Becoming an educator has emerged as one of the most popular side hustles for UK students who speak a second language. An article by Preply, a platform offering online language classes like Spanish, explored how being bilingual could help individuals earn additional income and manage the ongoing cost-of-living crisis in the UK.

The study found that teaching offers the best prospects for those who can communicate in another language - it was ranked as the #1 career option, factoring in salary expectations, part-time demand, and the ease of finding a job. Other roles highlighted included marketing, research, and being a nanny.

When taking a look at the top 10 languages spoken in addition to English, it was found Spanish, Mandarin, and French were the most in demand. German, Italian, Polish, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, and Hindi are among the others that are highly sought after.

Best-paid side hustles for bilinguals

When wanting to put your language skills to use, you’ll want to be compensated well for them, especially if the money is being used to help ease the current cost-of-living that most are being affected by. Thankfully, many side hustles can bring in a significant slice of income that can complement your studies. What are the best-paid side hustles, though? It’s worth pointing out that it is not always those that are most in demand. Those that require a specialized language can often be among the highest earning, as they can be rather niche due to a limited pool of people able to offer the required services.

 A student who can speak multiple languages proficiently may be able to command a high fee when offering private tutoring services. It’s been suggested that as much as $20-$50 per hour can be earned with this side hustle. It can be very simple to do for someone proficient, as they may only have to engage in general conversation. Some learners only want to speak with natives when they are proficient as a means of continually practising. Others will want help with understanding terms and vocabulary, but sessions are usually only an hour long, and they can be rewarding for both.

If being a tutor isn’t viable or possible, it’s possible to take on other side hustles that can be potentially lucrative, such as being a video captionist. Subtitles have become an important part of visual media in recent years, with many foreign languages wanting it translated into English (or vice-versa) to reach a larger audience. It’s thought people who are skilled can make $15-$25 per hour of footage for which they create the subtitles.

In addition, translation has always been a hugely popular side hustle for students. Translation can come in many forms, and as long as you’re proficient in two or more languages, then it’s possible that there can be work available. There are many reasons why translation may be required, whether it be written or verbal. Depending on the type of work required and the language needed, students could potentially earn between $15-$30 per hour, making this a potentially rewarding amount of income for a little bit of extra work.

Practice, Practice, Practice

The side hustle market is becoming hugely popular with students. As the cost of living continues to increase, as does the cost of education, students understand that they need to get a job to support their studies.

While finding one that utilizes a second language can be advantageous, it’s still going to be a highly competitive space in which to try and secure a part-time role. In today’s world, more and more people are becoming bilingual, and it’s not a skill that very few have like in the past.

Individuals need to possess the strongest language skills possible to stand out. Practice is key to this. As noted, a skill can be easily forgotten or lost if it isn’t widely used all the time. No matter how good you become at speaking it or retaining the vocabulary, if it isn’t used, it can become difficult to slip back into the level that is required for a side hustle.

Traditional methods can still be effective, especially as globalization continues to take place. Streaming platforms are now showing foreign-speaking TV shows and films on their platforms, with many going on to be huge global hits. The same can be said of music, too. Books and other forms of written media in different languages are also becoming more widely available, which can help students to practice their skills and ensure they continue to use them.

Spending just a few hours a week can be enough to keep the brain fresh and give the learner a better chance of retaining the knowledge. The practice that is put in could then give them a good chance of obtaining that side hustle.