Wise Bread Picks
There are thousands of side jobs out there these days, but they aren’t necessarily created equal. Some are better than others, especially in terms of how much work you have to do compared to how much money you earn. These are a sample of the better side jobs you may be interested in. (See also: 12 Side Jobs for Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads)
1. Tutoring
If you know a particular subject well, you can find many opportunities to tutor, both through employers and on your own. The best-paid tutors often specialize in helping with test preparation, particularly for graduate and professional exams.
2. Medical Testing
While there can be some serious side effects that can go along with being a medical test subject, there can also be some decent money. Do your research before agreeing to a particular trial and make sure that it won’t interfere with your other obligations before signing the paperwork.
3. Pet Sitting
Not all pet owners prefer to put their pets in a kennel when they travel — some prefer that their pets get to stay home. Some pet owners even need someone to handle pet sitting duties (like walking the dog) when they’re home. If you’re fond of furry friends, such a side job could be a good fit.
4. Landscaping
Mowing lawns and handling other landscaping tasks is hard work, but if you just do it for a few people on the side, it can be a manageable workload. For anyone willing to do gardening, landscape design, or other specialized work, there’s more money available.
5. Teaching
For anyone with a skill or an area of expertise, teaching can be a decent option. Don’t just look at colleges for adjunct positions, though. Many different types of organizations will bring in a teacher to offer a specific class.
6. Bartending
Food service jobs in general are often suggested for side jobs, but bartending jobs are the cream of the crop. There are usually better tips, at the very least.
7. Catering
You don’t have to start a catering company of your own to land a side job with one. Many catering companies rely on part-time and seasonal help to staff events as needed. From waiting tables to cooking the food, caterers need lots of help.
8. Party Planning
If you’ve got the knack for putting on a great event, you may do well as a party planner. You can plan parties on your own, as well as check into companies that are hiring part-time help.
9. Photography
While it can take a while to build up a successful photography practice, especially if you want to get into a competitive field like wedding photography, many photographers bring in assistants to help with specific shoots on a routine basis. You can work your way up to establishing yourself on your own and earn some money along the way.
10. Virtual Assisting
For those of you with a background in business administration, you can offer your skills up to small businesses that need help. If you can do it online — and there are few business tasks you can’t do online these days — someone will pay you to do it.
11. Performing
It’s tough to make a living as a musician, but there can be some surprisingly lucrative gigs, particularly if you aren’t trying to put your own music out there. There are plenty of events where the organizer wants live music, and if you can perform their favorite pieces, you can get paid.
12. Consulting
For professionals who have been in the game for a while, consulting on your area of expertise with different companies can be a great source of income. If you are currently working in the same field, though, double check to make sure that moonlighting doesn’t violate your contract.
13. Advertising
There are all sorts of opportunities to make money, provided you don’t mind being associated with the company doing the advertising. Some companies will pay people to put ads on their cars or wear specific T-shirts, while others are looking for sign spinners. As long as you’re comfortable with the product, it can be a good opportunity.
14. House Sitting
You have to be absolutely trusted by anyone who will hand over the keys to their house and head to the airport. House sitting can be a good opportunity, although there aren’t always big dollar signs attached to the job, but there are often other perks.
15. Transcribing
Despite what those ads for medical transcriptionists claim, there is skill required to become a transcriptionist. But it’s a side job that you can train for in your spare time and, once you’re up to speed, there are a lot of opportunities out there, especially if you specialize in medical or legal transcription.
16. Altering or Tailoring Clothes
There used to be plenty of places where you could get clothes altered to fit better. There’s still a serious demand for such skills, especially during a time when people want to get as much wear out of their clothing as they can.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT
17. Providing Customer Service
Many companies rely on part-time customer service reps to handle phone calls, either from a call center or from their own homes. It may not be the most fun side job, but the work is steady.
18. Selling Cosmetics (or Other Products)
Selling Avon make up has been a way to make money on the side for years, and there are plenty of other companies that use the same methods to move their products. Serious salespeople can make a lot of money by selling these products, though it’s not a good fit for everyone.
19. Caring for Children
From babysitting up to providing daycare, there are plenty of different opportunities out there for offering child care.
20. Freelancing
For a lot of creative professionals, freelancing is a logical way to make money on the side. There are many different types of freelancers, from writers to graphic designers to social media specialists.
21. Guiding Tours
Even if you don’t live in a place known as a tourist destination, there are lots of opportunities to lead tours, especially if you’re willing to do the research to put them together yourself. Think about variations, like ghost tours or tasting tours, to expand your opportunities.
22. Providing Beauty Services
There are lots of part-time jobs in the beauty industry, especially if you have a knack for making other people look good. Just in hair care, different people can handle cutting, dying, braiding and more. In some places, some or all beauty-related jobs require licenses, so do your homework.
23. Delivering Items
Many different types of companies need delivery drivers, from pizza to furniture. It’s just a question of finding a job that fits into your schedule.
24. Cleaning
While typical cleaning gigs don’t pay as much as one might like, many specialized types of cleaning can pay much more. Using organic cleaners, tackling pet stains, or washing curtains — it’s just a question of finding a niche.
25. Repairing Furniture
If you have the skills to restore a piece of broken furniture to its former glory, there are plenty of people who will pay you to do it. Some will even pay you to build custom original furniture, if that’s more your thing.
26. Computer Troubleshooting
Technical skills are in great demand, especially among people who need occasional help with problems that seem too trivial to take to the store. If you’re willing to provide some basic IT support, you can wind up with a lot of customers.
27. Personal Shopping
There are plenty of people who will happily pay someone to shop for them, both for everyday purchases like groceries, and for bigger things.
28. Crafting
The rising demand for handmade items has made it easy to make money from a variety of skills. You can sell everything from scrapbooking skills to scarves — and there are even some companies that will now hire you directly so they can sell your work.
29. Cooking
There are a variety of cooking jobs these days that don’t require you to ever set foot inside a restaurant. You can work as a personal chef, cooking up a week’s worth of meals and delivering them to a customer, for instance.
30. Providing Handyman Help
Everyone needs a little help around the house sometimes, if only for those jobs that take two people. If you’ve got the skills to take care of a building, you can find a lot of work.
Have you ever held a side job? What was it?
