Weekend Jobs for College Students

College can be one of the most difficult times in a person's life. Transitioning out of the house and away from parents presents new challenges. College students have  to balance a social life with the endless amounts of homework, not to mention living with people you may have not chosen, and trying to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life.

Then there is the every present need for having enough money for everything. To help you with making money as a college student, here are weekend jobs only for college students that could make your life a little easier. 

If you find it difficult to find a job as a college student, here are some creative ways to get a job.

☝🏽 back to top.

Plasma Donation

This is perhaps the easiest job you’ll find on this list of weekend jobs for college students. Donating plasma can give you a hefty check if you find a great deal and promotion. Yet even without those things, you can earn approximately $40-60 every week.

In order to donate plasma, you must be well-hydrated and eat at least two hours before. Your blood has to have a certain percentage of plasma in order for you to donate; since plasma is 95% water, drinking a lot of water in the days before can ensure that you have a quick and easy donation session. 

The process of donating plasma will take anywhere from 35 minutes to 2 hours. It’s much like donating blood: the medical professionals will run some tests to make sure you’re eligible to donate, then a phlebotomist will sit you in a chair and poke a needle into your vein where a machine will begin drawing blood and plasma from your body. The machine will then separate the plasma and return your blood back to you. 

Look for plasma donation centers where you live. They’re always looking for new clients or donors. You can also find flyers for this kind of donation around your town and perhaps even on campus and commercials. 

☝🏽 back to top.

Delivery Driver

Working as a driver is included among the great weekend jobs for college students if you already know your way around town or want to see the sights and meet new people of your great city. A delivery driver could be paid anywhere from $15 to $20 an hour depending on which company you join, whether it’s DoorDash, Uber or any other delivery service. 

The requirements needed as a driver are a high school diploma, a valid driver’s license, previous experience with driving, and a clean driving record. Your chances of getting a position as a delivery driver will improve if you can deliver the food on time while it’s still hot. You must also have a friendly demeanor and be polite when you drop the food off with the customer. You must be courteous and must not be rude if a customer does not tip you for the delivery. 

Working as a delivery driver, you would drive all around town picking up and dropping off food orders for customers of the company you work for. You must be able to get the food there on time and with the correct temperature which makes the meal more appetizing to the customer. 

Look for references for a delivery job on any of the drivers websites, along with any restaurants you want to apply to. Driving jobs are almost always readily available and most done on the weekends when people don’t feel like going out and would rather just order food delivery This makes it the perfect weekend job for a college student. 

☝🏽 back to top.

Blog Writer

Writers are wanted almost everywhere you can find on the internet, and starts you making anywhere from 0.02 to 0.10 cents per word you write. 

The standards for a writing gig are that you are able to speak the language with which most readers will use and know. You must be able to write it effectively and in a way that will make sense. You should have some experience with writing or have taken a class that can improve your writing skills.

As a writer, you would write about the topics your blog is focused on, whether the blog or publication is about life hacks, cooking recipes, or simply the life of a certain person or activity. Your article length will also vary depending on how long your editor would like it to be, what they are looking for specifically, and the changes they will make.

Even regular old companies that are not involved with commercial publishing hire writers to produce and promote content for their business.  

The best places to search for a blogging job are within the blogging websites themselves, job lists, or freelancing sites. There will be postings and calls for this type of job along with perhaps an editing job for those who are experienced bloggers, as mentioned later in this article. 

☝🏽 back to top.

Editor

This weekend gig goes hand in hand with the blogging job mentioned above. The pay, though, may be a bit higher than that of the writing job, starting at around $15 to $20 an hour. 

As an editor, you would be required to have experience in writing and perhaps even in editing papers for a magazine or blog of some type. The more experience you have, the higher you can be paid. You must be able to read the language with which the articles will be written, the editorial style of the magazine or blog you are working for; and know the rules of the language as it pertains to writing properly. 

Being an editor requires commitment and a well-versed knowledge of the language rules and recommendations. You would be reviewing articles written by different people who have different styles and ways of writing. You must remain unbiased in your editing, but still informative of the topic, when the words the writer uses do not make sense or could be better understood when stated differently. 

Remember, though: to be an editor is to critique and make the piece of content or article better, not scold the writer and tear his or her work apart.

Editing jobs could be found anywhere from newspaper companies, magazine and media companies, job sites, blog sites, and ads on your community colleg wi’ll often be found either online in an ad or an ad in the paper. It can even be found on your university jobs list. Keep your eye out for this one as being an editor is among the great weekend jobs for college students.

☝🏽 back to top.

Tutor

I know this sounds like a cliche job for a student, but being a tutor has been found to be a reliable job for college students. A tutoring job on the weekend pays around $10 to $15 an hour. Tutoring is among the most popular and flexible weekend jobs for college students.

An educational job such as this would require that you received an A in the subject which you want to teach. It also means you can fully understand each unit of that subject, and teach them back to a student for their full understanding of the course and lessons.

As a tutor, though it seems self explanatory, you must be prepared. You need to make sure you answer all the questions a student may have about the subject, and teach it in a way that they will fully understand it and thus do well for a test or exam.

You must also come to each tutoring lesson ready to fill up the time you have with the student if the student does not have a lot of questions for you. You need to know what unit of the lesson the student is going over after each class and what topics were difficult for him or her; this will enable you to prepare your pupil and help him or her become their best success in the class. 

Listings for tutors can be found online at any tutoring website and around campus for every subject as long as you meet the requirements they hold. You could also be a virtual tutor in which case you would find tutoring gigs online at a tutoring website that might have more general subjects you’ll be asked to teach. 

☝🏽 back to top.

Photographer

Again, photography is among some of the best weekend jobs for college students because you can make your own hours and appointments for whenever you are available. The starting wage for an amateur photographer would be around $15 to $20 per session you shoot.

In order to be a good enough photographer to ask for money, you have to have experience in photography, especially the photography of humans as they are far more difficult to shoot than photographing nature. You’d need to have a knowledge of poses and what looks good and how to organize people, lighting, etc.. You need good people skills so you can talk to customers in a nice fashion, especially when you discuss the type of weather that is best to take pictures in. 

A photographer would typically be hired at weddings, engagements, other celebrations, events like graduation, and for family photos. Though you would be able to make your own hours, the schedule of the shoot can depend on the client’s schedule as well. 

Photographers ask clients to pose in a way that is not awkward but instead pleasing to the eye. You should be able to advise them how to fix their hair, wear their clothes in a smart and attractive way, and make sure the background doesn’t clash with their outfit. All these things must be taken into account when performing a photography session. 

A photography gig can be found at any professional photography shop. You could also start your own side business (side hustle vs side gig), beginning with creating flyers for advertisements that will spread the word of your new business. 

☝🏽 back to top.

Tour Guide

If you live in a scenic town or around beautiful forests or rivers, this is the job for you. A tour guide is paid anywhere from $10 to $15 an hour, especially if you know your way around your area.

In addition to knowing the area and planning a tour route, the requirements for a guidance job are that you have basic training in life saving methods like CPR and wrapping a wound with a bandage; this task is important especially if you’ll be touring through the woods, rivers or outdoor adventures.

You must also be trustworthy and a good people person, able to hold conversations and be polite to everyone in the group. You must also be understanding of everyone’s limitations and interests. You cannot take offense if a tourist does not look like they want to be in the town, or if he or she does not show any appreciation at the sites you are showing them. 

As a tour guide, you could tour the city, a river, or a forest, depending on where you live. If you are touring the city, you point out all the famous places around town, or perhaps the best restaurants and attractions for tourists to see. You might also have to entertain these tourists with stories or small shows when traffic is slow and the sights of the town are nowhere to be found. 

If you're a river guide, it would be your job to make sure everyone remains safely in the raft and arrives at their destination. You might be the one to steer and paddle down the river, so you’d need to be fit enough to safely navigate the river with your clients. You would also need to have protective equipment as you’ll be out in the sun without shade for most of the day. You will need to know how to swim and how to rescue anyone who may accidentally fall in the water. 

If you’re a tour guide to the forest and mountains surrounding a town, this would mean that you are walking or hiking to most of your destinations. You need to have patience with tourists who begin to fall behind, while keeping track of all your hikers. You must know a little bit about the wilderness and perhaps be able to spot unique animals or plants, especially the ones to warn others to stay away from. 

To find a weekend job as a tour guide, look in places like a national park for wilderness and tour guide companies such as those that rent or sell equipment for your types of adventures. 

☝🏽 back to top.

Personal Trainer

What student doesn’t want to improve their health once they hit college? The starting wage for a personal fitness trainer would be around $20 an hour for every client you receive. 

To be a personal trainer, you must have a good base knowledge of how to work out each of the major muscle groups. You need to be fit enough to perform these exercises with every client for every session.

You need to know how to correct bad posture and bad habits, and how to help them grow and learn from it. You must not be condescending towards your clients. They are trying to better themselves and have asked you for help. As such, you must be encouraging. 

As a personal trainer you would create a diet plan with your client so that they know how much of each food group they should eat to gain the most from their workout. You must also know basic and complex workouts and identify which one the client will need. You will work with your client to figure out the base weight they’ll be lifting and try to move up from there along with helping them achieve their fitness goals, whether that’s weight loss or muscle gain; it is your job to help them reach their goals. 

When it comes to qualifications, you need to have a high school diploma, and get national certification for this kind of job. You also need to take and pass CPR programs. 

There will not really be any postings for a personal trainer from clients, but job openings will be seen at the gym as the gym may hire out fitness trainers. You can also create a flyer yourself and post it on the gym wall for all to see and contact. 

☝🏽 back to top.

Hotel Receptionist

To be a hotel receptionist is to be the face of the hotel, one of the first impressions if you will. This is why it is among the best weekend jobs for graduate students who want to improve their people skills while attending to a wide range of customers. The typical hotel receptionist starts off around $14 to $15 an hour but is well worth it when you’re only asked to work on the weekends. 

As a hotel receptionist, you are the first person travelers see when they enter the hotel. It is required that you have a professional demeanor and appearance every day you work. This means that you are clean and well-groomed. Your hair is done, you always have a smile on your face, your clothes are well-pressed, and you’re always ready to help the next customer. You must have a high school diploma or equivalent to work as a receptionist for hotels, and you’ll need to be able to direct clients to wherever they need to go. 

Pro tip: the best customer service representatives try to anticipate the customer’s next questions and needs and solve those needs as quickly as possible so that the client never gets nervous or confused.

This weekend job would require that you know your way around your hotel, and are able to give directions to anyone who asks for directions or room locations. You would check people in and give them their key cards for their rooms. You would handle bookings and phone calls from people interested in staying at the hotel.

When guests are not checking-in, you can do other work and learn other skills or study.

Listings for a hotel receptionist can be found within hotels themselves, employment websites, and job sites.

☝🏽 back to top.

Boutique Sales Associate

This is the cutest weekend job for all those fashion majors looking for a headstart on their resume. Starting out at $10, the pay can climb to $15 an hour as you continue to work and make friends with the clients who come in. 

A sales associate would require that you know something about fashion and are able to organize inventory, read merchandise tags on the store clothing and items that the client is interested in and might buy. This means that if a client says they want an A line wedding dress with lace overlay, you know exactly what that means. (If I lost you there, this perhaps isn’t the job for you.)

You would need to have good people skills and communication, so you can fully understand what each client wants as they’ll all be unique in style and desire. You must be polite and not pushy, as no one likes a pushy sales clerk. 

You will also need to be willing to be trained how to use technology for selling and managing merchandise. 

When a client comes in with an appointment, you meet their every need for a dress. You walk them back, listen to what they want in a dress, discern what they are thinking of, and make suggestions on what you think would look good on them. Remember, though, that it is always their choice. You will then pick out the clothing you think fits their description, then help them try each one on, walking out to show the family and friends, then undo the process and do it all over again. 

Jobs like a boutique sales associate can be found within any boutique near the college town you’re from. You could also get a job at the university store. 

☝🏽 back to top.

Lifeguard

This respectable job could be great for anyone looking to go into marine biology or a health- related field as this requires health saving actions at times. The starting wage for a job of this type is around $10 an hour, depending on the status of the pool you work at. For example, a community pool may pay you $8 an hour while a pool that is located in a country club with higher end clientele is able to pay closer to $12 or $14 an hour.  

The skills required for a lifeguarding job are that you know BLS (basic life support) such as CPR and first aid training. You must also know how to swim very well and how to support someone else who cannot swim or is drowning. To be accepted and perform as a lifeguard is to place people’s lives in your hands; being a lifeguard is one of the most responsible weekend jobs for college students. The lifeguarding gig would also require that you be out in the sun for long hours of the day and therefore must enjoy being outside and have adequate sun protection. 

As a lifeguard you would watch over the pool and those swimming in it. You would do hourly checks in the water, requiring everyone to get out while you sweep the pool with your eyes, searching for anyone in distress or anything out of the ordinary. You would aso prevent children from running across the pool deck to help them avoid injury. And the thing lifeguards are most known for: you would save anyone from drowning or hitting their head. 

Lifeguard job ads can be found around your local pool site or perhaps even in the university’s pool. 

Lifeguards do receive special training, but it is important that you can manage your nerves and reactions so as to not panic in emergency or stressful situations, which can make the problems worse.

☝🏽 back to top.

Security Monitor

This is a great job for any of you wannabe policemen and women out there. The wage for a security job starts at $12 to $14 an hour. 

Security detail requires that you not have a criminal record as you would be securing the campus mostly around night if you’re working the weekends. You must be trustworthy and use good judgement when it comes to stopping what you believe to be an act that is against the code of campus.

As a security guard, you must perform any lockups after campus hours and keep your radio on at all times, ready to help anyone in need, both in and out of your area. 

You mustn’t stray from your post either, and have a watchful eye for anything that looks like trouble. 

A campus security guard will typically lock up the campus at night, sweeping the building for anyone who might have stayed late. You must be kind towards those just passing through, but also be able to be strict with guidelines and rules. You need to know what is and isn’t allowed on campus and be able to identify suspicious behavior. You must make sure nothing happens to the buildings around campus and that every one of them is locked tightly. 

Listings for a security guard on campus can be found online on the school’s website, the college jobs list, as well as the main security desk on campus. 

☝🏽 back to top.

As a College Student, Which Weekend Job is Right For You?

Easy weekend jobs for college students are popular and sought-after because these are extra ways to earn income without having to be absent from a weekday class. Students trying their hand in them just might also discover that these part-time weekend jobs can prepare them for a future career.

☝🏽 back to top.