This article was updated by the Great British Mag content team on 12 October 2021.
You might have to work part-time to cover your living costs while you study – but that doesn’t have to mean lousy pay and a boring, dead-end job. And we’re about to prove it, with 10 well paid but interesting jobs you can do as a student.
1. Dog Walker
There is no denying that the UK is a country of dog lovers. Luckily, this opens up an opportunity for you to bag a job that fits around your schedule, pays well and helps you keep fit!
The going rate is between £8 and £14 per hour, per dog, so if you can handle more than one dog at a time the hourly rate becomes one of the best in the student part-time job market. You can advertise locally by creating some flyers or advertising on a website like Dog Walking Now, that matches dog walkers with people in the local area that want their dog to be walked.
You can also apply to companies that offer this service like Tailster and The Four Paws Agency – that way you don’t need to look for customers.
2. Private tutor
You can earn money by teaching people the skills you have that they want to learn, and what’s really cool is that with some companies you have a global audience.
You can teach a language via Tandem and if you can play an instrument you could give lessons in person or online by signing up to Music Tutor. It doesn’t have to end there: you could even teach what you are learning at university to a younger audience via UK Tutors and if you have a hobby that you’re really good at you can create a video for Udemy.
Being a private tutor can be lucrative – you can earn anything from £15 to £30 an hour. The added advantage with Udemy is that you only have to create your video once, so you can earn a passive income every time someone views it.
3. Mystery shopper
If you love shopping, eating out and are good at covertly snooping around then becoming a mystery shopper is the job for you. This job is pleasurable, you get paid and you get a free meal or get to keep what you have bought.
The pay can vary quite a bit though and be as little as £5 to £15 per visit but you will typically get the travel cost covered and have a budget to spend in the restaurant or shop. One of the biggest companies in the UK to hire mystery shoppers is Market Force and if you fancy a free meal and want to become a mystery diner register with HGEM.
4. Proof-reader
If you are good a picking out spelling and grammar mistakes and ensuring text reads well then a proof-reading job is something worth considering. You can expect to be paid £15 per 1,000 words by registering with websites such as People Per Hour and Fiverr. You can also join groups on Facebook or advertise your service via your universities job board to students who want their coursework proofread.
5. Product tester
Earn money from simply telling companies what you think of their product, service, website or app by becoming a product tester. You can sign-up to platforms such as User Testing and get paid around £7.50 to review website and app navigation which typically takes 20 minutes. Other companies you can signup with to test products and services include Bzz Agents and The Insiders, an added perk with these two agencies is that you will sometimes get products pre-launch and most of the time you will get to keep them.
6. Market researcher
Get paid for having an opinion by signing up to Qmee, Swagbucks and Branded Surveys. The surveys can take a few minutes and you could earn up to £5 per survey as well as gift cards to use with major brands.
7. Translator
If you are proficient in more than one language, then this could be the passport to earn money whilst you study. You can earn 10p per word you translate by signing up to ProZ and Translators Café. A more interesting way and potentially more lucrative is to become a translator for people coming to the UK for business or for a holiday and need assistance.
You can advertise your language skills on Facebook groups, through embassies and leave your details with hotels and travel agents, doing it this way could bag you a £100 a day.
8. Babysitter
Being a babysitter in the UK is a great job for students. It’s flexible, it pays well, and you get to meet British families and learn more about the local culture.
You can approach getting a job as a babysitter in two ways. You can advertise your services directly to local people, so ask your British friends if they know any local families. Normally, families will pay by the hour and £12-£15 is generally the going rate, plus they will sometimes pay for your taxi home and your evening meal.
You can also sign-up with an agency, but you may need to get something called a Disclosure and Barring Service check, which basically confirms you are fit to work with children and this costs £23. You will also need to have a valid National Insurance number.
9. Photographer
If you’re a good photographer how about selling your best ones to photo libraries. Alamy has a student contributor scheme whereby you get 100% of the sale price for your image for two years. On average images sell for £70 but depending on the quality and demand for your image you could get £400+.
If you don’t have all the fancy kit but can still take decent photographs or create content on your mobile phone, then register with EyeEm and Foap and upload your images and video content for businesses to license.
You can also respond to briefs from creative agencies and businesses on both EyeEm and Foap. Basically, you take a photo or create video content that meets their brief and if they use it you could earn hundreds of pounds.
10. University Ambassador
Do you love your university? Could you convince others to study there? Well, then you could become a university ambassador. Many universities want international students to become ambassadors to participate in social media live chats with prospective students. They may also pay you over the summer and after you graduate to promote the university when you go back home. Pay varies from university to university but you can expect to get at least £8 an hour.
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