Side hustle ideas for students: How to earn extra money while studying

Just a couple of years ago, I was a student who was scrambling to look for ways to earn my own keep.

Or rather, just have enough money to pay for my meals and hostel fees.

I knew that my peers were turning their hobbies into their side hustles , and that was one good way to monetise what we were already good at.

But that wasn’t something I was particularly keen on at that time.

There was just something different about playing the piano to destress and teaching the piano, and I knew it wasn’t something I could still enjoy and make extra money at the same time.

If you’re someone like me who hasn’t gotten i n-depth knowledge in areas like cryptocurrency that could earn you some extra cash , here are some side hustle ideas that are relatively accessible for you to fund your daily expenses while studying!

P.S. Some of these jobs are also suitable for working adults to earn some extra cash, besides those you can already earn right from home !

TL;DR: Ways to earn extra money as a student in Singapore

Dog walking

Do you love animals, or are you a pet owner yourself?

Dog walking is an option for you to earn some extra cash, as some pet owners would require help to walk their dogs.

Websites that allow you to list your services usually come with a location-based filter as well, allowing you to reach out to pet owners who are staying in your neighbourhood.

Here are some websites that are available for you to list your services:

• Pawshake
• Petbacker

Walks usually last for about 30 minutes, and services can also extend to pet home visits, or pet sitting.

Some furry therapy while earning money, can’t get better than that.

How much you can earn: $15-30 per walk, depending on your experience

‘Rent’ your pet

Owning a pet can be very expensive… just like how raising a child is.

If you do have a pet and wish for your pet to socialise with different individuals and earn money as well, there is now a platform (Furpal) that helps connect pet owners to fellow animal lovers.

Get to list your pet on this platform and meet individuals at the comfort of your home/outdoors.

This platform also has a two-way review system in place to ensure responsibility on both ends.

Furpal takes a 30 per cent commission on every transaction, people usually pay about $10 to $15/hour to meet your furry companion.

How much you can earn: $7 to $10.50/hour

Food delivery walker

Food delivery has been a popular side hustle for many due to the increase in demand during Covid-19.

Even if you do not own a car, motorcycle, or bicycle, you can still become a deliveryman by walking!

Walkers are typically given assignments ranging from 500m to 2km in distance.

According to those who have tried this, being a walker means having quite a bit of waiting time in between, and it can be physically strenuous as well.

Therefore, this is suitable for those who hope to earn some money while keeping active.

There are different remuneration models for different platforms as well.

How much you can earn: $4 to $5 base rate per assignment, excluding tips etc.

ALSO READ: How to earn $500/month in passive income as a student in Singapore

Participating in research studies

I remember always walking by bulletin boards pinned with flyers recruiting study participants while in University.

I didn’t pay much attention to them, not realising that some of them were actually great sources of extra cash.

If you’re studying in a university, there are always research studies that are looking for participants.

These adverts would usually list the requirements for the study, and participants will be reimbursed for their contribution (depending on the study).

My friend once told me that he exchanged a few hours of his time and few tubs of his blood for $100.

Not something that everyone is okay with, but definitely shiok for me.

How much you can earn: $10 to $100, depending on study

Focus groups

Similar to research studies, focus groups are another technique to collect data for research.

These group discussions are usually held to research on new products, new concepts or to gather public sentiment towards a specific topic.

Participants are also carefully selected to fit into the focus group, with requirements usually listed clearly.

If you’re in for such lobangs (read: opportunities), there are telegram groups such as @SGResearchLobang that would occasionally broadcast such opportunities.

How much you can earn: $20 to $50 per hour, depending on study

ALSO READ: This is why you should have a side hustle outside of your 9-to-5 job

Doing surveys

Oh, surveys, one of my favourite ways of making money.

It’s perfect for a time-starved millennial, where all’s needed is just five minutes away from Instagram and onto this instead.

There are various apps that offer rewards for surveys, and some notable ones would include Milieu, ApiaryBuzz, and YouGov.

How much you can earn: ~$10 in a month

Reselling items on Carousell

Carousell is honestly a haven for students.

Without having to step into a thrift store, we can now browse discounted secondhand goods with such ease, and we can find almost anything and everything on this app nowadays.

(I mean, people are even selling their cars on the app now.)

Other than being able to shop at a discount, Carousell can also be used as a platform to make extra money.

One typical way is to declutter your own space and list your items to make a quick buck.

Another method is to ‘flip’ free items and list them for sale.

This is something I personally haven’t tried before as it is not something I prefer doing (given that these free items are usually for those who really need it), but it’s still an option nonetheless.

How much you can earn: $5 to $50

Freelance work

There are various websites for anyone to provide freelance work, and it is something suitable for students as it is highly flexible and does not require credentials like a degree certificate.

There is a whole range of freelance work that you can choose to work on, depending on your expertise and interest.

Some of them include video editing, copywriting, data entry, social media marketing, virtual assistant, and translation.

Needless to say, you get to charge a higher if you have a lucrative skill that is lower in supply but high in demand.

Some of the popular platforms that are usually used are Fiverr and Upwork.

How much you can earn: $5 to $500, depending on the skills offered

Being an ‘influencer’

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to have 100,000 followers to earn money from social media.

Regular beings like you and I can have opportunities to participate in social media campaigns and earn some extra cash as well.

Some popular platforms like Partipost, Kobe and StarNgage engage with influencer marketing through different campaigns.

There are campaigns of different brands that are regularly launched, and users can click into any of these campaigns to participate in them.

Most campaigns require either an Instagram story or post, where the latter fetch a lot more money.

Cashing out from these platforms is usually pretty straightforward as well.

How much you can earn: $2 to $100 per campaign

Essay writing services

There was a recent article which reported an increase in popular paid services for essay assignments and exam projects.

In other words, students have been paying other students to help complete school assignments.

These assignments could range from essays to coding assignments.

A quick search on some platforms like Facebook and Carousell showed popular pages offering ‘quality work’ and ‘plagiarism-free work’, and are mostly for degree and diploma coursework.

In other words, students can now earn from helping their friends complete their assignments.

Do note that this IS strictly prohibited, and according to the Ministry of Education, students who are caught will be subject to disciplinary action, which may include expulsion.

As much as it is a ‘willing buyer willing seller’ situation and how it is a lucrative ‘side hustle’…

It is not something we are encouraging you to do ah.

How much you can earn (please don’t earn this though): $45 to $600 depending on difficulty and how fast it is needed

Focus on your own priorities when it comes to side hustles

It is honestly not the easiest to have a side hustle.

While the thought of having multiple income streams is alluring, side hustles are usually a great exchange of time and effort for money.

In my opinion, one of the biggest perks of being a student is the youth that you have.

This means having more time to explore the world, develop skills and gain exposure to different areas in life.

As such, it is important to ask yourself what your priorities are at this point in time.

It might be earning the most that you can to kickstart your personal finance journey.

Or it may be investing time in developing in-demand skills that might reap greater benefits in the future.

Whatever it is, nobody should feel pressurised to have side hustle just because it’s common these days.

But if you’re someone who wishes to do that, we hope that this article can help you with that!

This article was first published in Seedly.