Having been a Uni student myself for four years, I (like many others) have experienced the hardship of moving away from home for the first time and having to rely on your student loan as your only source of income. With all the Freshers week events, course books you’ll need to buy and the cost of your accommodation and bills, money can often be tight for University students, so here are 10 ways to make extra money at uni!
This is perhaps the most obvious way to increase your income. Your Students Union will require bar and restaurant staff and usually advertise early in the term. The SU may also have vacancies in the campus shop or student services. Similarly, as a current student, you can usually apply for roles in the library. There are several benefits to getting a job on campus; namely not having to travel to work and having flexible hours to fit around your schedule. However, there will also be part time jobs available in the city or town that your University is located. Bar work, waitressing and retail positions are common jobs for students in the UK and may give you the option to work more hours in the holidays when you have more free time. These jobs will be advertised locally or online and in your Students Union.
If your tiny halls wardrobe is bursting at the seams, you can sell any clothes that don’t fit or that you don’t want any more, online. You can list items on Ebay in either an auction-style format or via ‘Buy it now’ if you want a particular price for an item. You can list up to 20 items free per month and can set a delivery charge so you don’t lose out! The site then takes 10% of anything you sell and Paypal also takes a small percentage. You can also sell clothes using free app Depop. To sell your old books and DVDs, you can use sites like Music Magpie, Ziffit and WeBuyBooks. Simply enter the item’s ISBN number to get an offer, then package and send it off. When the company has received and checked your items, they will either send you a cheque or deposit the money into your bank account.
If you have access to a bicycle, motorbike or car, you could make extra money by delivering food or giving people lifts in your spare time. Specialist companies such as Deliveroo always need new riders to deliver food to their customers and offer complete flexibility, so you can choose when you want to work. You can make up to £16 per hour! You could also ask at your local takeaways and bigger chains such as Dominos or Pizza Hut to see if they have any delivery vacancies. Uber is another flexible way to earn money by using your own vehicle to take people where they want to go. You will need to register online and get a private hire license through the company before you can start, but once you are set up, people will be able to hire you via the Uber app and you can decide your own hours of work!
While it won’t make you lots of money straight away, taking online paid surveys is a popular and easy way for students to make extra money while they’re at Uni. Research companies are always looking for people to answer surveys, try out websites and test new products. Although it isn’t the most interesting way to spend your spare time, for a few minutes of form filling, you can make a couple of quid in either cash or vouchers for sites like Amazon. There are many paid survey sites out there including I-say, Swagbucks, YouGov, Toluna and Opinion Outpost, with some surveys paying up to £3! A huge benefit of this method is that you can do it from anywhere. All you need is a device with internet connection. You can even complete surveys from the comfort of your bed after a long night of studying… or partying! You won’t find a much simpler ways to make extra money at uni!
If you have a passion for writing you could start a blog and write about almost anything. There are a lot of lifestyle blogs out there featuring articles about beauty, fashion, health, fitness, travel and much more. When you have established your blog, you can sign up to be an affiliate partner with a site like Amazon and get links to products to add to your blog. If someone buys something via your link, you will receive a small amount of commission. If your blog receives a lot of traffic, brands may even sponsor you to review an item. Similarly, if you decide to start a Youtube channel, you can add affiliate links in the description bar to products you recommend for your viewers or brands may contact you to do sponsored videos. If you get enough views, you can also sign up to Adsense and earn money by inserting adverts into your Youtube videos. This is one of the ways to make extra money at uni!
This method can be used by anyone, not just students! There are several cashback sites and apps out there such as TopCashBack, Quidco.com and Swagbucks which feature many retailers and let you claim cash back on your purchases. Cashback sites pay you a cash reward when you click through them to buy goods. When you complete the purchase through their affiliate link, the retailer sends commission to your cashback site and then you are paid a percentage of that money into your bank or Paypal account. This is a simple method to make extra money, so why not sign up and earn cash back on your purchases? This is one of the ways to make extra money at uni!
If you think you’re up to it, you could become a tutor in your local area. As a student, you already have an area of knowledge which you can pass on to others. You will be particularly sought after if you can tutor Maths or English to secondary students, as many parents seek tutors to help their teens pass their GCSEs. You can tailor the hours to fit around your Uni schedule and only take on as much work as you want. Resources are easy to find online to help you coach your pupils and you can register with sites such as Tutorful to make sure there is a record of any work you complete and to ensure you are paid fairly and on time. If you play an instrument, you can advertise lessons in your local area and pass on your skill. This is one of the ways to make extra money at uni!
This is an easy job you can sign up for to earn extra money while you’re at Uni. There are lots of websites such as Ipsos and Market Force advertising for mystery shoppers to visit retailers and service providers to review their performance. When registered, you can find tasks in your area and choose which ones you’d like to complete. You will be sent a brief setting out what you need to do. You could have to make a telephone enquiry or visit a retailer to assess their level of customer service or cleanliness of the store. You will then record your findings in a report. Once submitted, you will receive payment for completing the task and if you were required to purchase anything during your visit, you will be reimbursed. This is one of the ways to make extra money at uni!
Always fancied being a part of your favourite TV show? If you are interested in acting and looking for casual work rather than a regular income, you could become a TV extra! There are lots of scenes set on streets or in pubs, where all kinds of people are needed to make the set look realistic. While this type of role will likely involve travelling, long days with a lot of sitting around, the pay isn’t bad – the average is around £60-80 per day! For the best chance of gaining a position, be sure to list any special skills you have and if you go through a casting agency, be sure to ask how much they deduct from your earnings for placing you.
There are many options when it comes to working online from home if you’re a student wanting to make some extra money. You can do freelance writing or editing work through sites such as Upwork or sign up as a Clickworker and undertake data entry tasks. You could become someone’s virtual assistant and answer their emails or manage their social media pages, or if you’re good with computers, you could create websites for small businesses. If you speak another language you could become a translator, or if you have a passion for photography you may be able to sell your images as stock photos. You could also teach English as a second language through Skype to students all over the world. These are 10 ways to make extra money if you’re a struggling university student, relying on a minimal student loan to cover all your Uni expenses. One important thing to remember is that some online adverts promising ways to make money are scams, so you should always check out anything that looks too good to be true before signing up! This is one of the ways to make extra money at uni!
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