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Aug 14, 2023

How to Make Money as a Student

University can be one of the best times of your life, but it’s also very easy to find yourself strapped for cash. Your student loan comes in and once bills, books, food and (let’s be honest) nights out take their cut, pretty soon you’re left with nothing! Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. That’s why we’ve put our heads together to come up with a few ideas to make money as a student.

1. Part-time job

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One of the more obvious ways to make money as a student is to take on a part-time job. Typical student jobs are retail and hospitality work. If you find a job in these sectors which suits you, great! However, we know they’re not for everyone as these jobs often entail long shifts and unsociable hours, leaving you with very little time to do your uni work and enjoy yourself. Here are some places you might not have thought to look for a job, which could suit your lifestyle better:

  • Deliveroo and Uber Eats rider - the main perk of this job is that it is completely flexible and you only work when you choose to. You don’t even need a car; a bike, motorbike or electric scooter will do!
  • Tutor - if you’ve got top grades, why not share that knowledge with struggling students? This is a well-paid job that can be done remotely and will look great on your CV in the future.
  • Lifeguard - most swimming pools will require you to have an NPLQ, but some leisure centres will pay for you to complete this. This qualification covers important life skills like first aid and CPR, so it is well worthwhile. Plus, the job itself is well-paid, highly rewarding and will make your CV stand out.

2. Freelance

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If you already know what you want to do as a career, why wait until you’ve finished uni? Start getting experience and making money now! You could reach out to small businesses around the uni, to see if they’re looking to improve their website or need help running their social media. Just remember, your inexperience may mean they’re not willing to pay large sums at first, but as your experience grows so should your rates.

Alternatively, there are websites like Fiverr or PeoplePerHour that make freelancing easy. There are even industry-specific websites like Contently for freelance writers. Just beware that these sites will often take a cut of your payment and you’ll be up against other more experienced freelancers, so you’ll have to bid for jobs.

Another website that we wanted to mention is TaskRabbit. This is a website where people pay other people to do jobs that they can’t do themselves, like building a desk or mounting a TV on the wall. So if you’re a bit handy, this could be another way to make money, especially in student areas where DIY skills tend to be lacking!

3. Get Paid For Your Opinion

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A low-effort option to make money as a student is filling out paid online surveys for brands through sites like Qmee or Swagbucks. Brands get valuable insight into how they are perceived and you get money for very little work! You will probably have to do quite a few surveys to earn any significant amount of money, but you can do it from the comfort of your own bed with your favourite show playing in the background - the perfect work environment!

4. Sell Last Year’s Textbooks

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How many textbooks did you buy last year that you’ll never read again? We know it hurts to think about, but that’s the answer to how to make money as a student! Selling your old textbooks is better for the environment, will save future students some money and make you money at the same time. It’s a win-win! You could sell your textbook yourself using eBay, Facebook Marketplace or student pages. However, that can take a long time and be a lot of hassle, which is no good when you need cash now.

Instead, you could sell your old textbooks to us here at WeBuyBooks for some quick and easy cash. All you have to do is enter the ISBN from your textbook and we’ll give you an instant quote. Then, we’ll send you a free postage label or you can use our free collection service. Once we’ve received and checked the textbook, we’ll pay you the money the next day. It’s that easy!

5. Sell Your Old Clothes

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Having a wardrobe at home and at uni can be dangerous - you have twice the space so you buy twice the amount of clothes! But if you’re short on money, it may be time to cut back on the shopping and start selling some of your clothes instead. You could sell them on Facebook, eBay or apps like Depop and Vinted. It stops clothes from going to waste and gives your bank account a boost.

6. Start Your Own Blog

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This is the perfect way to make money for anyone who enjoys writing. You can blog about everything and anything - you could even just write about your day! However, if you want to earn money from your blog, you should try to find a niche. For example, if you wanted to write a cooking blog, you’d be up against big names like Jamie Oliver and BBC Good Foods, so it’s unlikely your little blog would ever be seen. But if you were to write a blog teaching students how to cook quick, easy and affordable meals, you might have a better shot, especially if you used social media to share your blogs in student groups. Whatever you choose to write about, your blog should provide value to the reader and you should be able to produce enough content to build a following.

The main way to make money from blogging is through advertising, sponsored posts and affiliate links. We’ll break down how each of these work:

  • Advertising - brands will advertise on your blog and pay you either CPC or CPM. This is normally a relatively small amount, but the more traffic your blog gets, the more you’ll earn. Make sure you choose a blogging platform that allows advertisements.
  • Sponsored posts - this is when a brand reaches out to work with you and pays you to write about their product. For example, if you’re a fashion blog and Converse comes out with a new trainer, they may pay you to write about ‘Ways To Wear Converse in Winter’.
  • Affiliate links - these are a special type of link to any products you mention in your blog. If any of your readers then click on the link and buy the product, you’ll get a small cut of the profit. Again, make sure that you choose a blogging platform that supports affiliate links.

7. Start Your Own YouTube Channel

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YouTube is a great way to make money as a student and can eventually become a passive income, as you can make money from videos made years ago, as long as people are still watching. Plus, it looks great on your CV; it shows you’re confident, creative and tech-savvy! It can be especially beneficial if you’re pursuing a career in a competitive field like fashion or media, as you can use your YouTube channel to showcase your passion and expertise in that field.

It can be daunting the first time you sit down and film a video, but the more you do it the better you’ll get! If you want to make money from your YouTube channel, you should also consider what type of videos will get the most views and when. One idea for a video could be sharing tips for freshers in August/September, after all, you’ve already done it and freshers are bound to be looking for advice! Another student-related video could be discussing your university experience, sharing study tips or vlogging a day as a uni student. Just remember, anyone can see your videos including employers, lecturers, family and friends, so be careful what you post.

There are different ways to make money from YouTube, including adverts, affiliate links and sponsored videos. We’ll break down how these work below:

  • Adverts - to enable adverts, you must turn monetisation on when you upload your video. YouTube will then place adverts at natural breaks before, during and after the video. You will be paid according to how long your viewers watch the advert.
  • Affiliate links - just like affiliate links in a blog, you can earn a small share of the profit from any sales that come from your viewers.
  • Sponsored video - a brand may pay you to include their products in a video or even to make a whole video just about their products (like a clothing haul). It’s just like an advert, but in your own fun, unique style that appeals to your viewers.

Just make sure you follow the Advertising Standards Agency rules when making YouTube videos.

8. Recycle Your Mobile Phone

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If you like to keep up with the latest tech, you probably have a graveyard of iPhones, Androids and gaming gear. Don’t just leave these sitting around gathering dust, use them to make money! If your old mobile or other tech is in good condition, you could try to sell it yourself on Facebook Marketplace, Ebay or Gumtree to someone else. However, if this is too much hassle, you could recycle it via a service like musicMagpie, EE or O2.

9. Check If You’re Due a Tax Refund

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Okay, so this isn’t really making money, it’s just taking back the money that you’re owed. If you’ve had a summer job or worked part-time as a student, it’s well worth checking if the tax man owes you some money. Most employers put new staff on an emergency tax code, even if their earnings are well under the £12,570 0% tax threshold. So check your wage slips to see how much tax you’ve been paying and get on to HMRC if you’re due a refund. It’s money you’ve earned after all.

We hope this has given you a few ideas on how to make money as a student. Whether you decide to try your luck at a few free bets or you’re hustling as a freelancer, enjoy your additional income. And don’t forget, if you decide to sell your textbooks, just enter your ISBN number here to get the ball rolling!

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