Being a student doesn’t have to mean being skint all of the time. There are plenty of ways to make money while still having the time to focus on your studies.
(and no – they don’t all involve wearing food-related costumes and handing out flyers)
1. Get a part-time job:
It may seem obvious but with Christmas just around the corner, many retailers are currently advertising for part-time seasonal staff. Check vacancies in Coventry, Leamington and Birmingham – all places that are easily accessible by train and/or bus, whatever your shift pattern. As long as you are sure you can keep up with your studies and not get too exhausted, a part time job is the perfect way to gain a little extra cash.
Make sure you check your payslip at the end of each month, as a lot of employers tend to put new starters on ‘emergency tax’ codes, which could mean you’re paying tax that you don’t actually have to pay. Don’t worry though, if you do spot a deduction there are ways to claim the tax back.
2. Do promotional work:
Brands survive by being talked about, so many employ agencies to hire confident young people (that’s you!) to shout about their product. This is a great option for students as the work is flexible, varied and often really good fun. Work could include product demonstrations, club promotions, hospitality work, mystery shopping and product testing! You’ll meet loads of new friends and might even make a few business contacts, which will be invaluable in the future.
3. Go freelance:
‘Going freelance’ is a great way to ensure that your part-time work relates in some way to your career path. Typical freelancing work includes proofreading, copywriting, graphic design, animation, web admin and translation. Basically anything you can do that other people can’t! Often freelancing just requires a laptop and good Wi-Fi, so you can work in you pyjamas watching Netflix without any bosses sniffing around and judging you.
However, to preserve your reputation you do need to be serious about doing the work – it could affect your clients business after all – so maybe set aside a desk area without too many distractions, you can still wear your pjs if you want though! Savethestudent has a brilliant guide to successful freelancing, including info on how to do the dreaded tax return at the end of March…
4. Join Fivesquid:
Offering an alternative way to freelance, Fivesquid allows you to advertise your services, such as a logo design, photo manipulation, blog posts etc for a set price – £5, £10, £20 or £50. This is a great way for you to get your name known, practise your skills and build up a comprehensive portfolio.
5. Finally, get on eBay:
An oldie but a goodie, eBay is the most obvious way to make money easily, and you’ll be amazed what people will buy! Grab your old clothes, jewellery, CDs/DVDs/videos/LPs and sign up for a free eBay account today. Our tip is to take the extra time taking good photographs. Would you be more likely to bid for a creased dress hanging on the back of a door, or the same dress perfectly ironed, accessorised and shown on a real model?
If you’re a savvy shopper, grab the latest limited-edition-seen-on-fashion-blogs-everywhere-even-Zoella-has-one dress from Topshop, then wait until its sold out and pop it on eBay for twice the price! Naughty, but satisfying when the bids start rolling in…
