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Best Summer Jobs for College Students
GoPuff
Experienced delivery drivers can earn up to $21 per hour ($13 on average)
Choose when you want to work based on your schedule in 1000 cities
Delivery snacks, drinks, grocery, quick meals, cleaning supplies and more
DoorDash
Earn $25 per hour plus keep 100% of your tips (4000 cities in USA)
You can use any mode of transportation: your car, bicycle or motorcycle
You have the freedom to pick and choose which orders you want to accept
Grubhub
Make around $12 per hour + tips and create your own flexible schedule
No resume, interview or delivery experience required, and no dress code
Cash your earnings out up to $500 a day (free for Chase Bank customers)
15 Summer Jobs for College Students
Delivery Driver
Postmates Summary
- Postmates was acquired by Uber in 2020
- Earn at least $4 per order plus bonuses
- Get extra cash incentives of up to $1000
- Flexible working hours that are up to you
Working as a delivery driver for Postmates is one of the best options when it comes to summer jobs. Postmates lets you deliver the orders by bike, moped or car.
If you are at least 18 years old, you can sign up for Postmates and pass a background check by providing a clear criminal record. Once you get approved by the company you’ll receive a prepaid card and can start delivering food and grocery orders.
Virtual Assistant
247 Virtual Assistants Summary
- Flexible working hours
- Regularly updated job listing page
- VAs get quality training
- A wide range of specializations
As a virtual assistant, your main responsibility would be to assist managers with small, various administrative tasks remotely. Your day-to-day duties might vary based on employer needs and requirements, however, it mostly includes:
- Answering emails
- Arranging travels
- Supporting customers over the email, chat or phone
- Doing simple social media tasks like being active on social media, monitoring analytics, interacting with the online community, etc.
You can find virtual assistant jobs via 247 Virtual Assistant and 99social.
Camp Counselor
Being a camp counselor is another great opportunity when it comes to summer jobs. As a camp counselor, your everyday duties will include assisting in leading games, organizing hikes, sing-alongs and other activities held in summer camps.
You can find a camp counselor job and apply online at American Camp Association. Alternatively, you can contact camp organizers in your area directly, asking if they are recruiting camp counselors.
Dog Walker
Rover Summary
- 6 different ways to earn money available
- Get up to $25,000 pet care coverage
- You get to decide how much to charge
- 24/7 support, Including vet assistance
Dog owners are usually busy during the day, but dogs need to exercise daily. As a result, dog parents prefer to hire someone to walk their dogs daily. If you love spending time with dogs anyways, this might be the most enjoyable job for you.
In order to get a job as a dog walker, you need to sign up for Rover and pass the background check. If you are 18 years old and provide a clear criminal record, you’ll get approved by Rover.
Once you’re approved, and list your profile, you’ll start receiving requests from pet owners who need your service.
Babysitter
UrbanSitter Summary
- Earn over $1000 per week as a babysitter
- You get to keep 100% of all your earnings
- Flexible hours – apply for jobs on the go
- 10+ job types available to choose from
Babysitting is another great and most common option teenagers are getting as a summer job. Typically, people find babysitting opportunities within the neighborhood.
However, to make your job search easier, you can sign up for Urban Sitter where you’ll find open babysitting jobs. Once you get approved and list your profile, parents can send you requests as well.
In order to be approved by Urban Sitter, you must meet the following requirements:
- Be 18 years old
- Have a clear criminal record
- Pass the CPR training
Lawn Mower
Mowing lawns for people who can’t do it themselves is another option when it comes to summer jobs. Your duty as a lawn mower include:
- Clearing up twigs and debris from the lawn
- Mowing the lawn
- Keeping the lawn tidy
Task Easy is an online platform helping you get lawn mowing jobs. In order to start getting requests from property owners, simply sign up as a contractor and set up your profile. Note that you have to be 18 years old to register as a Task Easy contractor.
House Mover
Bellhop Summary
- Flexible working hours that are up to you
- Earn up to $21 per hour as a mover
- Get reimbursed $0.30/mile after 15 miles
- Payment within 5-7 days of a move
If you can lift up to 100 pounds, you can help people move from one house to another. Bellhop is an app that connects people who need help moving houses to house movers.
In order to get a job as a house mover, you must meet the following requirements:
- Be 18 years old
- Can lift up to 100 pounds
- Have a smartphone to use the app
- Own a checking account
- Have access to reliable transportation
If you meet all the requirements, you can sign up for Bellhop. Once you pass an interview and an online background check, you’ll get approved as a contractor and can start applying for house moving gigs.
Look After Elderly
Sittercity Summary
- Free to use
- Large online job marketplace
- Apply to jobs that best suit you
- Set your hourly rate
Looking after elderly people is another job opportunity for you during the summer break. SitterCity is a platform connecting you with families who seek for someone to take care of their elderly family member.
In order to become a caregiver for elderly people, you need to create an account as a sitter. Once you set up your profile filling out all the information about you and your preferences, you’ll get reviewed.
After your profile gets approved, you will start receiving requests from families and can also apply for job postings.
Properties Inspector
Thumbtack Summary
- Over 1000 different specialities
- It is completely free to join as a pro
- Only pay when customers reach out to you
- Lead is refunded if customer cancels
Buying a home is the largest investment for many people. Not everyone has all the knowledge to make the informed and thus the best decision.
This is where you can come into play and offer property inspection to people. As a home inspector, your duties would include:
- Checking for water strains, corrosion and mould in bathrooms and bedrooms
- Assessing ceilings for sagging
- Checking walls for cracks
- Looking inside the cabinets in bathrooms and kitchen
Thumbtack.com is a platform that can connect you to people who are seeking for people who would inspect the property before they buy it.
Help Move Large Items
Dolly Summary
- Flexible work schedule
- Keep all your tips
- Work without using your own vehicle
- Provides OAI coverage to Helpers and Hands
Dolly is an app connecting you with people who need your help moving large items from one place to another. You can choose from two options:
- Be a Helper – you need to have a pickup truck or larger vehicle.
- Be a Hands – you don’t need to own a vehicle, you just help Dolly Helpers move large items.
In order to get a job, you just need to sign up for Dolly. Once you’re accepted, you can start accepting requests in your area.
Cars Inspector
If you have technical knowledge and understand vehicle safety rules, you can work as a car inspector. WeGoLook is a platform connecting you to people who need their cars inspected.
Becoming a cars inspector for WeGoLook is simple. You just need to sign up online and provide required information about you, your knowledge and experience. Once you get approved, you’ll be able to receive requests for car inspection within the app (for Android or iPhone).
Find Random Jobs on Craiglist
Craigslist Summary
- Posts are anonymous
- Quick and easy listing in a matter of minutes
- Little to no seller fees, most auctions are free
- Sell within your local area
You can find random local jobs on Craigslist. The platform has 2 sections where jobs are posted – jobs section and gigs section. Gigs section usually contain ads for small, one-time tasks while jobs section features longer term opportunities.
The salary you’ll get from Craigslist jobs depends on what job you’ll get.
Swim Instructor or Lifeguard
If you’re a good swimmer and like teaching, you could get a job as a swimming instructor. As a swim instructor, your main responsibility is to teach people – mostly children and teenagers how to swim.
Alternatively, you can be a lifeguard at your local swimming pool and rescue people who don’t have swimming experience.
The best way to get a job as a swim instructor or lifeguard is to contact swimming pools in your area directly.
Food Server
As a food server, your main responsibility is to serve the customer for the entire time he/she spends in the restaurant. This includes taking food and drink orders, serving prepared orders and giving customers their bill.
You can find food server jobs online via indeed.com or contact local restaurants in your area directly.
Brand Ambassador
As a brand ambassador or influencer, your main responsibility is to represent a brand in a positive way, typically using social media.
In order to start your career as a brand ambassador, I suggest you sign up for an influencer management platform. For example, when you set up your Tapinfluence profile, brands will be able to offer you paid collaboration opportunities.
What Summer Jobs Pay the Most?
After extensive research, I’ve found that becoming a Postmates courier is the most lucrative option when it comes to getting a summer job. Postmates gives you the freedom to deliver the orders by bike, moped or car.
Online Summer Jobs for College Students
Swagbucks Summary
- 18 ways to earn money and e-gift cards
- $5 sign up bonus
- Up to 10% cashback when shopping online
- $1 minimum e-gift card withdrawal
Before going into details and reviewing the 15 best jobs you can take during summer break, let’s highlight 6 online jobs that allow you to work from the comfort of your home:
- Online Surveys – SwagBucks and PrizeRebel reward you for filling out online surveys.
- Graphic Designer’s job is to inform, inspire or captivate the audience using visual arts. You can find a job at 99designs.com.
- Websites Testers earn money testing websites. Digivante and uTest.com are good options to consider.
- Social Media Manager’s job is to represent a brand on social media platforms and interact with the audience. Sign up on Upwork to find a relevant job.
- Tutor’s job is to teach private students a subject you have expertise in – for example, a language. The best platform to find a tutoring job is Tandem.
- Writer’s job is to create content for blogs, magazines, books/e-books, advertisements, etc. You can find writing jobs through Fiverr and Upwork.
How to Increase Your Chances of Getting a Job?
Udemy Summary
- Wide target audience of learners
- Earn passive income from your courses
- Get your payments within 1 to 2 days
- Short minimum course duration (30 min)
In order to increase your chances of getting a job, you should research the industry you’re applying for. Browse the web and get as much information about the job, duties and industry specifications as you can. This basic knowledge will help you show the recruiter that you’re not confused and actually care about getting the job.
I would also highly recommend you to level up your skills, especially if you are just starting your career. Udemy.com has a great variety of courses that can help you develop your skills.