I get it: you might have been put on furlough, made redundant or your summer placement may have been cancelled. Or perhaps you’re just looking for a way to make quality use of your summer when you’re not enjoying the sun, or even whilst you’re doing so. There are so many ways that you can make money, including options that don’t involve contact with others.

Work in Retail or a Restaurant

Perhaps most obviously, one way that you can make money is by working in a shop. Especially in retail, you don’t need much experience, although this does vary amongst different companies!

As lockdown begins to ease, and restaurants, pubs, clothing stores, and other non-essential shops begin to open, jobs are opening up too. If you are in a place where you can safely leave your home and travel to work, then working in a shop can be a good idea. Job sites like indeed, e4s and reed.co.uk, as well as looking on particular companies’ websites, can help find you a good summer job.

If you have a LinkedIn account, you can search for jobs there. If you don’t, I’d recommend that you do make one, whether or not you plan on using it for job searching! A helpful webinar on making the most out of your LinkedIn profile can be accessed here.

On the 4th July restaurants and cafés are reopening, and so there may be roles available there as well. For example, there are positions available at J D Wetherspoons. If you are interested in working in a food environment, I would recommend looking at/calling up local cafés, restaurants, and pubs to find out if they have job vacancies as well.

Become a Delivery Driver

If you happen to have your driving license and are above 18 years old, you can become a delivery driver for a supermarket – such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, or Asda – or restaurant – working for Uber Eats, Just Eat, or deliveroo. For Uber Eats you don’t even have to have a car; you can use a motorbike, scooter, or bicycle as well!

However, if you are unable to have a job where you are in close proximity to others, there are still many other options available.

Sell Some Stuff!

If you have clutter around your room or home that you don’t use any more (I know I do!), then why not sell it? You can sell your old clothes on sites like Depop or Vinted; old books, CDs, DVDs and games on webuybooks and Music Magpie; and old tech on Cex, Music Magpie and zapper. You can sell almost anything (else) on eBay and Shpock.

Another way to make money is by creating and selling handmade products. If you have a thing for arts and crafts, then making things and selling them on Etsy can be fun, a good way to fill time, and worthwhile. You might want to take a look at your competition and see what unique products you can make and sell first, though.

Use Your Skills and/or Time to Make Money: Freelancing, Transcribing and Taking Surveys

Freelancing allows you to pick and choose which jobs you want to do and for how long you want to do them. Sites like fiverr, Clickworker, and peopleperhour cater to this, and you can take on jobs in a variety of fields, such as graphics, digital marketing, video and animation, and much more.

Transcribing audio is such an easy way to make money. If you didn’t know, transcribing is where you convert audio into text by listening and then typing. You get paid at the end of it, and I think it’s such an easy way to earn money if you have the time! You can become a transcriber online on sites like TranscribeMe! And GoTranscript.

Another way of making easy money is by taking online surveys. Companies reward you with money in different ways: some through vouchers and some by paying you through PayPal or even straight to your bank account; it all depends on the specific site you decide to use. Either way, it requires little to no effort and is a quick way of earning some money! Sites that offer rewards for your data include Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, i-Say, Crowdology, and LifePoints.

Similar to the surveys is Slicethepie, where you get paid for giving feedback on music, clothes, and much more. The better quality your reviews are, the more you get paid.

Take part in psychological experiments

Like surveys, participating in psychological experiments can give you the chance to win money. Many universities have experiments where you can win rewards by becoming a participant: for example, I have won a £10 Amazon voucher by taking part in the HYPE COVID-19 Study carried out by KCL (King’s College London) as a result of winning their monthly prize draw!

Moreover, many studies are being carried out by Bristol University which gives you a chance to win money. Queen Mary also hosts these studies, and if you’re above 18, you can sign up and you’ll be informed when you can be a part of the study. If you are interested in helping in a particular university’s study, have a look on their websites for more information.

Another site is People for Research, where you apply to be in a study that you are paid to be a part of. They have quite a few well-paid opportunities, and if you are chosen you can earn well!

I hope that at least one part of this has inspired or helped you to earn money in whatever form that may be, and that you remain as safe as possible whilst doing so.

I wish you all the best for the future, and that you are successful no matter what path you decide to take!

Written by Krishna Solanki.