Ahh the joys of being young, free and completely broke. If you’ve clicked on this blog, it probably means you’re in the same boat as I am… Although a steady part time job with set hours every week would be absolutely ideal, I know I just don’t have the time or the set schedule for it. With ‘Student money week’ coming up, I’ve decided to share the four ways I make money at University which I find to be pretty flexible, and don’t take up too much time. Hopefully it’ll show you that you may also be able to put your skills to good, money makin’ use, or just give you ideas of what you can do!
Work as a Student Ambassador!
I’ve been doing this for about a year now and I’ve gotta say, I love it! The best part about the job is its flexibility. There are only a couple of Open Days throughout the term, and depending on your subject, there may also be a few interview days, but it’s not much to commit to. Plus, it’s completely up to you how many/few of these days you do! It can also be fun talking to prospective students about why you love University, what’s so great about Manchester etc, and the pay is pretty good. If you haven’t yet considered it, I definitely would…
Put your skills to good use
Play a musical instrument? Love to write? Why not use your skills to make some money? This year, for example, I started teaching piano- I teach literally once a week for under an hour so it’s incredibly stress free and has turned out to be a great little earner. Whatever your skills are, be creative and have a hunt around Manchester to see what people are looking for and what you could offer. It really could be anything- One of my friends even earns money by performing magic at events and parties in the city centre- Pretty cool!
Tutor
There are so many schemes, websites and centres around which can set you up to tutor kids in your area. Whatever your subject, there will be kids of all ages who could do with your help! A couple of tutoring websites you can have a look at are Tutor Doctor, and Explore Learning. Again, the great thing about Tutoring is it’s usually only once a week, during term time. If you love your subject, why not get paid to teach it to others?
Selling old Clothes
I put this at the end because to be honest I’m a bit of a hoarder, so letting go of clothes is pretty tough, even if it does mean I make a few bucks from it. Recently however, I discovered the gold mine that is Depop, and I’ve been taking quite a bit of inspiration from it. As well as selling a few of my own clothes that simply sit in my closet collecting dust, I’ve also started hunting the charity shops of Manchester to see if they hold some vintage, edgy goodies…Once or twice I’ve hit jackpot, and a T shirt I picked up for a few pounds in Oxfam has ended up selling for a profit over on Depop. I don’t tend to do this too often, but every now and then it’s pretty fun. As well as a few extra pennies in your pocket, your money goes to charity and someone ends up some great pre-loved clothes. Win win!
Hopefully a couple of my tips and tricks were useful for you, but if you have any different ways of making money at Uni, please do let me know. Why don’t you tell me in the comments below? 🙂