The Top 8 Side Hustles for Students

Being a student can be expensive, check out what side hustles students are doing to help offset these costs.

Let’s face it — the cost of living while in school can be expensive. You have costs for tuition, textbooks, housing, food, transportation, social events, and much more. Even if you’ve meticulously saved your money, or you’ve been working while studying, sometimes it’s not enough. Whether you need more money to buy textbooks or want some extra spending cash, a good way to earn some money is by getting a side hustle.

What is a side hustle?

Side hustles, also known as side gigs or side jobs, are an extra job that you take on in addition to your primary job. As a student, your primary job at the moment is most likely your education. Classes and studying are equivalent to a full-time job, so you probably don’t have time to add an additional full-time (or even part-time) job on top of that. This is when side hustles can be super convenient as they are typically freelance roles or piecework. You have the freedom to choose what, when, and how often you work.

8 popular side hustle ideas for students

You don’t have a lot of spare time for a traditional job while in school. Try one of these side hustle ideas to earn some cash without the huge time commitment:

1. Ride sharing / food delivery

If you have access to a car, this may be a good gig for you. You can become an Uber driver or a driver for Lyft. You’ll get to set your own hours for when you want to work. Depending on where you live, you can work anytime, day or night. Since you can use the app on your phone, you can go online whenever you feel like making some quick money. However, keep in mind that you’ll be in charge of covering maintenance costs such as insurance, gas, and cleaning.

If you don’t want to transport people using your car, you can also do food deliveries with apps such as UberEats, Doordash, SkipTheDishes, and Instacart. The process for these apps is similar to ride sharing, but you’ll be picking up food and transporting it to other people. You’ll be able to earn tips on top of your wage with this option!

2. Proofreading

Think you’ve got an eye for detail, a strong grasp of grammar, and a good knowledge of the English language? If so, proofreading may be the side hustle for you! You’ll simply need to edit documents for grammar and spelling to earn some cash. The best part is you can find plenty of proofreading jobs that cater to your skills and provide flexibility. Whether you’re looking to proofread blogs, academic papers, articles, reports, books, or more, there’s something for everyone.

3. Sell products or services online

The options for this side hustle are endless. Do you have a hobby that you enjoy or a skill that others need? Use them to your advantage and sell them online! Whether you create ceramic jewellery, crochet cool tops, repair and flip furniture, love landscaping, or customize school apparel, you can make a profit. There are plenty of sites to help you sell your products, such as Etsy Canada or Shopify.ca. Even if you don’t have a homemade product to sell, you can sell old clothes, items, furniture, and more that you’ve been wanting to get rid of on Facebook marketplace.

4. Sell stock photos/videos online

Do you love taking photos or creating videos? Are you an aspiring photographer? With a good eye, you can sell your stock photos or videos online on sites like Shutterfly, iStockPhoto, Getty Images, and others. The best part of this is you can take a collection of photos whenever you have some spare time and then sell them when you need the cash.

5. Participate in market research

Did you know those surveys you see online can actually add up to a decent amount of money? This is a quick and simple way to earn some cash. But be careful — there are a lot of scams online. Some trusted sources for online surveys are Ipsos, Opinion Outpost, Daily Rewards Canada, Pinecone Research, and LifePoints Canada.

6. Rent out your parking space

Do you have a parking space that you don’t use or won’t need occasionally? Do you live close to your campus? You should consider renting out your parking space! Parking on campus can get expensive and spots may be limited. By renting out your parking space, you can make some cash with little work involved. Just make sure that you aren’t breaking any rules from your rental company before doing this. You can advertise your parking spot on Facebook marketplace, school forums, or by word-of-mouth.

7. Pet sitting or dog walking

If you have a day off or a free afternoon, why not spend it with a cute dog or cat? If you become a dog walker, you’ll enjoy the fresh air, get some exercise, and hangout with a dog. Sounds pretty great, right? If you’re not a dog person, you could also cat sit. Getting paid to hang out with some cute animals is an ideal way to make money. You can join Rover for your neighbourhood as a sitter and dictate your own schedule, prices, and pet preferences.

8. Tutoring

Do you excel in a certain subject in school? You could tutor other students who may need some more help. Your school most likely has opportunities to become a tutor, or you could also find online tutoring positions. Even if you can’t think of a subject that you could teach, you can also become an English tutor for people trying to learn English. All you need to become an English tutor is a basic knowledge of the language, good people skills, and patience.

Being a student is expensive and time-consuming, but with these side hustles you could earn some more cash to help you thrive. Get out there and start your new side hustle today!