Part-time Education: Occupations Compatible with this Approach

BY SYLVIA KOHL

Many students apply to universities not only to get educated but also to become more independent from their parents. It is known that financial aspect is one of the starting points for independence. Although, while in college, time available for work is limited, finding a way to cover some of the expenses that occur is often worth the sacrifice.

In addition to that part-time jobs provide valuable experience and having them on your CV can be very helpful while looking for a job after the studies.

Tutoring

One of the greatest benefits of tutoring is that you can choose when and how much you will be working, pay can range from $10 to $15 an hour, which is not bad, considering that you are not required to have any kind of formal training or experience.

Many universities have official tutoring positions available for students at their educational resource centers (ERC). In most cases having good grades and going through an official application process can get you employed there. Generally, the areas where such centers are looking for tutors the most are math, physics, and chemistry.

However, if you are not especially strong in these areas of study, you might want to consider becoming a language tutor. Although being fluent in Spanish, Russian or Chinese can be very helpful when looking for a tutoring job, often being proficient in English can get you a tutoring job just as easily. As many students come from abroad and need help with their English language skills, tutors in this area are always very popular.

Nursing job

Nursing perhaps is not the first thought that comes to mind when thinking about a part-time job to do on the time free from studies. However, it can be a great choice for students of medicine related fields. It is also a great opportunity to gain some invaluable experience, get to hear interesting real-life stories and to help people while doing so.

Although some types of nursing require extensive qualification, students can acquire Certified Nursing Assistant certificate and begin working as an assistant nurse quite fast. Although salary might not be a major motivator, it does provide adequate income as a part-time job with salaries starting from $23,000.

Babysitting, pet sitting and housekeeping

If you love children, you might want to try babysitting. Babysitters are quite well paid for a job that does not require qualification. Salary can range anywhere between $10 and $20 an hour and includes a possibility of getting some of the schoolwork done over the downtime.

If screaming children are not your favorite way to earn money, pet sitting can be another alternative. Taking care of someone’s pet can be a great source of additional income as it is often a very simple task that pays decent money and can also be a great stress relief.

Although taking care of someone’s house might not be a dream come true, it is quite a popular way to make ends meet among students, as hours can be easily arranged not to interfere with the studies. Housekeeping is an especially attractive option for students, who prefer jobs not focused on social interaction.

Freelancing within the field of your hobbies

Students often have a leisure time activity that they enjoy and feel obliged to give up as they start studying or looking for a job, however, why not do what you love and earn money doing it?

If you are passionate about photography, trying to find people who would buy your photos or would like to have a photoshoot for a small fee might be a good idea to start your private enterprise. Maybe you love to write, why not try to publish something? Perhaps start with an article in a local newspaper and who knows, you might end up becoming a famous and successful writer.

In general, freelancing using your hobbies is often not a very stable way to start earning income, but if it goes off, you might have a substantial stream of income coming from something you love doing.

Sylvia Kohl is an IT teacher with more than 8 years of professional experience. Her main spheres of interest are e-education and she convinced that learning process doesn’t stop after years in school and university.