Good opportunities for extra income?

[Xantippe]

Private tutoring sounds like a very viable option. Also maybe teach adult or leisure learning classes on subject(s) you are familiar with.

Yes. I’ve seen the craaaziest courses offered by our local community college. Some of them are just one-off one-session things, too.

Have a look at your local community college continuing education course catalog for inspiration.

There are also such things as gifted and other summer camps that need teachers. My husband taught in one last year and got $300 per one-week course–I believe it was 7.5 hours of class time, so that works out to $40 per classroom hour. There might just still be openings for that sort of job right now. Also, there are camps during winter break and spring break.

Good luck!

 

[pensmama87]

Another idea (sorry, I keep remembering some of the things I used to do for money back in my grad school days ) is teaching for test prep courses. I worked for one company for several years and they had very good pay for teachers, that increased the longer you worked for them. Just proctoring practice tests paid $10/hr and the only responsibility was to time sections and give out extra pencils. The training was paid, too. Starting rate for teaching was $18/hour and you got to pick your own schedule.

If you live in or near an affluent area with students who are desperate to get into top schools (or their parents are desperate for them), these companies will be there. At the one I worked for, you had to start with high school tests (SAT and ACT), but after you taught one or two courses you could train for other tests (GRE, GMAT, LSAT) and teach adults. The pay rate for those tests was higher. And some students got private tutoring which was also at a higher rate.

 

[chevalier]

Editing, translating etc. is something you want to leave to professionals unless you really, really know what you’re doing.

However, if you have some graphical talent in you, design jobs are pretty accessible for those without formal qualifications. The same goes for copywriting, as long as things like performance testing, sales tracking etc. aren’t part of the job.

 

[Xantippe]

Editing, translating etc. is something you want to leave to professionals unless you really, really know what you’re doing.

The OP has been a college teaching assistant and I believe she has a graduate degree (MA?), so I would assume that her ability to edit written work is well above average.

 

[DarkLight]

Yeah.

When the OP gets within range of a big college town or community, she may wish to try logic tutoring if she feels like she has a handle on the subject. A lot of people struggle with logic and need a tutor to drag them through the class.

Fair point - I’ve been told I dragged some of my fellow graduate students through the grad-level logic class. It’s probably my best subject.

The OP has been a college teaching assistant and I believe she has a graduate degree (MA?), so I would assume that her ability to edit written work is well above average.

The degree itself is still a couple of months out while I finish writing papers. But I have definitely done editing for undergrads - I’m not sure how good I’d be at a professional level. My ideal would be a more tutoring type role; I put a lot of work into teaching people how to write for college.

 

[chevalier]

The OP has been a college teaching assistant and I believe she has a graduate degree (MA?), so I would assume that her ability to edit written work is well above average.

Yes, but the average isn’t very good nowadays. Besides, anything that actually receives editing is likely to have been written by someone with a graduate degree himself or a bachelor’s, depending on the field. I wouldn’t really advise starting a professional editing business without picking up some relevant CPD. Especially editing for academic papers, lawyers, doctors, economists, copy editing etc.

In plain terms, you need to be sure that you’ll miss nothing and add a lot of value. If not, it may be difficult to find happiness and a good living in that particular line of work.

 

[Xantippe]

Fair point - I’ve been told I dragged some of my fellow graduate students through the grad-level logic class. It’s probably my best subject.

That’s fantastic! I’ve heard that there is always somebody that needs tutoring through logic.

The degree itself is still a couple of months out while I finish writing papers. But I have definitely done editing for undergrads - I’m not sure how good I’d be at a professional level. My ideal would be a more tutoring type role; I put a lot of work into teaching people how to write for college.

I wonder if there are any local high school students who need help putting together college admissions essays?

 

[Xantippe]

Yes, but the average isn’t very good nowadays. Besides, anything that actually receives editing is likely to have been written by someone with a graduate degree himself or a bachelor’s, depending on the field. I wouldn’t really advise starting a professional editing business without picking up some relevant CPD. Especially editing for academic papers, lawyers, doctors, economists, copy editing etc.

In plain terms, you need to be sure that you’ll miss nothing and add a lot of value. If not, it may be difficult to find happiness and a good living in that particular line of work.

The OP doesn’t need a career at the moment–she needs a survival income until she gets back into grad school. A few hundred dollars a month would change her world, and I think that is actually within reach.

Dark Light,

Come to think of it, one of the graduate students I know has simply a GENIUS for hopping from housesitting gig to housesitting gig. She’s barely ever paid any rent the last several years. That’s more feasible to do when well plugged into a campus community, but that sort of thing is quite possible–academic types are continually going off to do fellowships and sabbaticals and visiting professorships and summer seminars and what not.

 

[DarkLight]

The OP doesn’t need a career at the moment–she needs a survival income until she gets back into grad school. A few hundred dollars a month would change her world, and I think that is actually within reach.

Pretty much, yeah. I’m finding that I can’t get hired for full-time work around here - everyone says that you need experience to be full-time, or that they only hire full-time employees from among existing part-timers. So I’m really just looking for something that can give me a bit of extra breathing room in the budget. Even $100 a month would make a big difference.

I’m thinking of going for petsitting. Housesitting is hard when you have a pet. But I’ve been told you can make good money checking in on people’s cats, and most people want a pet owner for that.

 

[Xantippe]

Pretty much, yeah. I’m finding that I can’t get hired for full-time work around here - everyone says that you need experience to be full-time, or that they only hire full-time employees from among existing part-timers. So I’m really just looking for something that can give me a bit of extra breathing room in the budget. Even $100 a month would make a big difference.

I’m thinking of going for petsitting. Housesitting is hard when you have a pet. But I’ve been told you can make good money checking in on people’s cats, and most people want a pet owner for that.

Very good! And that will get you out of the house, too.

I had the worst time getting a job after my MA. I think the low point was not getting a job at Einstein’s Bagels. My first job out of grad school was a $5.99 an hour library page job that was normally done by high school students. That was grim. However, the hardest job to get is the first one.

However,

 

[pensmama87]

Maybe this isn’t super ethical, but when I was looking for part-time work, I would neglect to mention the graduate degree. Bachelor’s degree, OK, normal path for a responsible twenty-something, but a graduate degree seems to suggest that an applicant isn’t serious about the job (even though I always was.)

I had a lot more luck getting offers for (non-career, hourly wage) jobs as a BA and not a MA (barring the jobs I had that were explicitly related to education).

 

[Zzyzx_Road]

For those interested in casting a wider net, take a look at these posts over at the Mr Money Moustache blog. The comment section have some interesting items as well.

mrmoneymustache.com/2013/07/25/50-jobs-over-50000-without-a-degree-part-1/
mrmoneymustache.com/2013/08/05/50-jobs-over-50000-without-a-degree-part-2/

don’t be intimidated, there are a fair number of part-time gigs in there somewhere

 

[Xantippe]

If your logic is good, is your math good enough to tutor high school or to do private SAT tutoring (outside the big test prep companies)? If your test scores are good, you could use that as part of your advertisement.

Come to think of it, I wonder if there isn’t money to be made in school projects? Starting from middle school age (and sometimes a little earlier), school projects are absolutely HELL and double hell for people with two kids, triple hell for people with three kids, etc. I am adequate at normal homework supervision, but don’t have the artsy crafty, spatial or technical skills to cope with school projects. In our family, I supervise routine homework and my husband supervises projects (and thank goodness he has the time and the skill), but there have to be a lot of families (for instance two income families or ones where the at-home parent doesn’t have the appropriate skills) where a person with a little imagination, some craft experience, some computer skills, and spatial skills could make themselves indispensable.

There are some ethical issues with a lot of this stuff (how much work do you do before it isn’t the kid’s project anymore?) but to ease your conscience, in a lot of cases, you’d just be evening the playing field for kids from dual earner families, families with younger kids that need to be supervised, or families where mom wasn’t born with a glue gun in her hand. Also, it’s become quite notorious that school expectations for middle school projects have become ridiculous the last few years–there is no way on God’s green earth that an unassisted 12-year-old can do these projects.

(There are some vivid descriptions of the new order in Katharine Beals’ The Left-Brained Child, which is largely about middle school project hell.)

 

[OurLadysServant]

I’m stuck on the part-time job route for right now, and minimum wage doesn’t go very far in the first place. So I’m looking for small, flexible things to do that can earn extra money. Online opportunities are especially good. Does anyone have any good experience with ways to make a bit of side money?

Ok.

Learn a music instrument. Even something like a penny whistle or ukulele (simple), and teach these to others weekly lessons for the year.

Street busking!

Art lessons?

Skype lessons?

Mow lawns?

Gardening.

What about your education, could you offer private tutoring for any subject or language, or computer classes?

 

[OurLadysServant]

Ok.

Learn a music instrument. Even something like a penny whistle or ukulele (simple), and teach these to others weekly lessons for the year.

Street busking!

Art lessons?

Skype lessons?

Mow lawns?

Gardening.

What about your education, could you offer private tutoring for any subject or language, or computer classes?

Could you apply for.substitute teacher work?

Or,.classroom assistant work?

After or.during.school.clubs/ classes?

Summer camps.or.easter camps, or midterm camps?
Teach.art or sport or mixture to kids?

EaL.classes -teach.English to.foreign children

 

[Bspencer]

if you’re just looking for cash, several routes
without knowing anything about you, my thoughts.

1. you state you are in a part time night job right now. why? to lead to something else, or that is what you are using to pay the billls? do you have to stay in that job?
2. you state you are moving to the city soon.

be a bartender. not hard to learn trade. my daughter graduated last year from college, and as she is starting out, she is bartending a few nights per week. she makes $300-600 in tips per night.

waitress/waiter at a nice restraunt. good tips

go to local employment agency. see whats available. take an aptitude test.

where do you live? often times seasonal/farming jobs available.

there is always something available.

our local paper always advertises for motel/motel housecleaning, driving delivery trucks, delivering newspapers, delivering pizza, work at mc donalds

 

[DarkLight]

if you’re just looking for cash, several routes
without knowing anything about you, my thoughts.

1. you state you are in a part time night job right now. why? to lead to something else, or that is what you are using to pay the billls? do you have to stay in that job?
2. you state you are moving to the city soon.

be a bartender. not hard to learn trade. my daughter graduated last year from college, and as she is starting out, she is bartending a few nights per week. she makes $300-600 in tips per night.

waitress/waiter at a nice restraunt. good tips

go to local employment agency. see whats available. take an aptitude test.

where do you live? often times seasonal/farming jobs available.

there is always something available.

our local paper always advertises for motel/motel housecleaning, driving delivery trucks, delivering newspapers, delivering pizza, work at mc donalds

I’m in a part time job because that’s all I can get right now. All the full time jobs say you need several years of experience to work full time. Even a lot of part time jobs…things like waitressing are saying, two years experience minimum to be even considered. And two part time jobs that work together schedule-wise is hard to find.

I’m not moving to a really big city. Just a little town from out in the middle of nowhere. I don’t have a car of any sort. I don’t have the money or support to make a big move.

The local employment agency only does temporary jobs and I’d have to quit the part-time job I have, in order to take what they’re offering. Their expectation is that you’ll clear your schedule for them and take whatever they give you, even if it’s only for a few weeks.

 

[Bspencer]

darklight:

as an outsider, and listening to what you state…

your current situation is not acceptable

may have to consider a more drastic solutions

if you are single/no kids, easier to do

assume that all you say is true about new jobs.

would you consider moving to a different area?

i know you said that no $$ now, but in my area, they are hiring factory jobs starting at 18/hr plus benefits. no experience needed.

take out a personal loan, or get a family member to loan you a little cash and go where the jobs are.

there are jobs. you’ve just not figured out yet where they are— and who is willing to hire you.

nothing wrong with knocking on doors.

go to the marriott and ask to speak to the manager. tell him you want any job available.

you have a masters. you’re smart.

i know i sound like Tony Robbins, but you can find something.

i would put a smiley face here if i could get my icon section to work

smiley face.

 

[DarkLight]

So it looks like I did finally find a job that’ll give me more hours.

Of course, now the problem is that I need a car and only have like 1000 bucks in the bank…

 

[Xantippe]

So it looks like I did finally find a job that’ll give me more hours.

Of course, now the problem is that I need a car and only have like 1000 bucks in the bank…

Yay!

In your particular situation, $1,000 cash is wealth beyond the dreams of avarice. Good job!

Could you get by with a bicycle for a month or two? It’s good biking weather in much of the US now.

(I am normally really worried about people doing bike commutes, but it might be worth risking it for a limited time. Be really careful if you go that route!)