Does your income need a boost?
As a PhD student, you probably spend most of your time researching and writing up your dissertation. You may however want to earn some money to improve your lifestyle and boost savings. For example, you could explore tutoring, editing, research or consulting, just to mention a few options. You could even use recruitment businesses to apply for short roles. Here we explore ways you can earn extra money without compromising your work.
Before you take up any employment, please carefully check with your university how many hours you can work, when you can work, and familiarise yourself with any restrictions.
Temporary jobs
You could register at recruitment platforms such as Unitemps which specialises in offering temporary roles for students, graduates and professional staff to help to earn extra money. If you would like to work in the Higher Education sector and gain some more work experience, register your interest on the above website.
Other Higher Education jobs
Many universities offer part-time jobs on campus which could help increase your income. Postgraduate students may be involved in research or teaching assistantship which could fit in well with your studies. You might also find some administrative positions which you could take up. Check your university’s vacancy page regularly to learn about new openings. You could also ask your supervisor or senior lecturers if they might need some help with delivering teachings or research (or if they could connect you with somebody). It is also a good idea to sign up for job alerts at the jobs.ac uk website to keep informed about vacancies.
Tutoring individuals
You could take up face-to-face or online tutoring positions and help young people develop their subject knowledge. Most often, you would tutor students at IB, Key Stages 2 and 3, GCSE and A-levels. Online tutoring could suit you well if you are looking to work from home and if you can be flexible with your time (and offer sessions in the evenings or weekends). You would not need to set up a website to get started. Just take some time to research online tutoring providers locally or nationally.
Summer courses (academic)
There is a wide range of education providers who run courses for young people throughout the summer months. You could teach international students from 12 to 18 years of age and share with them knowledge of your subject area. These courses typically run for 2 weeks, and you would deliver a few hours of teaching each day (except weekends). This could be a wonderful opportunity for you to earn extra money if you want to share your passion for your subject and inspire young people. Schools offer courses with a different focus such as Business, Economics, Medicine, Law, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Philosophy etc. If you live in a large city, such as Oxford, Cambridge, London, Bath, York etc, which attracts international learners, you could be involved in teaching summer courses. Applications generally open in January each year, and you would need to apply as early as possible.
Teaching English
You could teach English as a second language both in the summer holidays and also throughout the year. You will find both face-to-face and online positions to deliver classes. If English is your first language or you have a native-level proficiency, teaching English can be a rewarding role.
Marking/assessing students’ work
You may be able to take up remote marking and assessing opportunities. If you are detail-oriented and you enjoy giving people feedback on their work, this could be a great role to be involved in. Since these positions are generally offered remotely, you might be able to fit them easily around your existing commitments.
Editing and researching
You could edit blogs, articles, and job applications such as CVs, reports etc. These roles could provide you with lots of flexibility as the roles are generally delivered remotely. You might also come across some companies looking for research staff with strong data analysis skills.
Consulting
You may think about working as a consultant after completing your PhD studies to earn extra money. However, it might make sense to get started while studying and slowly building up your practice as a consultant. You might need to think about creating a website, updating your social media profiles, and networking both online and face-to-face. Many PhD students who dream about a job in consulting feel overwhelmed at the start. They are not sure about what type of business they should set up (sole trader, limited company, etc). They are concerned about how they will manage their business accounts and report their self-employed income. They may find networking challenging and they are not sure how to increase their connections. Face-to-face networking events could be daunting initially if you never dipped your toe into networking before. For more details on how to set up a business, check the Gov.uk website here.
It is a good idea to explore what might hold you back. Do you lack confidence? Are you concerned that you may not be able to find the right words to introduce yourself? Do you worry that you might not be able to ask the right questions? You could explore these challenges in advance and find a solution. If you are worried about introducing yourself, you could create a simple 1-minute introduction (also called an elevator pitch) in advance and practice it before the networking event. If you are concerned about not being able to ask the right questions, you could brainstorm a list of questions in advance. It is best to set an intention before participating in any events e.g. who you are looking to speak with. The more you prepare in advance, the more confident you might be when introducing yourself to others.
For more resources on starting up a business, please see the Enterprise Nation’s website here.
Starting a business may require careful planning and time management. You would need to communicate with your advisor and your university to ensure that your business does not interfere with your academic progress.
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