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Jobs: Need extra cash?

With deposits for accommodation and travel costs for trips home in the holidays taking their toll on bank balances, many people end up strapped for cash at this time of year. As such, we thought it best to dole out some handy tips on how to earn some ready money, fast – as well as add some oomph to your CV. These are just a few options to give you some ideas – not everything will suit everyone but it should be a helpful starting point.

Shop for jobs
First of all, check your university jobshop. They really are an invaluable resource and can help with putting you in touch with local employers, as well as providing useful and relevant advice on part-time jobs and temporary work.

Jobshops are usually attached to the careers service and will offer a whole host of temporary and part-time work.

Jobshops are usually attached to the careers service and will offer a whole host of temporary and part-time work. Most will have a website where you can search for vacancies and may have a newsletter that you can sign up to, keeping you updated about the latest vacancies. Even if you’re not in the market for work now, it’s well worth finding out where the jobshop is in case money gets tight in future.

For those of you with a bit more time to spare, don’t forget to check the local pubs, clubs and shops for spare shifts. Nursing homes and residential centres are often in need of staff too, which is excellent experience for those looking to go into careers in social care. Check out the part-time jobs search here on yougo to get an idea of which employers are in your area. Do remember that this list is by no means exhaustive but it should give you an idea of the sort of opportunities out there.

Work on campus
It’s well worth keeping your eyes open as you wander around campus too. The notice boards in the corridors can hide a whole host of job opportunities among the plethora of papers.

Psychology departments are often looking for guinea pigs to help test out theories and experiments. You might have to commit a bit of time and make a return visit or two but students often find it’s easy money for little effort. Similarly, other science departments such as food or sports may be on the lookout for volunteers at certain times so keep your eyes peeled.

The admin department of your university can also be a good bet. Jobs will often come up at times when they’re stretched, involving tasks such as data entry, envelope filling and mailing out of prospectuses. Often, they’ll employ you by the day or half day so there’s no need to commit and rates of pay can be pretty good. The alumni association is also worth a try as they sometimes require current students to make calls to graduates to solicit donations to the university. These are also great opportunities to develop your office admin and telephone skills, which are brilliant additions to your CV.

Other on-campus options are available too. You could approach the SU to ask if they need any help. They may well take on students to help with promoting events at the union, posting flyers and sticking up posters around campus. Sometimes these roles will be paid; at other times you’ll be offered free tickets, which, if you were planning to go along, can save you a fair bit of cash.

Tutoring
If your English skills are up to par, you could always offer your services proofreading essays for international students for a small fee. On a similar note, you could always consider tutoring your degree subject to GCSE and A level students. This can also help you in revising the basics of your subject area, which can be handy with exams fast approaching.

Market research and sales
Another option for making a bit of cash is participating in market research. You may come across the occasional opportunity on campus but the internet is the place to go to find an abundance of opportunities – in fact yougo were recently offering £40 to anyone who took part in their survey with Ipsos MORI.

As with anything online you should take some care to make sure it’s genuine – there are plenty of forums and discussion boards where you can find out if the opportunity really is too good to be true; a quick internet search can prevent you from getting burned. Obviously you should never give out personal details like bank account numbers over e-mail.

If you want something a bit more long term, you could always consider becoming a sales rep for a catalogue company, running ‘parties’ for Avon, Virgin Vie or even Ann Summers! However, these may require some initial outlay and you should bear in mind that if you’re hard up it’s likely that your friends and peers will be too and so won’t be willing to fork out for your merchandise.

Along similar lines, if you’re artistic or crafty you could always try selling your wares; either on campus (get permission first!) or via online trading sites such as ebay or etsy.com. If you’re not so blessed with talent, flogging some of your unwanted possessions could be a good stop-gap measure.

Don’t worry if you get really desperate for cash, you won’t starve. Unis will normally offer crisis loans and be able to help you out if circumstances get dire, but if you’re sensible, plan ahead, and follow Martin Lewis’s advice here on yougo, you can end up worry-free and maybe even have a little bit of money left over to treat yourself.

Further information
yougo Jobs
TARGETjobs

Luke Micallef
TARGETjobs.co.uk

amar19

that ^ really helped! Was wondering how I was going to make some extra money this year, great help!

added 21 / 08 / 08 01:29

A.u.T.z * NP-F-5-1-D

that was gud advice im guna keep my eyes peeled around campus when i start thanx...

added 31 / 08 / 08 08:11