The struggle that every student faces is ‘how do I support my love of partying while studying full-time?’. We know right. Trying to find a job that isn’t mind-numbing or needs interaction with mums with ‘I’d like to talk to your manager’ haircuts can be quite hard.

When I first moved four hours away from home to study I thought the only way I was going to make money was to find a job in a bar. Because that’s all the experience I had! Moving from the country to the city has taught me anything, it’s that there are so many different jobs on offer. If you aren’t lucky enough to receive student benefits or have your parents support throughout uni, you’re going to need some form of stable income! Looking for something that isn’t café or supermarket work? Check out these alternative student jobs to help keep your bank account above the negatives!

1. Tutoring

In the first year of my journalism degree, I received an email asking if I’d like to attend an interview for a tutoring company. I jumped at the idea, and have not regretted it since. Tutoring may not be something you think of straight away, but making it into uni means you have a certain set of skills that you can offer. Whether it’s typical English and math tutoring, or running your own private tutoring lessons for subjects keeps your mind refreshed and is rewarding.

2. Uber driving

This one’s more of a recent job prospect with Uber having only just kicked off. It’s an awesome and easy way to make cash, especially if you’re time poor. While it may not pay as much as some jobs, you’re able to choose your own hours and you can work between study breaks.

3. Work for your uni

When you think about it, there are actually so many jobs within a university and it doesn’t have to be working at the campus cafes. There’s the bookstore, Resident Assistant jobs, course advisors and peer mentors. You’ll be spending the better half of three or so years at uni, so why not make some money while from the institution that’s taking it from you?

4. Telemarketing

You might think “Hell no, I hang up on telemarketers, why would I be one?” But, you can actually work for inbound call centres! This means if you don’t want to annoy people and get hung up on, you can sit and wait by the phone and answer customer queries in the comfort of an office chair.

5. Pick fruit and veg

Most towns and cities have some sort of produce growing somewhere. Where I grew up, it was the norm to pick blueberries in summer and harvest crops in the winter. Do some research and see if the place you live has any places that you can either pick, harvest or sow fresh produce.

6. Become a pet-sitter

Yeah. You can totally look after doggos and get paid for it. Companies like Pet Cloud let you set yourself up to basically work for yourself. You're your own boss, make your own hours and you can choose the cutest dogs.

Words: Molly Slater