For most students, summer is the most anticipated season. They get to travel, go home, or for some, just bum around. However, there are also those who look forward to summer so they could earn extra money.
Most college students pick up temp jobs such as being a lifeguard, camp counselor, food server, and retail worker. Some of these may give you serious money. However, as the name suggests, these could be temporary jobs that you may not be able to carry onto the new school year.
Instead of taking on short-term gigs, why not look for something that’s not as demanding as a full-time job but you can do for the long term? It all depends on how much time you have in your hands and what you are capable of doing.
Summer-to-School Side Hustles
English Language Tutor
Demand for academic tutors during the summer is low. But if you’re really into teaching and you have a firm grasp of the English language, there is a high demand for English language tutors. As an English language tutor, you teach your non-English speaking students to learn how to speak conversational English.
You don’t need to have tutoring experience to get in. All you need is to sign up for these jobs and work with your students depending on your schedule. That way, you’re available full time during the summer, and when school resumes, you set sessions depending on your calendar.
Freelance Writer
With all the writing assignments you need to do in school, you surely have somehow polished your writing skills. Why not use those skills to help you earn extra money by being a freelance writer?
There are a lot of writing gigs available online, or you can tap into your networks and social media contacts for writing assignments. As long as you have the time, take on as many tasks as you can and slow down once school starts.
Micro Jobs
If you have time to spare, whether it’s a few minutes or a couple of hours, you may complete short tasks, also known as micro Jobs. Check out short task sites for gigs that let you earn cash by completing tasks like answering surveys, watching videos, or giving reviews.
Look for that one site you’d like to become a part of and sign up. That way, you’re sure not to run out of gigs, regardless of when you’d want to do them. You may also check out subreddits that exclusively discuss micro jobs that allow you to earn money. Some members like to share tips on how to make the most of your tasks.
Fiverr Shop
Got skills that you think could help you earn money? Offer your services on online marketplaces like Fiverr and make at least $5 for every assignment completed. The amount could go higher, depending on what else the project entails. The nice thing with Fiverr is you can offer your services and take on as many as you can depending on your availability.
For example, you could take on a proofreading job of 100 words for $5 and offer add-ons, at $5 each, such as quick turnaround times, additional word counts, and editing.
Transcription
If you have excellent typing skills, a good grasp of grammar, and don’t mind listening to hours-long audio recordings, you could always earn by being a transcriptionist. There are a lot of transcription opportunities available online being offered by graduate students, journalists, aspiring authors, companies, etc.
As a transcriptionist, you can work as often as you like, as long as there’s work for you to do. This job is so flexible you can do it either during the summer or during the regular school term.
Usability Tester
A rather easy summer-to-semester side hustle is usability testing, where you visit websites or use apps and give developers your honest feedback. Some ask you to do a video recording of your review, while others may choose to write down your observations. Testings usually take 10-20 minutes and pay between $8 and $10 per task. Sign up to as many user testing companies as you can so you get to earn more.
It’s always nice to have extra cash when you’re still a student. Just be careful, though, when taking on jobs that could stretch up to the regular school term. You might end up biting off more than you can chew and jeopardize your studies.
Be realistic about your schedules, what you can do, and your academic workload. If you think you can manage all three, go ahead and start job hunting.
