21 Online Jobs For Students In The UK
Being a student can be financially tough. Find out which online jobs are the best for students.
Online jobs for students is becoming increasingly popular. Especially making extra money as a student can be tough, if you have a busy schedule or you’re unable to work in “traditional” jobs like hospitality, office work, or retail.
Fortunately, there’s a way around this. In fact, we ran a study here at Student Beans and found that 54% of our surveyed users want a mix of working from home and in-person work at a future job.
Fortunately, tons of jobs online for students exist and are getting more accessible year after year. You may be well-versed in the side hustles with the most opportunity, but we’ve also provided a breakdown on various online jobs so you’re in the know.
Here are 21 of the best part time online jobs from home, as well as how much you can get paid for these online jobs.
Jump to:
- Freelance writing
- Online surveys
- Proofreading
- Transcribing
- Tutoring
- Graphic design
- Uploading your study notes
- Video editing
- Photography
- Selling art
- Virtual assistance
- Teaching English
- Teaching a foreign language
- Social media marketing
- Content creation
- Blogging about a niche
- PPC management
- Online journalism
- Web design and development
- Affiliate marketing
- Designing and selling merch
1. Freelance writing
Overview
When it comes to online jobs for students, freelance writing should be up there.
Do you love writing essays? Maybe you’re keen on a writing career and want to get ahead.
You don’t need any qualifications to become a freelance writer. You just need to be good at what you do best, writing!
Types of things you could write include blog posts, product descriptions, SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) titles and descriptions, and tons more stuff. We even found a way to get paid to write about your uni life.
Responsibilities
- Writing texts (blog articles, product descriptions and other marketing materials) in line with guidelines set by the client
- Researching the topic you’re writing about
- Communicating with the client to ensure work is along the right lines.
- Proofreading your own work
- Logging hours worked.
Average salary
According to Indeed, a UK freelance writer earns approximately £16 an hour. Depending on your experience and the project, you could set the price higher.
2. Online surveys
Overview
Yep. You can get paid to take surveys. It’s completely legitimate and free to do. If you’re worried about why people get paid and what happens with your data, just know that the most reputable survey companies have systems in place. Plus, the reason companies pay you is that it’s far cheaper than cold calling.
Responsibilities
As it’s not a set job, you aren’t “responsible” or being held accountable to complete surveys. You simply have to show up for yourself!
However, if you want to take online survey filling seriously, here are the responsibilities for online surveys:
- Sourcing the right survey sites to use, such as:
- Ensuring you hit the deadlines for the surveys (each one will have its own)
- Tracking your earnings
- Keeping abreast of the payout amount and how much you need to earn.
Average salary
What you get paid depends on the surveys you take. They typically have a limited number of paid surveys per person too, so it’s worth signing up for a few different ones. Some pay up to £20 while others pay pennies. But everything counts!
3. Proofreading
Overview
Proofreading is a fantastic online student job for those with good attention to detail. If your communication and English language skills are tip-top, then proofreading could be the online job for you.
Responsibilities
- Proofreading documents for spelling and grammar
- Fact-checking
- Making corrections and/or editing documents
- Ensuring text adheres to guidelines.
Average salary
A proofreading salary varies on the provider. You could be paid per 100 or per 1,000 words. According to Prospects, the Society for Editors and Proofreaders suggest setting an hourly rate of a minimum of £25 or more.
4. Transcribing
Overview
Transcribing involves listening to audio and putting it in written form. It sounds easy, but it involves strong listening and fast typing skills. It’s pretty in demand too, as not all AI can hear audio as well as humans!
If you’ve got sharp ears and can type fast, then this is the online job for you. Not sure how fast you are at typing? Put your typing speed to the test.
Plus, here are some reputable online transcribing sites to sign up to:
Responsibilities
- Converting audio and video into text
- Ensuring typing speed is fast and accurate
- Submitting transcribed audio in a timely manner
- Good listening skills to ensure accuracy.
Average salary
Debt Free Family says the average a transcriber gets paid is roughly $15 (about £7 per hour).
5. Tutoring
Overview
If you want some teaching experience and want to get paid for it, then tutoring online is a fantastic option. Teach anything from languages to the subject you’re studying already at university. Some of the most popular online tutoring platforms are:
Responsibilities
- Creating lesson plans
- Assessing student skills and areas for development
- Setting and reviewing assignments
- Providing exam support
- Keeping up to date with subject curriculums.
Average salary
This depends on the subject you’re tutoring, however, the average wage in tutoring as a whole is roughly £10 per hour.
6. Graphic design
Overview
Are you artsy and dream about the best fonts out there? Graphic designers are always in demand. You could design logos, social media icons, posters, band covers and lots of other things. As long as you’re a whizz on Photoshop or any software that makes you produce stunning graphic design work, then this could be a dream side gig.
Responsibilities
- Understand and interpret design briefs
- Set prices for designs
- Prepare drafts and develop final assets
- Review and make amendments to designs
- Test designs across various media types
- Provide final designs in the correct file formats.
Average salary
According to UK Talent, graphic designers can get paid roughly £12 an hour. But this can increase depending on the project (and if you’d rather charge by the project too).
7. Uploading your study notes
Overview
Yep, you can really get paid for your revision notes. While this isn’t a “job”, it’s a way to earn some extra cash on the side. And who knows, if your notes are in demand, then you really could make this your job.
Responsibilities
As this isn’t a set job, there’s no set responsibilities, however, you’ll need to:
- Ensure study notes are uploaded in the correct file format
- Ensure notes are legible and high quality for others to read
- Check stats on downloaded notes
- Keep an eye on payout figures.
Average salary
The site Studypool, where you can sell your study notes, claims you can make up to $5000 a month selling your revision notes. Obviously, they’ve gone for the top-end figure, but the potential is lucrative enough to consider.
Read: You Can Actually Make Money By Instagramming Your Revision Notes.
8. Video editing
Overview
Enjoy piecing audio and video together? If you’ve got video editing skills and a few pieces under your belt already, then advertising yourself as a video editor could be your next online job.
Responsibilities
- Getting all the necessary files from your client to edit
- Sourcing music (or asking the client what music they’d like to use)
- Sending drafts
- Amending the video as per client requests
- Sending the final video in the correct size, format and file type
- Keeping abreast of editing best practices and software.
Average salary
Beginners can charge anywhere between £10-£20 a month. If you’re advanced, you’re looking at around £50+, and that’s still pretty low. Have confidence in your skills and scour the market to see what else other people charge for video editing.
9. Photography
Overview
Photography is a fantastic hybrid online/offline job. Gigs are usually found online through networking and pitching, but you can also make this even more of an online career by selling your snaps as stock photos or on-demand prints!
Responsibilities
- Interpreting the client brief
- Setting up photographic equipment
- Taking pictures with a camera
- Editing and retouching images
- Choosing and setting up locations.
- Updating your social media (especially if running as a business)
- Researching models and mood as and when required.
Average salary
What you charge depends on your skill level. Those starting out may want to charge on the lower end. Around £20 an hour. If you’re more experienced, you’re looking at around £50-£75+.
10. Selling art
Overview
On an art degree or love to doodle? Gather your favourite pieces and turn them into prints for sale!
If you’re not sure how to make your IRL art look neat for a digital shop, check out this video on how to make your hand-drawn pieces into clean digital art.
Responsibilities
- Developing your own artistic ideas and style
- Taking commissions and interpreting briefs for one-offs
- Sketching out ideas and developing them
- Making the final piece
- Setting up and developing an online page to house your art listings
- Taking stock of prints
- Sourcing the right printers to print your art at the highest quality
- Updating social media with new art and offers.
Average salary
You set the price you think your art is worth. Original pieces will cost more, but if you plan to make prints then you can lower your price. Plus, you can ask for commissions too, and depending on the requirements, you can adjust the price accordingly.
11. Virtual assistance
Overview
It’s exactly what it sounds like! A virtual Assistant helps people and businesses run their day-to-day by replying to emails, answering their calls, booking appointments, and anything else that’s remotely digital.
Responsibilities
Virual assistant jobs vary. But these are the typical responsibilities:
- Respond to emails and phone calls
- Schedule meetings
- Book travel and accommodations
- Prepare customer spreadsheets and keep online records
- Organize managers’ calendars
- Perform market research
- Create presentations, as assigned
- Address employees administrative queries
- Provide customer service as first point of contact.
Average salary
The average hourly rate for a virtual assistant in the UK is roughly £14. You can increase this if they ask for additional services, like social media, graphic design, and other time-intensive tasks. Basically, you could set some really good rates and even build your career off the ground before you’ve finished your studies!
12. Teaching English
Overview
We mentioned tutoring before, but teaching the English language is a huge market in itself. There are tons of sites out there dedicated to providing English teaching platforms with a real tutor. All you really need is a TEFL (the industry asks for at least 120 hours), though some sites also ask for a bachelor’s degree.
Responsibilities
- Preparing and delivering lessons to improve students’ reading, writing, and conversing skills in English
- Developing educational content such as games, notes and quizzes
- Assigning activities to facilitate students’ consolidation of learning material.
- Tailoring your teaching style in accordance with students’ needs
- Managing interpersonal dynamics to ensure that the class is conducive to learning
- Tracking and reporting on students’ progress
- Ensuring that your equipment is always in good working condition.
Average salary
Popular Engish teaching platforms like iTutorgroup pay around £7 per hour. This can increase depending on the ratings you get, how many people are in your class, and other factors. Keep in mind that these work on a contractual basis, meaning you’ll have to declare your earnings.
13. Teaching a foreign language
Overview
Know other languages besides English? Make a profit from it by registering with one of these trusted language platforms and make a pretty penny. Language teaching is big business and people always want help from a real person who knows their stuff.
Responsibilities
The duties are similar to that of an online English teacher:
- Preparing and delivering lessons to improve students’ reading, writing, and conversing skills in the language you wish to teach
- Developing educational content such as games, notes and quizzes
- Assigning activities to facilitate students’ consolidation of learning material.
- Tailoring your teaching style in accordance with students’ needs
- Managing interpersonal dynamics to ensure that the class is conducive to learning
- Tracking and reporting on students’ progress
- Ensuring that your equipment is always in good working condition.
Average salary
Sites like iTalki (where you can also teach English too!) let you set your own rates. If you want to charge for conversation practice then the rates are usually lower, but if you want to charge for full lesson plans based on a curriculum, then you have the leverage to charge more for your skills.
14. Social media marketing
Overview
Know what makes people double-tap on a photo? If you’ve got skills in how to market people on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media sites, you could help businesses reach more people. It helps if you have your own social media presence too, but if you have evidence of helping others already then that’ll do too.
Responsibilities
- Scheduling posts on social media channels
- Creating content
- Writing copy to go alongside content
- Keeping abreast of the latest social media trends and best practices
- Reacting to comments and managing the community (as well as moderating it)
- Reporting on data such as engagement and follow count
- Reposting customer tweets about the client you work for.
Average salary
If you’re starting out, the average wage for a social media assistant is roughly £10 per hour. As you grow your reputation and skills, you can easily charge day rates that are far more in line with your skill level.
15. Content creation
Overview
Combine your photography, video, graphic design, and natural presenting skills into content creation! Businesses pay big money to content creators who know their business inside out and can make engaging content for them. Plus, sites like TikTok have a creator fund that’ll pay you when people watch your videos.
Responsibilities
The role of a content creator is varied. You could be purely focused on photographic, video, written content or all three. Either way here’s what these roles have in common:
- Researching campaign ideas for products and/or services you work for
- Gathering data/rationale on why your ideas are worth pursuing
- Submitting a draft/proposal of the asset and/or campaign
- Producing the content (or sourcing others to create it for you)
- Amending the projects upon feedback
- Publishing final content on the relevant channels.
Average salary
Content creators are usually charged by the project. You have to consider licensing, the time it takes for you to create the content, and the client’s budget. Some projects could be £50, others could be £500, and even more.
16. Blogging about a niche
Overview
Noticed an audience that’s growing or are you part of one that doesn’t have a lot of resources? BE that resource! It could be something super niches like coffee pod holders or pom-pom accessories. Okay, those aren’t the best examples, but you get the idea…
Responsibilities
- Researching areas in your niche that are trending or less spoken about
- Planning and producing articles in your niche
- Adding imagery and videos to support your article
- Taking your own imagery or video to add to your article
- Proofreading your work
- Publishing content and pushing it out on the relevant channels
- Partaking in social discussions surrounding your niche.
Average salary
What you get paid for depends on how engaged your audience is. You get paid via advertising programs, like Google AdSense, for example. They pay you per click or per X amount of blog hits. You can also make money selling eBooks and other products on your blog too, either self-published or via an affiliate program, which we’ll dive into shortly…
17. PPC management
Overview
Another for the number’s people. PPC stands for Pay Per Click. Ever noticed “ad” next to your search results on Google? Those are PPC ads, and people pay big money to have them managed correctly. By managing PPC accounts, you can advise on ways to reduce the cost companies pay to be seen. It helps to have marketing knowledge too so definitely consider this before applying.
Responsibilities
- Creating short and long term strategies with good ROAS
- Managing PPC budgets
- Strenghting PPC accounts
- Overseeing and reporting on various platforms such as Google Ads, Social Media Ads, Bing etc)
- Creating targetted ads
- Tracking daily, weekly and monthly spend
- Reporting KPIs
- Creating concise and clickable copy for your campaigns
- Staying up to date on best practices.
Average salary
According to this post by Miken Cube, PPC freelancers in the UK charge roughly £30 per hour. If you have to spend a significant amount of time on these campaigns, this rate could be set higher.
18. Online journalism
Overview
Got a knack for a story? Publishers pay money to both new and professional journalists looking to get their foot in the door. Obviously, this can take time as you need to build a body of work and bylines. But when you do, you’ll naturally have built a reputation and can get more commissions.
Responsibilities
There are various kinds of journalists, such as online journalists to SEO writer. Generally, these are the responsibilities you should expect to carry out:
- Pitching ideas to the editor
- Researching articles
- Establishing and maintaining contacts
- Interviewing sources for articles
- Writing and editing copy
- Proofreading
- Fact-checking.
Average salary
This depends on the publisher and the story you’re writing. Smaller publications could pay you as little as £10, whereas some with more budget could pay £50. If you’re an exceptionally experienced journalist you could be looking at a lot more. This resource for journalism salaries shows how much each position pays, as well as the names of publications.
19. Web design and development
Overview
Good at coding web pages and having an eye for good user interfaces? Brands need help with this all the time to improve their customer’s journey. You could even develop WordPress and Blogger templates for smaller bloggers and business owners too.
Responsibilities
Various web designer jobs may also show up as “front-end developer”. Almost all will involve the use of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. However, each spec is different and may ask that you know about other programming languages and frameworks too.
Generally, these are the responsibilities to look out for:
- Designing landing pages
- Re-writing pages for re-design
- Embedding new features such as buttons, forms and more
- Conducting tests
- Liaising with brand designers to ensure schemes and styling are correct
- Keeping abreast of new programming tools and technologies
- Shopify/WordPress experience.
Average salary
Web design online jobs are usually charged by the project. If you’re starting out, this could be between £50-£150. If you’re way more experienced, you could be charging in the thousands. For real!
20. Affiliate marketing
Overview
Got a social media presence or blog with a decent amount of viewers? Whilst this isn’t a super stable online job, it’s still a fantastic way to earn extra income. You simply add something called an affiliate link to your posts or platform, where people can click on it to buy something and you’ll earn the commission.
Some of the platforms you can use are:
Responsibilities
Earning money via affiliate market is simple, in theory. You simply add a link (often known as an affiliate link) to the product you’re promoting. When people click or buy the product via the link, you’ll get a payout.
To increase your chances of getting more clicks you could:
- Create content about the product such as articles, video or imagery
- Then post about it on social media
- Share the link with friends and family.
Average salary
This depends on the affiliate program you sign up with and what brands are willing to payout. This could be anywhere from 0.1%-50% of the sale price of a product or service someone buys.
21. Designing and selling merch
Overview
Use your art or graphic design skills to turn everyday items into merch! This could include mugs, hoodies, t-shirts, mousepads, and much more.
Responsibilities
One of the most popular ways to design and sell merch is through dropshipping. Here’s how it’s done:
- Choose what designs you want to use
- Research dropshipping websites that will create merch such as T-Shirts, Mugs and other items you can print on
- Choose a dropshipping supplier
- Build your ecommerce store on a site like Shopify
- Market your dropshipping store on social media by creating content and promoting it.
Average salary
Sites like Shopify, Printful, and more allow you to set the rates of your merch. The average is roughly £25 for a t-shirt, but these sites may take a cut via transaction fees. You need to consider shipping costs and how much you actually want to make. You’ll need to be realistic about it and consider what’s different about your merch, so that people will buy into it.
What Are The Benefits of Online Jobs For Students?
Getting an online job as a student has a ton of benefits, such as:
Flexibility
Online jobs mean you can work from the comfort of your own home, or even out and about if you use your phone to complete jobs! Plus, it means you can set your own hours too, so you can fit work around your studies.
Great for the CV
Having evidence you worked on something throughout your degree (or even at some point during your studies), shows you’ve gone out of your way to gain experience.
It could build the foundation of your future career
Similar to our last point, you may find that your online job is something you want to pursue in the long run. Maybe it enhances your application to a job in your desired field, or, it’s totally unrelated to your degree and you simply enjoy it!
What to Consider When Looking for an Online Job as a Student
What type of work are you interested in?
If you’ve been curious about writing, or want to try something totally new, it’s worth looking into each online job we mentioned previously to decide if it’s the right job for you. Don’t just do a job because it’ll earn you tons of money. If it’s a job you know you’re going to hate, it simply won’t last.
How much money do you need?
Do you want some extra pocket money, or do you really need the cash to offset living costs? You’ll need to consider which jobs have the best success in terms of payout. For example, Surveys, while convenient and potentially lucrative, it can take quite some time to hit that payout. Consider doing it alongside another online job that’ll pay out more frequently.
Can you commit to the hours?
If your course is intensive, you need to decide how many hours you can commit to an online job. Fortunately, lots of online jobs are incredibly flexible and only require a couple of hours a week. However, jobs like writing will require time sourcing clients, as well as the time to research and write material.
What equipment do you need?
Are you wanting to sell your graphic design skills? Maybe you need a tablet to speed up your workflow or a piece of software. Consider the start-up costs and if you can afford them in the long run. It might seem scary, but if you’re getting the interest, investing in what you need will eventually pay for itself in the long run.
Do you need to learn a new skill?
Perhaps you’ve always been interested in coding websites, but actually don’t know how to code. Browse around to see which sites can teach you code (Codecademy is a great place to start), or enrol on a short course.
Working from home pros and cons
Working from home pros
No commuting = less stress and saving money
You won’t have to spend time commuting to a place of work, meaning you won’t have to experience the morning rush or spend money on commuting costs.
Good work-life balance
Working from home allows you to build a schedule around your home life. Working online from home as a student typically comes with shorter working hours too, meaning more time for the things that matter — enjoying student life!
Independent working
If you like to work alone, then working from home is going to be a breeze. You’ll have fewer distractions from colleagues, and you’ll be able to fully focus on the task at hand.
Improved work flexibility
You won’t have to work at specific hours (unless the job exclusively says so). You could do some work right before bed, early in the morning, after lectures, you name it.
Reduced chances of work absence
You’re less likely to get sick working from home, purely because you won’t be exposed to as many germs and allergens while out and about. Plus, you can take the time to nurse yourself while working more effectively.
Working from home cons
Can be isolating
Working independently works for some, but at the end of the day, as humans, we all need some form of interaction. Working from home can be quite isolating. By building a schedule around work and social activities, however, you can easily stave this off.
It’s easy to overwork
You might be tempted to work an extra hour or two and feed into your personal time. This is especially easy when working from home, so ensure you set boundaries for yourself and whichever online student job you pursue.
Home distractions
Video games, housemates, mess…all of these things can serve as some form of a distraction. Again, boundaries are key. Set time aside to clean your space and “reward” yourself with pleasurable activities after you’ve finished work instead.
Dependence on technology to get the work done
Working from home does have a huge dependency on the internet. If your internet connection isn’t the most stable, or you struggle with screen time, then online working might be quite tough to pursue.
What equipment will you need to work from home?
To work from home safely, you’ll need the following equipment:
- A comfortable chair
- A computer (or laptop)
- A speedy internet connection
- Notepads, pens
We’ve got a ton of recommendations for mini laptops and student budget laptops to choose from. Here are a few to consider:
- HP 14S-FQ0014NA laptop
- IdeaPad 1 (11″ Intel) laptop
- Acer Chromebook Spin 511 convertible laptop
- Acer Chromebook 311 laptop.
And those are all the best online jobs for students in the UK! We hope this has helped you think of ways to make money from home and increase your student budget. Kit out your home office with some of our stationery deals on Student Beans!
