If you are heading off to university, you may be keen to pick up a part-time job while you are studying. Not only will having a job provide you with some much-needed extra cash to fund your student lifestyle, but it will also make a good addition to your CV and help you develop some valuable skills
The key is to find a flexible role that you can easily fit around your lectures and coursework. With that aim in mind, here are some of the best part-time jobs for students that offer a combination of fun and convenience.
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Take A Personal Trainer Course
Do you have a passion for health and fitness? If the answer is yes, then you may want to consider becoming a personal trainer alongside your university education.
Not sure how to get started? If you are having a gap year, you have the option of looking into a personal trainer course that can teach you the fundamentals of becoming a personal trainer. This will be useful for helping you get started with working in a freelance capacity. If you already have some knowledge, then this will serve you well for the course. When you have settled into university life, you can find a local gym and ask if you can use their facility as a base for your training sessions or perhaps even train for them in an employed capacity.
You will need to invest in an insurance policy to become a personal trainer, and if you are working for yourself, you will also have to register as a sole trader with HMRC to pay taxes. However, once you are set up and start attracting your first clients, you will probably find that personal training sessions can easily fit around your lectures and earn you some decent money.
You may even find it so rewarding – on both a financial and psychological level – that you decide to pursue a fully-fledged personal training career when your studies come to an end.
Become A Dog Walker
Another part-time job that can help boost your fitness levels and bring you some extra cash is dog walking. 34% of UK households have at least one dog to their name, so you shouldn’t be short of potential candidates for your services.
Because you can earn anywhere between £8 and £14 walking just one dog, there is some significant earning potential that comes with this role. Not sure how to get started? There are some dedicated websites available that can match dog walkers with their new four-legged walking buddies, or you can advertise your services in local newspapers or magazines and online.
Hone Your Hospitality Skills
Many students are keen to get part-time positions in the hospitality industry – whether by working in bars and restaurants or at concerts and special events. The range of available roles is diverse – you can do everything from bar-tending to waitressing, catering, and helping to set up before an event – and the pay is reasonable. You also have the opportunity to meet new faces and maybe even acquire some useful contacts.
These kinds of roles will suit anyone who is enthusiastic, hard-working and has excellent people skills. As well as bringing you extra money, they can help you gain valuable experience if you’re considering working on a full-time basis in the hospitality industry later in life.
Give Proofreading A Try
Students that have a way with words may want to consider becoming a proofreader. It’s possible to earn up to £15 per hour doing this type of work, depending on the particular task, the person offering the role, and your speed as a proofreader.
Proofreaders ensure that a document is free of mistakes, reads smoothly, and is ready to be published. They primarily of checking grammar, spelling, and other fundamental aspects of a piece of text,
Fellow students will always be looking for a proofreader to check their essays and make sure there are no mistakes, so you can advertise your services on campus. However, you can also extend your services to anyone else requiring a talented proofreader. Advertise on job sites and even via social media. Facebook groups, in particular, can provide a helpful resource for finding your proofreading clients.
Offer Tutoring Services
If you have a particular skill that you think you could teach to others – whether it’s being able to sing, write poetry, draw, paint, or play a musical instrument – then you can monetise your talent by becoming a private tutor. This is another highly flexible and potentially lucrative part-time role that you can do either in person or online, giving you plenty of scopes to acquire clients from further afield as well as locally.
Fitting your tutoring around your studies won’t be a problem, and is particularly convenient if you pursue the online teaching route. You could even sign up for dedicated tutoring websites that allow you to post a single video tutorial and make money from it every time someone views the lesson.
Become A Babysitter Or Nanny
Are you good with kids, practical, responsible, and keen to enhance your CV and potentially make some decent money? If so, then becoming a babysitter or a nanny could be right up your street. This job comes with a number of benefits, including flexibility, and valuable work experience, and can even help you make some highly useful contacts that could benefit you in the future. It also looks great on your resume, indicating that you have a range of useful skills and qualities that could be valuable to potential employers.
If you are keen to pursue this kind of role, there are various ways to find well-paid babysitting jobs. Start off by asking friends and family if they know of anyone who needs help, and if that doesn’t generate enough leads, head online and try out different social media groups. You can also sign up with a babysitting agency, though this might be tricky if you have no proven experience.
To help you find jobs, you should invest in a DBS check, particularly when you’re just starting out. This will be expected before you can start working with children. For parents, it can be daunting to leave their children in the care of someone they don’t know, so having a clear DBS record can help to assure parents that they are leaving their offspring in capable hands.
Find A Role On Campus
Many universities offer on-campus roles to their students, allowing them to earn some extra money for their studies. There are various part-time jobs available, which can include working in the library in an administrative capacity. There may even be the opportunity to serve as a university ambassador, promoting the institution to prospective students from overseas.
Choosing to work part-time on campus is arguably the most convenient option for many students as you won’t have to go far to reach your workplace. This also allows you to spend more time with your fellow students.
Not sure how to find a job on campus? Ask a member of staff who works in the particular department you’re interested in. You can also check noticeboards and online groups to see if there are any roles available that would be suitable.
