As a student, it’s possible you experience stress due to a number of different reasons such as finances. You need to pay for school, accommodations, books, food…the list goes on. You begin to consider your options to help eliminate this problem, and your first thought is a job! But you don’t want to work crazy hours, and can’t commit full-time.
Certain part-time jobs offer great pay and only require you to work some evenings and weekends. Some even offer more flexible hours or allow you to build your own schedule entirely. The best part is, you can even find a part-time job that may contribute to your future career in some way.
The following are the top ten high-paying jobs for students. Each offer a good wage and flexible hours. One of them could be the perfect fit for you!
1. Teacher’s Assistant – $15.65/hour
Many schools and professors hire teacher assistants, or TAs, to assist them with various tasks throughout the term. Tasks may include tutoring and helping students, creating lesson plans, and updating paperwork and student grades. Applicants are often required to have a year’s experience in university or college, and great organization skills. Applicants must also have experience in the course subject. The best part about this job? You don’t have to leave campus. Keep in mind, you must not only be organized for the course your helping teach, but also for your own studies. While you help students prepare for their midterms, you must also prepare for your own.
2. Server or Bartender – $11.00/hour (plus tips)
Of all top jobs for students, the most common are server and bartender, largely due to flexible schedules. Most often than not, working as either requires weeknights and weekends. While the hourly wage isn’t the greatest, servers and bartenders receive a bonus in tips. Depending on your sales, you can make anywhere between $75.00 and $200.00 in tips a night, quite possibly more. The standard tip in Canada is between 15 and 20 percent. Tips depend on the establishment, the time of day and day of the week. However, if you choose to serve or bartend in a student-dominant city, there’s a high chance restaurants and bars are busy on weekends. Yes, this means more work and potentially a longer night, but it also means good tips!
3. Uber Driver – $14.00 to $25.58/hour
One of today’s most popular jobs for students (and many others) — Uber driver. For those unfamiliar with Uber, it’s a rideshare company connecting drivers with riders through a smartphone app.
To be an Uber driver, you must be 21, have a dependable car and a smartphone. If you have all this, you’ve landed yourself a fun job you can work whenever you please! One thing to note — the most popular hours are early mornings, evenings and weekends. Similar to a server or bartender, if you’re in a student-dominant city, you’re sure to make a great income driving on weekends. Of course the pay also depends on how frequently you drive.
4. Tutor – $15.00 to $20.00/hour
Do you have an interest in certain subjects? Do you enjoy teaching others? If your answer is yes, tutoring may be a good fit for you. You can tutor students in elementary school, university/college levels, or anything in between. You can choose to do this independently or join a tutoring program at school. Not only do you practice the skills you already have, but you develop more. You may even learn something new! Perhaps you’ll find a love for teaching.
The pay is entirely dependent on the nature of the subject. Some tutors earn up to $50.00 hourly, especially if the subject is a difficult one. If tutoring is of interest to you, it’s best to do a little research to better understand what rate to charge.
5. Freelancer – $25.60/hour
A freelancer can mean a freelance writer, freelance web designer, freelance graphic designer, the list goes on. You can basically do freelance work in any industry. Freelance Jobs in the creative industry oftentimes provide great compensation. For the sake of time (and space) we’ll focus specifically on freelance writing.
If you enjoy writing or editing, this is a great option for you. Not only can you decide on the topic you write about, but you also decide on where you want to write it, be it at home or elsewhere, and when. If you have some time in between your school assignments, why not exercise your skills and also get paid for them? This is a great way to get experience and build your resume if you plan to have a career in writing.
6. Nanny – $14.67/hour
Do you enjoy spending time with children and have experience in caring after children? If so, you can be a part-time nanny. Many parents seek assistance with their children. This may mean picking them up from school, accompanying them at home, preparing meals, putting them to sleep or simply entertaining them. Hours are typically flexible and in some cases, there are opportunities to work on homework while the children rest. If you happen to have CPR certifications, there’s an even higher chance of you landing the job. Depending on the responsibilities asked, the hourly wage may run much higher.
7. Barista – $11.41/hour
Many students love working in a coffee shop! The environment is enjoyable and how can you say no to caffeine? Especially in a student city, coffee shops happen to hire students due to their flexible schedules. Not many think good money comes with being a barista, and technically they’re not wrong. But if you choose to work at a company such as Starbucks, students receive impressive perks that may make working there worthwhile.
8. Dog Walker – $14.16/hour
Getting paid to hang out and walk dogs…does it get any better than that? This job may require a little more flexibility as some dog walkers work on-call. But overall, there is very little time commitment required. You may be required to walk the dog anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes in all kinds of weather. However, as a dog walker, depending on your responsibilities and also how many dogs you walk, you may charge more. You may also consider offering pet-sitting services while the owner is away for a greater income.
9. Translator – $21.16/hour
If you happen to know a second, third or fourth language, you can certainly make use of the skill! You must be able to speak, read and write in the language(s) fluently in order to be a translator. You’re required to have these additional skills as you may be involved in facilitating written communication between individuals, work on documents, and more. Jobs may be offered in an organization, or alternatively, you may choose to work independently.
10. Salesperson – $12.42 to $50.00 (or more)
If you’re good at talking to people, a job in sales may provide you with the income and flexibility you hope for. Working as a salesperson also provides you with a variety of transferable skills. However, income is entirely dependent on where you work. Some businesses offer commission-based sales. Those businesses that offer commission allow you to have more control over your income. To break this down, if you sell more, you make more — it’s as simple as that.
