How can you make money as a student while also attending your classes (physically or remotely)?
Being a student in 2021 during a global pandemic is not easy, although remote study might be a bonus: it saves you the time you usually spend going from home to University and vice versa.
Before you start applying for jobs that can help you with your budget plan during the school year, you need to thoughtfully consider your work-study balance. According to a Guardian article, the students who work 16 hours or more per week will see their school results affected more than those who do not have a job.
Since the coronavirus pandemic has closed down schools, a lot of students also lost their on-campus jobs. That being said, we’ll focus on jobs that can help you make money as a student in 2021 outside of campus grounds, divided into two categories: part-time jobs and flexible side hustles.
Part-time Jobs to Make Money as a Student
Part-time jobs can offer you some flexibility in the way you decide your working hours with the employer. Some you can do after school or during the weekends. You will have to decide before going to the interview which is the best way for you in this case. Some part-time jobs you can do include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Call center representative
As a call center representative, you will learn how to develop your conversational skills since you will manage the inbound/outbound calls for a company. This means you will talk to customers over the phone or via email/chat, providing them customer support and/or promoting the company’s products and services. Other duties include analyzing client data and finding solutions to problems.
2. Receptionist
With restrictions being slowly lifted due to vaccines, a lot of companies will hire receptionists. If you are a friendly person and you have patience with people, this job could be what you’re looking for. Duties include answering calls, scheduling appointments, and record-keeping.
3. Social media specialist
Do you spend a lot of time on social media, and you dream of getting more followers, creating great content, and managing ad campaigns? Then these skills can help you become a social media specialist. Duties include scheduling posts, campaign creation, engaging customers, finding the right content, and growing the followers’ list.
4. Writer/journalist
If you have a passion for written words and you like researching a subject before presenting it to the public, then this job might be for you. You can write for an online magazine or you can start your own blog. Choose topics you already have an interest in, so you can get your job done with pleasure.
Flexible Side Hustles to Make Money as a Student
If your Uni classes don’t allow you to work a part-time job with a given schedule, there are other ways you can make money during your free time. The flexibility of side hustles is higher and it will allow you to work only as much as you can, without feeling overwhelmed. Here are some side hustles you can choose from:
1. Sell your crafts
Are you a creative person who loves crafting works of art or different objects in your free time? You can make money while enjoying the creative process and providing people with beautiful things they can decorate their homes or their appearance with. Sell your crafts by opening an online shop. Keep in mind the income will not come immediately and it will require some marketing skills as well. But the effort is well worth it.
2. Make money babysitting as a student
With people slowly returning to work from an office, a lot of parents will need an extra hand with their children. If you like kids and think this job is for you, decide what age group you’d be more comfortable working with.
Infants are harder to take care of so if you don’t have experience with this age group, it’s best to choose older children. Aside from spending time with the kids, your duties might also include cooking a meal and cleaning up after them. All the tasks should be initially discussed with the parents before your first day of work.
3. Virtual assistant
As a virtual assistant, you have the advantage of working from the comfort of your own home while providing your skills and talents to different companies in need of an extra helping hand.
Jobs you can do as a virtual assistant include, but are not limited to: administrative and communication services, online marketing, programming and website development, product listing, and content creation. While this is a side hustle, you do need to allocate a constant number of hours per week to do the job. So make sure you organize yourself as much as possible.
4. Tutoring
Since you’re a student, you have different subjects that you excel at in school. You can offer tutoring lessons to fellow college or high-school students. Tell your friends and post on social media that you are offering tutoring lessons, but also post your ad on websites dedicated to this matter. Before posting the ad, do your research regarding tutoring fees and set one according to your skills and training.
No matter what job you decide to pursue while being a student, also make sure you save money from each of your paychecks for important things. And if the money you gain is not enough, here are another 45 ways to supplement your income.
