It’s no secret that financially speaking, being a student can be difficult. There are a lot of pressures on students to perform well academically, socially and professionally all at once, the kind of pressures you don’t really have at any other stages of your life. The financial burden of being a student comes in many different forms and although student finance is available for most students in the UK the other expenses still add up and some students may not be comfortable taking out a student loan. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of our top ways to make money as a student, something that is particularly challenging in the current climate. 

We understand that no two students are the same and what may play into the strengths of some students may be difficult for others, in this article we will be looking at a wide range of techniques, jobs and approaches to make money as a student. Our top 5 list will look at everything from part-time jobs to channelling your entrepreneurial spirit into your own start-up venture. Strap yourselves in and let’s take a look at how you can start making money as a student. 

Part-Time Job 

Taking on a part-time job as a student can be the perfect way to make money as a student and many employers will provide you with the flexibility to balance your working hours around your full-time studies. Retail, in particular, is a very popular industry amongst students for obtaining part-time work due to the flexible working hours and the ability to work in the evenings as well as weekends. In addition to retail, hospitality also offers fantastic opportunities for students for similar reasons, their ability to offer evening and weekend work along with a flexible work schedule is invaluable to many students. 

In the current climate, it is harder for students to obtain jobs in these industries as most non-essential shops and restaurants are closed due to COVID restrictions. That being said, there are still many retailers operating as usual such as supermarkets and other stores that provide essential services. These stores that remain open are facing a much greater strain on their workforce than usual and have adjusted and increased their recruitment accordingly making it a good time to get your applications in. 

 

Freelancing 

For many students, freelancing can be a good way to earn some additional money as a student. If you have a particular skill set or service that you can provide to others for a fee then you can start to earn some serious money as a student. This is particularly useful for students that are studying in a practical field such as film production, photography, art and digital marketing to name but a few. 

Freelancing as a student allows you to earn money as and when you want to and as you will be working for yourself you can be fully flexible with when you want to work allowing you to balance work around deadlines and academic commitments. 

Using digital platforms it’s never been easier to promote and sell your services to others by using platforms such as Fiverr to create gigs for your services. In addition to this, you can use your own personal social media channels to market your freelance services to your friends and family for a little further reach. 

Some Potential Ideas For Freelancing Include: 

 

• Videography 

• Graphic Design (logo, business cards, posters etc) 

• Copywriting

• Voice Over Work 

• Animation 

 

 Start-Up

The point above on freelancing is a really good way for students to gain some experience in working for themselves as well as working to client expectations. Taking that to the next level, some students may wish to use their time at university to build the foundations of their very own start-up business and start earning money in the process. This can be a fantastic way of making money for students as well as building something they can continue to work on even after graduating. 

If starting up your own business is something you are interested in then why not get in touch with your university? Many universities offer support for students looking to start up their own business in the form of grants, loans, and business incubators set specifically to support student businesses. 

 

E-commerce 

You may find that after freelancing or starting up your own business that you are taken in the direction of e-commerce for your business, e-commerce basically refers to any goods that are sold online, this can be done through your own website, eBay, Amazon, Etsy and Facebook marketplace to name but a few platforms. There are loads of things you can sell online, if you are experienced in a creative practice you can even design your own t-shirts, posters or merchandise to sell online and take advantage of a print on demand service to minimise your upfront costs. 

If you decide to go down the traditional path of building up stock to sell online as part of your e-commerce business then the chances are you’re going to need some space to store your excess stock and inventory. We suggest you take advantage of a service such as Self Storage Blackpool where you can safely and securely store your belongings whilst taking advantage of parcel collection services as well as a receipt and dispatch service as part of your storage.  

 

Tutoring/Mentoring

For many students undertaking a higher education course at university, the chances are you will be heading in a more academic direction than other more practical vocations. With this academic experience and knowledge, you will be in the perfect position to be able to mentor and tutor other students up to the same level of knowledge you have. As a university student this is particularly useful for high school and college students or as a post-grad student there are even opportunities to help under-grad students. Tutoring can be an incredibly good source of income for many students as it allows you to directly apply what you have learnt to earn an income. 

Tutoring and mentoring other students mean you can take on as much or as little work as you like and you can be fully flexible around your own deadlines and schedule. The only thing to consider with tutoring is that often lower-education deadlines can coincide with higher education deadlines and exams so you will need to be careful not to take on too much work during peak times. 

 

Final Thoughts! 

This is just a shortlist with our top 5 suggestions on how you can make some extra money as a student. The current climate is difficult for anybody looking for work but we hope that this article has given you some inspiration on the different ways you can look to make money whilst studying. If you have any thoughts or suggestions on how you’ve made money as a student please get in touch, we’d love to hear them!