Making Money Outside of School
Apply for a job at a store. Most stores are open late, which will allow you to work a few hours after school. They also tend to have flexible working hours, and are almost always looking for people to work weekends. Look for stores that have a "Hiring" sign in the window, go inside, and ask how you can apply to work there. Some places require paper applications, while others will make you apply online. Whenever you send in an application, be sure to include a cover letter and a resume. Your resume should include your skills, past work experience, contact information, and two non-family references (such as teachers or coaches). If you have no past work experience, try to list all of your relevant skills. Cover letters are not absolutely necessary, but they can help you get the job. Use a cover letter to introduce yourself, explain why you want the job, and why you would be a good fit for the position. If you are going to apply in person, be sure to dress nice and smile. Be formal and polite, but also relaxed. Also, try to speak with the store manager, especially when turning in your application.
Consider applying for a job at a restaurant. Food service is especially popular for high school and college students: servers, hosts, and bartenders (though in some states you must be over a certain age to serve alcohol). The minimum wage for waiters might be less than the state-wide minimum wage, but you may make up for that with the money you earn from tips. Because of this, good customer service is important. The nicer you are, the larger your tips will be. Here is a list to get you started: Dress nice, smile, and have good manners. Make sure to say "thank you" or "thanks." If you are going to be late, call and over-quote the time by a few minutes. Ask the customer how their day has been. This will show the customer that you care. If you have an elderly or disabled customer, offer to take the order to where they want.
Work as a pizza delivery person or a caterer. Much like retail, you will have flexible work hours. And like working at a restaurant, you will earn money from tips. Be polite, on time, smile, and give great customer service.
Try doing some errands for your neighbors. Chores, such as lawn mowing and shoveling snow, don't have to be just for kids. You can also offer to mow lawns, baby-sit kids and/or pets, paint fences, and so forth. Print out a few fliers with tear-away tabs on the bottom containing your contact information. Post these fliers throughout your neighborhood, especially in cafes, libraries, and parks. Try posting your fliers where your customers will go. For example, if you want to do babysitting, post some fliers in the library or the park. If you can do painting or lawn mowing, try posting your fliers near a home improvement store.
Make crafts to sell online. There are many websites out there that allow artists to sell their work. Many of these websites also offer some form of protection to both the artist and customer, in the event payment doesn't go through or something gets lost in the mail. Here is a list of things you can sell: If you are good at knitting or crochet, you can make some scarves, hats, or arm warmers. If you are good at drawing or painting, sell prints of your artwork. You can also offer to take requests. If you like to sew, try making bags or laptop cases. You can also sculpt figurines to sell as keychains, or make jewelry out of beads.
Volunteer for medical and psychological studies. Many research centers need participants for their studies. Sometimes they do not pay, but many times they do offer some reimbursement for your time.
Making Money at School
Try applying for a job at your college. Many colleges offer jobs to students, including jobs at the student bookstore and cafeteria, tutoring jobs, and office work. Visit your school's website, and go to the careers section. There should be a section for student employment. Here are some other types of jobs you might find at your college: Working as a food server in the dining hall. Helping out with building and campus maintenance. Working as a receptionist in a residence hall or office, or a tour guide in the admissions office. Helping with research or working as a lab assistant.
Sell non-perishable food to other students. You can keep packaged snacks, such as chips, granola bars, bottled water, and soda inside your locker. The next time someone mentions that they forgot to pack a snack and how hungry they are, offer to sell them a snack out of your locker. Word will get around, and you may soon find classmates waiting outside your locker for snacks. Try to keep your prices lower than the cafeteria, but don't keep them too low or you won't be making any money. Consider buying the food when it is on sale, or in bulk; the prices will be cheaper and you will make some profit. Try to sell stuff that your classmates won't be able to buy in the cafeteria. Keep in mind, however, that this might get you in trouble with the school.
Offer private, peer tutoring. This will allow you to set your own hours, location, and wage. Print off a few fliers and post them around your school. If your school has a message board, be sure to post a flier there as well. You can also print and sell class notes and study material, but make sure that the notes are very good and clear.
Try to get a scholarship or grant. By getting good grades, you may be able to get some money from your school. Some scholarships and grants can only be applied towards tuition, but some will arrive to you in the form of a check; you can do whatever you want with that money.
Consider getting an internship. Not all internships are paid, but they will give you valuable experience that you can use when applying for jobs after graduating from college. Most internships will also count towards school credit and can be used in the place of some classes.
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