Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Want More Free Time? Work Part-time and Casual Jobs
Reading Time: 5 minutesForget working nine to five, lots of people make their millions mixing up a number of part-time work and casual jobs. This type of work also suits people who have cut their work hours back because they need to care for family or are recently retired.
Out and about
Market research
Do you get irritated by smiling people with clipboards stopping you in the shopping centre and asking you your opinions on mayonnaise? If you were paid to talk about it, in a pleasant room with food and drink laid on, would you be more willing to share? Then, this could be the perfect part-time or casual job for you.
Lots of companies do market research to find out who is buying (or not buying) their products and why. To find out, they need to get out there and talk to the public (that’s you!).
Mystery shopping
You may see excitable adverts on the net about making money and getting freebies just for shopping. There are lots of opportunities to make some money in your own time through mystery shopping, but it’s not necessarily the big shop-fest they like to make out! There’s plenty more tips on mystery shopping in this e-book.
Dog-walking and pet-minding
If you hate the gym but want to get out and about then dog walking is an excellent idea. Full-time jobs and busy lives mean that many people don’t have all the time they need to look after their pets. Have a pet of your own? Find out how to make money with it in this piece.
Gift fundraising
Be a face-to-face fundraiser. Raise money for charity and get paid for it. Just a few of the organisations looking for fundraisers directly are Shelter and Concern.
Delivering leaflets
There are all sorts of leaflet and forms that need to be delivered to homes in your area. Local papers, leaflets, forms for compiling the Electoral Roll and so on all have to be delivered by someone. Try Gumtree to find a job as a leaflet distributor and earn extra money now!
House-sitting and house-minding
Looking after a house or flat whilst the owner is away is a good way of getting a break from your own home and routine. More and more people own more than one property or spend time away on business as well as having a summer holiday.
Working with people
Babysitting
Anyone can babysit but if you want to do it through an agency you will need a proven background in childcare or teaching. Babysitting is best suited to women because most parents prefer the idea of a female caring for their children rather than a man. Don’t let that put you off if you’re a man though – there are some parents who are flexible.
Be a doula
If you’re a mother you are pretty much qualified to be a doula. Doulas are birth partners and post-birth partners – like surrogate mothers to new mums. Any woman who has had a baby and wants to help other women get through it happily could become a doula.
Exam invigilation
Lots of organisations need invigilators – people who keep watch of students at an examination. Your local education authority often needs invigilators for GCSE & A level exams, plus local colleges, universities and adult education authorities need outside invigilators for their exams too.
Bar and restaurant work
This is one of the easiest kinds of evening or day work you can get because pretty much anyone can do bar work. Many people can also work in restaurants and cafes. But, to do any of this work your English has to be up to scratch and you must be able to do basic mathematics.
Weekend shop work
This can also be easy work to get if you live near a town with lots of shops or an out-of-town retail park. If the weekends are your only time off, this can be a good solution.
Poll clerk
This is an important job which many people don’t think about. Election day polling stations have to be staffed in order for a Government to be elected!
Providing a service
Cleaning
If you know how to dust, wash up, vacuum and polish, there is a huge demand for cleaners. This is the case all round Britain, particularly in big cities.
Ironing/laundry
There is a big demand for people who can iron and do laundry. This is because it is a particular pet hate of many professional men and women. Working and having a family means some people simply don’t have the time. Meanwhile, others prefer to be doing something they find more relaxing.
Plant care and hire
If you have green fingers and some time on your hands, you could help others in your area have healthy, happy plants all year round. This could be the perfect part-time or casual job for you.
WORK FROM HOME
BLOGGER OR WRITER
Are you particularly good with words? Can you write something that will inspire millions? Why not set-up a blog or become a part-time writer. It’s tough to make lots of money, but perfectly do-able. You could blog about particular products or items, and earn money through affiliate marketing. Or, why not blog for a company or website that will pay you?
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Do you have good knowledge of graphic design software like Adobe Illustrator? Can you create company logos, brochures or other products? Then, a part-time job as a graphic designer could be a good choice for you.
ONLINE TEACHING
Got a particularly good grade in an educational subject like history? Proud of your degree but now want to train the next generation? Why not give online teaching a go? Resources and modules could be taught via Skype, or you could create and provide materials yourself.
TYPIST OR TRANSCRIBER
Do you love typing on a computer keyboard? Could you transcribe hours of footage or audio that someone has gathered? Then, a part-time job as a typist or transcriber may be just for you. Check out job boards to see what companies are looking for, or have a nose around social media to see if there are any call-outs for roles like these.
TRANSLATOR
If you speak multiple tongues, then a job as a translator could be particularly lucrative for you.
Check out many other ways to make money on the side with this piece.
Win money, vouchers, and more!
Want more ways to get hold of cash, vouchers, and cool prizes?
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Get stuck in on the other threads, too: the best post of the week wins an Amazon voucher worth £25.
Some great ideas. Dog walking, in particular.
Very informative article.
Very useful, many thanks.