Five Easy Ways to Earn Money at University

So you’re in college, which nowadays means that either your parents are currently broke or you are. Either way, everyone can use a little extra spending money. With classes, studying and socializing, most students don’t have much time left for a job (or sleep) – but it is possible to find a part-time job that fits your schedule.

Here are my top five ways to earn money at university…

1. Earn money by tutoring

Whether you’re a math whizz, speak three languages or have complete mastery of a musical instrument, make use of your field of expertise to earn money by tutoring. Print out an advert with your contact information, post it around the local area, and let the business come to you. This is one of the best ways to earn money at university because the hours are flexible, can be fitted easily around classes, and you will probably make more than minimum wage.

2. Participate in paid studies

Fancy selling yourself to help expand the boundaries of human knowledge? Find out about getting paid to participate in experiments at different departments of your university. For example, I have taken part in some where they needed 100ml of blood and I got $15 for five minutes of my time. There are lots of subjects that may have paid studies: psychology, sports science and statistics, to name just a few. Usually these are only open to students, and participating can sometimes be pretty interesting (they can also be really boring and sometimes distressing – so be forewarned).

3. Work as a university teaching assistant

Most PhD students, and some lucky master’s students, can earn money by working as a teaching assistant within the university. This should be reasonably well paid, and can also be a great way to get a better feel for life as a professional academic, if that’s something you’re considering. There’s also a lot of truth in the statement that you don’t really know something until you can teach it to others.

4. Get paid to take surveys

This is similar to the second point, but doesn’t even require you to leave your own room. Many companies need to conduct research, to inform decisions about new products or marketing campaigns. To do this, they use polling websites, through which you can get paid to take surveys. It’s only a very small amount per survey, but if you find a spare 20 minutes here and there, you can at least earn a bit of extra spending money for the weekend.

5. Become a sports coach or referee

Finally, if you’re interested in sports, why not become a sports coach or referee for a youth league? While definitely not easy, this is one of the best ways to earn money at university. I speak from experience – one of my first student jobs was as soccer (football for you non-Americans) referee. I made a whopping $800+ per season – not bad for only working from 7.30am to 1pm for ten Saturdays a year. If you have some experience, you can ref more prestigious games and get paid more. To give this one a try, contact your local league as early as possible; chances are you will need training and certification.

So there you are: five easy ways to earn money at university. If you know another sneaky life-hack to make some extra money, I would love to know what it is. Please leave a comment below!