The best thing about it is that you are free to choose the activity you love and make money from it as well.
10. Sell e-books
Do you have a passion for writing? Have you always wanted to get the title of a published author?
Well, the hectic college routine cannot make you leave your interests for the sake of studies. While many students do freelancing and academic writing to earn cash, selling e-books in the era of the virtual world is another amazing option.
You can go to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and make an account. The process of publishing your e-book is super-easy and free of cost. Also, you get paid for the number of pages people read of your e-book.
Publishing e-books can help you earn passive income, and as you aren’t dependent on anyone, you can do it in your free time.
Final words
Starting a side hustle with loads of assignments and projects might seem daunting, but trust us, once you get into it, managing your time will become easier.
No side hustle is difficult if you have the passion and audacity to do it. So, instead of relying on student loans and paying them off for years to come, make use of this time and earn some side cash to pay off your bills on your own.
Our list of the best side hustles for students has all the jobs that are easy to perform, have flexible working hours, and won’t take much of your time.
So, make sure you do involve yourself in the job that suits you best and make the best use of these opportunities to earn!
