In addition to my graduate student stipend, side hustles are a fantastic way to make some extra cash. In fact, many months I make more money off my side hustles than my stipend pays me! Now I am not talking about random surveys, affiliate marketing, and other side hustles the internet commonly talks about. I find that these types of side hustles have very little payout for very high input – especially when starting out. But as a grad student, my time is valuable and often times I need cash quick. Here are 3 fool-proof side hustles that have great payout, great turn around, and have a fairly low barrier to entry.
Care.com
Care.com is by far my favorite way to make a little extra cash. I remember growing up seeing advertisements for Care.com on Nickelodeon in 2015 and genuinely wish I had joined sooner. I understand sign up fees can be daunting, but I found the registration fee 100% worth it.
Care.com is a platform that connects caregivers of all types to families. Whether you babysit, pet sit, tutor, run errands, want to be a mother’s helper, etc, this site makes it so easy to connect to clients of all types. While Care.com does take a 10% fee, the convenience is so worth it. You simply upload your rates and schedule, and clients will be coming to you faster than you could ever find them. I’d say about 40% of jobs that I book I initiate, while the remaining 60% comes from clients coming to me. As opposed to trying to find clients on Facebook or word of mouth, the ease and security involved with Care is incredible. The money you make is immediately deposited into your account after the booking ends. Not only is Care.com great for its intended use, but this site is a great way to meet recurring clients that will eventually reach out to you directly as opposed to going through the app! This means more frequent gigs with families you know and no more usage fees paid to Care.com. I’m at the point where I very rarely take on new clients through the app because I have developed such a large list of recurring families that are reaching out to me on a regular basis.
The best way I have found to get hired on Care.com is proving that I am reliable, educated, and trustworthy. Use your profile to depict these things! I mention that I am a PhD student! This shows that I am responsible and diligent, and families love to hire sitters that could help with homework, tutor, etc.
Some tips for Care.com:
- Answer every message
- Answer quickly
- Keep your schedule up to date
- Highlight your skills without being cocky
Rover
Sign up for Rover here: http://sit.rover.com/6tbQj7
Rover is a pet care site that allows you to connect with clients for dog walking, pet sitting, house sitting, pet care, etc gigs. It is incredibly easy to set rates, safely meet clients, and make your schedule. Rover also has a sign up fee and they do take 20% of your pay which is a pretty hefty margin. However, just like Care.com, once you’ve developed a list of clients, they will begin to come to you over text, email, phone call, etc as opposed to using the app.
The best way I have found to make money is to leverage off of what makes me different! As a professional equestrian, I can tap into a more specialized, high paying group of clients that are looking for barn care, equine care, and more! While these gigs are harder to find and less common, they typically pay more because caring for horses requires a different skill set and knowledge than caring for cats and dogs!
Some tips for Rover:
- Find a way to distinguish yourself
- Respond quickly – even if you are turning down a job!
Tutoring
While tutoring is not my biggest source of income as a side hustle, it is one of my highest paying gigs per hour. I generally like to let my clients pick the rate as some are willing to pay more than I would ask. I have been paid anywhere from $25-$50 per hour and have tutored up to 4 hours in a week. Tutoring is definitely a more mentally draining side hustle than other ones, so I am much more selective with the clients I take on. However, its fulfilling, rewarding, generally more consistent than babysitting or pet sitting, and is a great way to develop and maintain speaking, teaching, and communicating skills! Care.com does have a tutoring option, but all of my current clients have come through word of mouth. I am an avid equestrian and have come to know many parents and high school students quite well – this is where I have obtained the majority of my clients. I highly recommend that you be honest with yourself and your clients. Don’t take on tutoring gigs tutoring for classes or exams that you don’t truly feel qualified for. Ultimately this will result in a disappointed client and chances are that you will spend more time trying to relearn content and educate yourself on the subject matter, than you will actually tutoring the student.
Some tips for tutoring:
- Only tutor what you are capable of tutoring
- Teach study habits and tips, not just knowledge
- Tutoring is much more than a business – get to know your student and family on a personal level!
What are some of your favorite side hustles?
Best, radison
radison 