10 Best Casual Jobs for Students in Australia
Students have a unique relationship with money. You know that by concentrating on your studies you’ll eventually be able to earn a good living, but in the meantime you find yourself in a state of financial purgatory, looking to simply get by while completing your studies.
With a career beckoning in the near future, the work you do in the interim tends to be casual.
The team at Student Job Board are experts at connecting students with casual work, which is why we’ve teamed up with them to bring you a rundown of the best casual jobs down under.
What are the best casual jobs for students in Australia?
1.Hospitality
Working at a pub, bar or restaurant is almost a rite of passage for students in Australia. The hospitality industry relies heavily on the country’s student population on both sides of the bar!
Minimal training is needed to work as a bartender, barista, waiter or kitchen hand, and these hospitality jobs offer the sort of flexible work hours ideal for scheduling around your studies.
2.Tutoring
Are you a seasoned student with an impressive academic record? Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge with others? If the answers are yes and yes, tutoring might be for you!
Tutoring allows you to more or less set your own hours, and if you are capable of teaching specialised or high-demand material, you can charge a rather nice rate for the pleasure.
Private tutoring can also be offered over the internet, increasing the pool of students you teach and making it the most flexible of earning options.
3.Admin/ data entry
Let’s face it – the words ‘admin’ and ‘data entry’ aren’t the most exciting in the English language. That said, these words represent widely available, well-paid work that can offer a student valuable insight into the world of business or their field of study.
If you have good computer skills and an eye for detail this work can prove to be a nice money spinner, and could even be completed remotely. Some data entry work is paid at a piece rate rather than an hourly rate, so speed and accuracy are critical.
4.Social media management
You might be a highly skilled professional without even knowing it. If you’re part of the current university population, chances are you’re also part of the first generation that only knows aworld with social media.
Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok might be second nature to you, but the same can’t be said for those who are a little older. This means social media and digital marketing jobs can represent a huge opportunity for university students in Australia, as brands attempt to grab the attention of you and your peers.
5.Casual labour
Are you physically fit? Do you like to work with your hands? Casual labour is in constant demand in Australia, with tradespeople, local governments, construction companies and
farmers needing a steady supply of help.
The emergence of the gig economy has also opened up a world of opportunities for students who aren’t afraid of hard work, as you can offer up your services on a marketplace and spend your spare time mowing lawns, moving furniture or offering handyman services.
6.Cleaning
Over the past couple of years, as the world has become far more aware of the importance of sanitation, cleaning is one of those rare industries that has seen an explosion of work. Because cleaning is often tackled after hours, you can fit this work around your studies while enjoying a healthy penalty rate!
There can also be a sense of accomplishment that comes with cleaning – it’s one of those jobs where you can see the impact of your work and get real satisfaction from it.
7.Writing/ editing
Have you ever stopped to think how the entire internet – including what you’re looking at right now – has to be written and edited? If you’re someone who loves the written word, you could get paid to contribute your own content to the World Wide Web!
With every self-respecting brand now selling through a website, publishing a blog, posting on social media and sending out marketing emails, the opportunities for writing work have never been greater!
8.Pet care
When you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. If that love is for animals, why not get paid for hanging out with them? Pets need to be walked, groomed, fed and generally taken care of, and offering any one of these services can prove incredibly fulfilling work, in terms of both your heart and your wallet.
9.Babysitting
Perhaps you love little critters that are decidedly less furry, in which case childcare might be the casual job for you! If you boast years of experience guiding younger siblings through life or have a history of helping friends and family with their kids, babysitting can be a nice earner that might not feel like work at all.
This job will mostly take place over weekends and during that awkward late afternoon gap between the end of the school day and the workday, which is where your flexible university timetable comes in.
The hourly rate generally hovers around minimum wage, though you can command a higher number depending on the nature and timing of the work.
10. Film extra
Why watch TV when you could be on TV? If you’re a born performer, getting a gig as an extra can be a fascinating, exciting and surprisingly profitable move. While you won’t be the star of the show – in fact, it’s usually your job to be the opposite – you will gain insight into the inner workings of the entertainment industry and get paid to be on screen.
The well-established Australian screen industry is in constant need of extras, though you should be aware that this work often comes up at short notice, and can involve long days of filming; though that may not matter to those with stars in their eyes!
As a uni student looking for work, you should feel a real sense of freedom. You can treat your university years as a time to experiment with work – to try different things and see what you like, to gather experience and experiences, and to have fun earning that bit of extra cash. By taking on any one of the jobs mentioned above, you’ll be able to do all that and more.
About Student Job Board
Student Job Board is Australia’s dedicated job site for university students. Specialising in casual, part-time and holiday work, Student Job Board offers a wide variety of job types across many sectors. We can help you find employment that is not only flexible for your studies but is also complimentary to your chosen career path.
