Working while at University? - What are Your Options?

Being a university student is a very confusing time. It’s basically a transition from childhood to adult life and it often involves a strange combination of duties on both sides. On one hand, there’s more freedom and fun in your life, everything is new and exciting and you can do whatever you want whenever. On the other hand, you need to organize your own time and you are the only one responsible for your actions. You have moral and financial responsibilities that are much greater than before and there’s no one to blame but yourself in case you fail to fulfill your duties. Taking all this into consideration, making a few extra bucks on the side would definitely do you some good. It would be a way to help your parents by covering a part of your expenses or being able to travel or afford other “luxuries”. So, here are a couple of suggestions on the subject.

Teaching/tutoring

If you’re particularly good at a certain subject, you can offer to do projects for your colleagues in exchange for money. Another option is to offer to tutor others or prepare them for specific exams or you can teach elementary or high school level students in subjects you were very good at or in one that is your major at uni. There are many online schools that can hire you to teach English to Chinese and Japanese students as there is a great need for English tutors in some Asian countries. The hours are entirely up to you in all these cases, so you’ll be able to adjust work according to your classes and exams. But the best possible option would probably be spending your free months abroad and attending a language teaching course there. For example, in Hong Kong, there are schools like Monkey Three offering TEFL courses. Completing such a course would enable you to teach English in various countries over summer vacation, and to use that money to fund your travels during university years.   

Online surveys

If you love solving quizzes and filling out various questionnaires, you’ll be very happy to know you can get paid to take surveys. It’s very easy and convenient. You don’t even need a computer to do it, you can do all do work from your phone. Plus, it can literally be done anytime and anywhere. For instance, you can earn money while waiting in line at the bank or post office or during your daily commute, even on the toilet. The options are many and there’s absolutely no pressure in the form of deadlines or when it comes to the amount of work you do.

Freelance

This is something that has become very popular with young people. You probably heard of Upwork or Freelancer. There are websites that offer you to make your own profile consisting of your skills and previous experience and they also have filters and a database of jobs and projects currently being offered. It’s very easy to use these websites and you’ll have the freedom to choose projects whenever it suits you. There will be deadlines in this case, but you’ll be informed about all the conditions before you consent to do a particular job.

Virtual assistant

Virtual assistants are also very much needed since many companies offer information or tech support phone lines and it’s much easier for them to hire someone who will work from their own home instead of actually providing a workspace for these people. The hours may be a bit inconvenient at times, but there are shifts and you can probably make arrangements with your boss prior to starting work.

There are many ways to earn some extra money without it affecting your academic career. There are many part-time jobs available anywhere and you can always choose to work online. In this case, your hours will probably be flexible and you won’t need any more equipment except your computer and an internet connection. So, there’s plenty of fish in the sea, just look around and find something that suits you best at the moment.