International students always seek opportunities to earn pocket money and get job experience. As the cost of living and tuition fees of higher education increase, the need for having a side hustle comes along with it.
For students studying in the UK, having a side hustle that pays the small bills and gives a sense of independence and work experience is essential and beneficial. Luckily, in a country like the UK, you can find plenty of opportunities to score in your field and any other areas that may interest you. For an exciting and unconventional work experience, you can check out these offbeat jobs in the UK!
1. Pet Psychologist
Love spending time with animals? Can’t have pets in your student accommodation? Consider Pet Psychologist as a side hustle. As a pet psychologist, you will get the opportunity to study pet behavior patterns, get trained to understand why animals behave in specific ways they do, and help pet owners understand and train their pets. You may need a degree in veterinary sciences, psychology, biology, or animal behavior to qualify for this job. Of course, with that, you need to show traits of empathy, social skills, and love for animals. You can earn up to £30000 annually and work with animals like guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, cats, and dogs.
2. Ethical Hacker
Ethical hacking is proactive work that helps companies and organisations to increase the security of their systems with prior approval from the organisation and the IT department. As a student majoring in computer science, IT, or data, ethical hacking is a great side gig to get firsthand exposure and earn some extra cash. Ethical hackers earn an average of £45000 annually. Ethical hacking intends to improve the technology of the organisation, report vulnerabilities, and prevent it from actual malicious hacking.
3. Food Stylist
Love food (besides eating it?), then this job is for you! As a food stylist, you can design, photograph, and take videos of food and food products. Suppose you have that knack and creativity to make food look drool-worthy. In that case, there are several ad agencies and marketing organisations where you can use your imagination to arrange food attractively. You do not need a particular degree or course of study to qualify for this job; your photography and design skills are enough to get you into this field. Have a portfolio of some of your previous work and a resume, and you can earn an average of £35000 annually.
4. Food Taster
Eating for a living is a somewhat familiar concept, but now you can make money out of it! The job of a food taster is more than just eating yummies; it can be complex as it involves eating and evaluating different flavour profiles of food. The ultimate goal consists of coming up with different food products and ideas for brands. This is a great job opportunity for students studying PR, Marketing, and Food Sciences who wish to pursue a career in culinary arts and sciences. Food tasters earn an average of £36000 annually.
5. Beekeeper
A rather unconventional (and a tiny bit scary) job for bee lovers, a beekeeper manages colonies of honeybees that are kept to produce wax, honey, and jelly. As a beekeeper, you would need in-depth knowledge about bees, how to look after them, manage colonies, and safely extract the products from the apiary. You need to have some basic knowledge about Biology and Apiary Sciences, but more importantly, you need to have the soft skills to handle a job like this, like patience and no fear of bees and bee stings! Beekeepers earn an average of £38000 annually.
6. Tea Tester
This one may be your cup of tea; as a professional tea tester, you will work with different tea parlours, cafes, and restaurants and try over 300 kinds of tea. There is a wide range of teas that you can choose from for various establishments, depending on the type of flavour profile the restaurants would like to serve. You do not necessarily need specific qualifications, just a good eye for teas and a liking for tea beverages. You may also get a chance to travel across different countries and locations, hunting for tea gardens and local produce. Tea Testers earn an average of £26000 annually.
Consider working for an offbeat job that ticks your creative boxes while you earn a reasonable sum of money. You can apply for these jobs from the comfort of your Manchester university accommodation or student accommodation in the UK.
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