How To Make Money As A Student – Part 1

Here at Student Discount Squirrel, we know a thing or two about saving you money on expenses as you work your way throughout university and college life there might come a time where you have to make money too.

No matter how hard you try, we all feel a bit squeezed once in a while cash-wise and failing to have generous rich relatives or a lucky lottery win, finding some extra money can be near-impossible to do.

Of course, we always recommend that you set Student Discount Squirrel as your homepage to remind you to click through discount and cash-back links and to shop around for the best deal you can find, and that advice still stands.

But there are also some ways that you can earn some extra cash as you go about your everyday life, without having to commit to set hours at a normal job. Read on for just some of the possibilities to make some spare cash without having to go too far out of your normal routine or comfort zone and learn how to make money as a student.

GET A STUDENT JOB

The first and obvious thing to do in order to get paid is to get a student job (part time). There are lots of options depending on what you are after. Working at a pub or club can be an extension on a night out. Or you can even find something related to your studies such as tutoring younger students. Some other options include:

Bar work
Waitering
Shop work
Cafe
Admin
Tutoring
Phone centre
Student Union

One suggestion we suggest you keep to is not letting your get paid work impose on your studies. If you find yourself working too much and studying too little then you need to reassess your priorities. Graduates earn significantly more than non-graduates so keep reminding yourself of that. A good alternative is working in the holidays too if you need to make money.

MONETISE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA

If you have a fair few followers on social media, you may be able to start to make money out of it. If you blog, advertorial writing can pay and whilst affiliate links often seem like they’ll only earn small change, this soon accumulates as your readership grows and develops.

Check out Affiliate Window for more on becoming an affiliate publisher and get paid.

Relevant banner ads can also be featured on a CPC (Cost Per Click) or CPM (Cost Per Thousand impressions) through blogs or websites but be careful not to over-feature them as they often look a bit garish and unsightly.

You can also look at offering out discount codes for online retailers or certain products – often marketing agencies and brands will pay you a small commission for each sale made with your code.

Vloggers and YouTubers can turn on adverts for their viewers and earn monies based on the revenues generated. You do need a certain amount of followers to do this though, and the terms and conditions on it change fairly often, so be sure to stay up to date.

You need a decent laptop to do this thought and Currys PC World offers some great discounts on laptops and tablets for students and their sales team aren’t on commission – so you know their recommendations are genuine!

BROWSE LAPTOPS

UPCYCLE OLD FURNITURE

The creatives amongst it may relish the chance to relax with some paint or tools to work on a ‘project’. If this sounds like you, it’s time to start making money from your hobby!

Items received for free from buying and sell sites like Gumtree or Freecycle can be quickly spruced up, bought back to their former glory and sold on. You may even find a new hobby and some relaxation time while you’re at it!

Plus it’s good for the environment and there are loads of helpful videos about it on YouTube.

Then you can sell it on eBay or Etsy or similar listing sites. People up and down the UK have made upcycling into a business so why not give it a go?

SELL ON YOUR TEXTBOOKS & OLD MOBILES

As you near the end of each study year, semester or module, don’t bin your textbooks. After double-checking that they’ll be used for the next course the same or similar to yours, sell them on to newer students at a discount.

A post-it on a student union noticeboard or a note on a relevant social media group should be all the advertising you need – after all, we all know how expensive buying up all the books can be! Or you can head to sites like Magpie where you simply scan in your stuff and see how much you can get for it.

Interestingly, Carphone Warehouse has a trade-in page where you can make money for your old mobile phone.

If you really need to revise and find you learn well through speaking and repeating, record yourself reading your textbooks out loud: and sell audio-book copies to others on your course.

Talk to Carphone Warehouse for the best deals on smartphones and devices with built-in voice recorders.

VISIT CARPHONE WAREHOUSE

RENT OUT YOUR OLD ROOM

If you can get permission to do so from the property owner, your student room can be let out to make money when you’re not there on websites like Booking.com and Airbnb. Or, if your parents are happy with it, let out your room at home while you’re away studying! You will need to ensure everything is tidy and clean for each guest and that someone can let them in or use a key safe and give them the access code.

Such sites normally insure you for a pretty hefty amount of contents so use this when you’re putting together your ‘business case’ for permission.

Halfords offer good discounts and free delivery, and stock a whole range of key safes. We hope you’re enjoying these great ways to make money. Here are some more.

BECOME A RESPONSIBLE KEYHOLDER

Speaking of keys, how often do you lose yours?

If you know of a few people who are prone to enjoying themselves a little too much on a night out and promptly finding that they don’t know where they’ve left theirs, launch your own little business looking after them. You get a copy made and hang on to them, then promise to be available to hand the copy over whenever they’re needed.

You can charge extra for anti-social hours – just make sure your mobile is on loud all night!

GOTO HALFORDS

BECOME A TUTOR AND TEACH ENGLISH

Teaching English in person or online can help earn a few extra pounds and you have the unique advantage of being a real local person who understands slang and other colloquialisms. It may not be often that your accent and language quirks will be celebrated, so take advantage.

Similarly, if you’d like to learn another language, set up a language exchange instead of charging. You’ll be getting paid; but in a new skill rather than cold, hard cash. And who knows when that may pay off? It’s great for the CV and for… life!

OK, so in some cases, you need to speculate (a little) to accumulate. In these instances, don’t forget to shop around, compare offers and products and most of all: click through on Student Discount Squirrel!

SAVE MONEY – DON’T SPEND IT!

Every time you use Student Discount Squirrel to buy something, save money you’ve saved that you would have otherwise spent.

Even if this is just a couple of quid, keeping it out your standard account will help you accumulate quite the little fund to spend when you need to. It’ll also quickly prove to you just how worth your time using discount and offer websites are – everything adds up!

And to make it fun, why not invest in a coin stealing panda money box? He has to pay for his bamboo somehow, lol!

SEE THE PANDA

Frequently Asked Questions About Ways to Make Money At College or Uni

Here are some common questions we get asked:

How can I make money as a student?

There is more than one way to make money as a student as we have explored, sometimes learning to save money is ironically the best start, look to buy and sell second hand when you no longer need something, look into a part time job – that would be our best three tips.

How can a student make money fast?

There is probably no sensible and responsible way to make money quick, so it’s best to look at options that are going to help in the long run. Look at getting a job that you either enjoy or can aid a future career. If you are in financial hardship speak to an advisor at university, there are often grants and support that you can access.

Online surveys can be a useful way as well, although you won’t make as much as getting a job. And remember, if someone offers you free money then there is usually a catch to it.

How can a student earn money without working?

As we mentioned selling items such as books and clothing you no longer need is a good way to earn, taking part in surveys and to be honest just being sensible and saving money where you can.

Summary of Ways to Make Money When at Uni Or College

We hope you enjoyed this guide and found a great way to make money or at least save. Get started today! You shouldn’t feel too bad about not having much money as a student, it’s far for the course and part of student living, so tried not to worry. If things get tough make sure you speak to family, friends or professional advice from your college or university.