Top 10 online jobs for students
We live in a wonderful age of digital technology that allows many jobs and daily tasks to be conducted from home giving people flexibility in their schedule and saving them time from travelling to work.
As a student, it is understandable that you want to find a job that fits into your schedule of classes, assignments, extracurricular and social activities. Online jobs are a way to offer you that flexibility while gaining work experience and earning money.
Here are the top 10 online jobs for students:
1. Customer Service Agent
Role: Customer service agents are responsible for responding promptly to and assisting all customers with their enquiries, comments, and complaints that come through the phone or online (via website and social media accounts).
With more businesses operating globally, there is a high demand for customer service agents to be available at different times of the day so you will have a variety of shifts to choose from to fit within your schedule. You can locate these jobs via job search websites such as Seek, Indeed, and LinkedIn.
Skills needed: Communication, listening, problem-solving, and the ability to tailor solutions to each customer.
Wage: A customer service representative can earn around $21 an hour in Australia.
2. Social Media Coordinator
There are now 4.76 billion active social media users globally which is almost 60% of the world’s population. Hours and hours are spent posting and consuming content on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Role: A Social Media Coordinator builds and executes a social media marketing strategy by posting engaging content for users with a call to action. You may need to create and edit photos and video content as well as analyse and report on metrics. You will interact with users by responding promptly to their messages and comments to your posts.
It would be wise to read up on social media best practices and understand the dynamics of each social media platform (e.g. Facebook, Instagram) so you can write and design your posts to suit each channel.
You can locate these roles via job search websites such as Seek, Indeed and LinkedIn.
Skills needed: Writing, design, communication and analytical.
Wage: A social media coordinator can earn around $35 an hour.
3. Virtual Assistant
Role: A virtual assistant provides administrative, technical or creative support for clients remotely. The role varies depending on the client. Tasks can include data entry, managing phone and email enquiries, conducting research, invoicing, and updating documents. There is a range of sites that advertises this type of work including Airtasker, Fiverr, and Flexjobs.
Skills needed: Organisation, time management, communication, social skills, and the ability to work independently.
Wage: A virtual assistant can earn around $23 an hour or even higher depending on the what the tasks are.
4.Online Tutor
Role: With more students studying online than ever before, you can tutor students in a range of topics, from academic subjects to language lessons from anywhere around the world. You can register and apply to become a tutor in the subject area of your choice through sites like LearnMate and The Tutoring Company. Ensure you have a good laptop, microphone and webcam.
Skills needed: Subject expertise, communication, listening, patience, empathy, and time management.
Wage: A tutor can earn around $30 an hour.
5. Freelance Content Writer
Role: Content writers are tasked with writing persuasive and engaging content for websites, social media, blogs, emails and other channels across a wide variety of topics. You will need to stay on top of content marketing trends and know how to write for different communication channels. If you’re just starting out, creating a personal blog can be a useful way to develop a portfolio of work to show potential clients. LinkedIn jobs, Seek and freelancing platforms like Freelancer and Fiverr can also help you source work.
Skills needed: Creativity, writing, research, attention to detail, and time management.
Wage: A freelance writer generally earns around $30 an hour.
6. Freelance Graphic Designer
Role: A graphic designer uses visual media (such as drawing or computer software) to create print and digital marketing assets that inspire and inform customers. Businesses need designers who can create compelling visuals for their promotional collateral.
Many graphic designers use design software such as Adobe Indesign, Illustrator or Photoshop, Affects and Canva. You can source roles on job search websites such as Seek and LinkedIn as well as freelance websites such as Upwork.
Skills needed: Creativity, typography, design software expertise, colour theory, attention to detail, time management, and problem-solving.
Wage: A freelance graphic designer can earn $32 an hour.
7. Translator
Role: Translators are responsible for translating text or speech from one language to another. As the world becomes increasingly connected, your bilingual skills have never been more useful. Companies are looking to communicate with customers globally and will likely be looking to hire people who know more than one language. You can search for various roles advertised in this field on Preply, Freelancer or Upwork.
Skills needed: Language knowledge, cultural knowledge, writing, presentation, research, and attention to detail.
Wage: A translator can earn on average $44 an hour.
9. Website Tester
Role: Imagine being paid to test websites for huge brands. Well, you can, with virtual website testing. Through websites like Testmate and Usertesting, you can earn money by providing feedback on a website’s products, functionality and accessibility.
Skills needed: Communication, attention to detail, and creativity.
Wage: Varies depending on the company.
9. Web Designer
With business operations increasingly becoming online, companies are investing heavily in creating and optimising an engaging website.
Role: Web designers develop, design, and code websites with text, images, graphics and videos and oversees the design and layout of the website to ensure it is user-friendly and appealing. This role is relevant to people who are familiar with digital design tools, programming and Web Content Management Systems such as WordPress. You can locate roles on Freelancer, Upwork and Toptal.
Skills needed: Creativity, UX and visual design, technical knowledge, attention to detail, and analytical.
Wage: A Web Designer can earn $42 an hour.
10. Transcriptionist
Role: A transcriptionist turns audio recordings into written transcripts. You may be working on closed captions or audio recordings of medical reports or meetings. This role can help you improve your grammar and language skills. You can source roles on sites such as Rev and Scribie.
Skills needed: Active listening, typing, communication, editing, and multitasking.
Wage: A transcriptionist can earn around $38 an hour depending on the size of the job
