Easy Ways for Students to Make Money

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If you’re in full time education, it can be hard to hold down employment whilst studying.

It is possible to work part time alongside your studies. And many people do manage it.

But it can be tricky balancing lectures, home study, socialising and any other commitments if you have a part time job eating into your free time.

So what else can you do? Luckily, there are some easy ways for students to make money without getting a fixed position.

Here are some suggestions that you can try out.

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Sell Your Old Stuff

A great place to start when looking for ways to make extra money is by clearing out your unwanted belongings.

There are lots of apps and websites that you can use.

Here are a few of the main ones:

Vinted – great for selling clothes and shoes with no fees for sellers.
Depop – a bit ‘trendier’ than Vinted, if you are into your fashion then this might be a better suited app for you (although Depop do charge selling fees).
Ebay – great for selling pricier items, old tech, old textbooks.
Facebook Marketplace – for local pickup and cash transactions, no fees and quick sales.

Market Research/Focus Groups

A flexible side hustle that pays well. Join one (or several!) of the many market research companies and apply for studies to suit your schedule.

Many are conducted via zoom but if you’re based in a larger city you might have more opportunities to complete in person focus groups.

Studies usually last an hour or two and you can make £30-150 for your time (depending on the study criteria).

Try out these websites to get you started:

Sell Your Skills

What are you good at and is there a way that you can bring in some extra money with it?

You might be good with a sewing machine so perhaps you could offer alterations.

Maybe you’re a skilled pianist so you could offer lessons.

Know your way around a design program? Why not sell logo creation or branding services?

You could advertise your skills on a website like Fiverr, post an ad in relevant Facebook groups or even on your University noticeboard.

Selling your skill is a very flexible side hustle – you can take on as much or as little work as you like and define your own hours. But it can be a great boost to your income.

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Mystery Shopping

If you could use a little variety in your student diet then Mystery Shopping is a good way of grabbing a free meal and sometimes earning a little cash too.

Mystery shopping involves entering a business or restaurant, following a set of instructions given to you beforehand and then completing a report after.

So if you’re out for food you might be directed to ask for a specific menu item or ask a dietary question for example.

The jobs aren’t just food oriented though. You might be asked to enter a shop and take photos of a specific display, or find a certain item.

Jobs vary and discretion is important (the business shouldn’t know you’re a mystery shopper) but there are lots of Mystery Shopping companies out there so opportunities are plentiful.

Here are a few you could try:

Surveys

Survey sites aren’t the greatest payers – but there are some good apps and websites out there that are worth your time.

You can complete surveys around your busy schedule fitting in a few between lectures or while you’re waiting for the bus etc.

Depending on the site, some might require a bit more of your attention (Prolific) but others take literally seconds to answer (OnePulse).

Our favourites are detailed in this post: The 5 Top Paid Surveys Review UK

Get a Seasonal Job

Instead of getting a permanent part time job, a seasonal job is ideal because it’s temporary for a given number of weeks.

Usually seasonal staff are taken on for jobs that are at their peak in certain times of the year meaning more staff are required.

This tends to fall inline with the holidays, which as a student is ideal as it coincides with your time off too.

You can search for seasonal jobs in your area using the usual websites such as Reed or Indeed.

Blogging

Okay, so blogging isn’t exactly an ‘easy’ way for students to make money.

But blogging can be a profitable income stream if you set yourself up right and have a plan from the get go.

Many people stumble into blogging as a hobby or creative outlet but it can actually be a very lucrative business.

It helps if you have a topic or area of expertise that you’re passionate about and if you’re lucky, your blog could take off quite quickly.

Nowadays blogging isn’t strictly tied into the written word. You could create social media accounts or start a youtube channel.

Once you’re all set up you could make money via:

Affiliate marketing
Display Ads
Creating and selling digital content
Sponsored blog and social media posts
…and more!

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