Whether you are looking to bring in extra income or just looking to do something on the side, part-time jobs can be a great choice for you.
These flexible jobs also offer a lot more freedoms with when and how you work, plus there are quite a few that allow you to work from home too.
And what’s great, is many part-time jobs have potential to make more than the minimum wage and some even offer good benefits too (medical, dental, etc.).
So while you might not be making a full-time income like a traditional 9-5, there are plenty of jobs with high earning potential.
Below I’ll explore a few part-time jobs that might be great options for you and where you can find the best gigs today.
Why A Part-Time Job Might be Good For You
Working part-time jobs can be a great alternative to committing to a full-time job and may pay better than under the table jobs.
This is especially true for those who want to spend more time with their family, who want the freedom to pursue other activities, interested in learning new job skills, or who are looking to save costs and reduce commute time.
Here are some of the advantages of working a part-time job:
Flexible schedule
One of the biggest advantages is that you’ll have a lot more flexibility in your schedule. If you’re a mom or dad, a part-time job will give you more time to take care of your children — while still giving you the energy to take care of your house, run errands and earn money.
Make extra money
If you already have a job and want an increase in income, one of the simplest and easiest ways to make more money is to get a part-time job.
You may even find that working two part-time jobs that are 20 and 30 hours long could give you a bigger income than one full-time job. If you come from a full-time job that’s very demanding, you could even end up working fewer hours.
Income while building your business
You’re ready to start building your business, but you may not feel comfortable not receiving a monthly income just yet.
Instead of jumping ship and taking the risk of living 100% off your savings, you can instead work a part-time job and keep some income coming in. It’ll be less stressful and it means you won’t be in as much of a rush to get the business providing an income.
Make money while getting an education
If you’ve decided to go back to school for a degree or doing some alternatives to college, it might be a good idea to work a part-time job in the meantime. You can find one that works well with your schedule, and it’ll help you with living expenses.
In September 2020, around 24.8 million people were employed on a part-time basis in the United States. (Statista)
Best Part-Time Jobs That Can Pay Well
Typically a part-time job will be working less than 35 hours and can vary depending on your schedule and interests. Many of these jobs can also allow you to work remotely, which is great if you’d like to stay at home more.
Below are a few of the best part-time jobs you might want to consider. These all can offer you flexible work schedules and the ability to earn good money.
1. Online Editor or Writer
A growing demand for online writers and editors ensures there is plenty of work for you to make money writing. If you already have plenty of experience and solid portfolio, you can get paid quite well to be a writer or editor part-time.
If you are writing, you’ll most likely be paid based on word count but some places may vary. Additionally, you will most likely be required to share samples and even take a writing or editing test before getting the gig.
2. Medical Coding
One part-time job I’ve seen many time on remote job websites is companies looking for medical coders. These involve translating medical documents, services, etc. into the right medical coding for procedures or diagnoses.
These positions will require past experience and may require some related certification in order to be considered for the job. But medical coding is quite flexible and can pay $20-$35+ an hour pending experience.
3. Customer Service Rep
Pretty much every business will need some form of a customer service rep. While you can easily work full-time in this role, there are plenty of part-time jobs within this category too.
You can work in the office or work from home, which you’ll need reliable internet and phone service to talk with customers.
You’ll potentially be doing things like solving issues for customers, adjusting orders, answering questions via email, chat, or phone, and other miscellaneous items.
4. Bank Teller
Even with the banking industry and technologies changing, you could still look into being a bank teller. The difference these days is you could be virtual or working directly at a bank to help people in-person.
If you are good with money, customer service, and handle the basic training you will receive — this could be an excellent part-time job that can pay fairly decent. There are other jobs on this list that will pay higher, but this could be a flexible option for you.
5. Waiter and Waitress
As a waiter you’ll be working in a restaurant, bar or nightclub. Wages are around $10 per hour, but you can make a lot extra by taking home tips.
Naturally you’ll want to be good with people and be effective communicating with your co-workers to get some good tips.
6. Delivering with DoorDash or Postmates
Do you enjoy driving and don’t mind delivering food to others? Both DoorDash and Postmates can make you some extra cash by delivering food and other items for other people.
There are tons of delivery apps jobs that can become lucrative part-time jobs, which go beyond just food delivery.
7. Private tutor
There will always be the need for private tutors. If you know a certain subject in depth, you can try tutoring high school or elementary school kids. If you know your subject well, you could make over $30 per hour.
8. Travel agent
If you enjoy helping others book their vacations, you can take up a part-time job as a travel agent. You’ll be paid on commission, and might get some sweet discounts on travel costs.
9. Shopkeeper or salesperson
As a shopkeeper you will be the first point of contact with the customer in a shop. Many shopkeepers work part-time and businesses offer flexible schedules for those who want to work on weekends and evenings.
10. Interpreter/Translator
If you speak other languages than English, you can make a decent income as a translator. Businesses such as hospitals or immigration offices need interpreters to translate for patients and staff.
11. Secretary
As a secretary, you can now choose to work from home and part-time. You could work with someone like a CEO, a doctor or any sort of business, with some being paid up to $25 per hour.
12. Real Estate Agent
As a real estate agent you would help people buy and sell homes. You will require training, and some states require a license. Most estate agents work for themselves and part-time, so you’ll have more flexibility with your schedule.
13. Dog walker/pet sitter
Enjoy hanging out with pets? As a dog walker or sitter your part-time job is to take care of furry animals while the owner is away. You can use apps such as Rover to get started.
14. Work as a house sitter
House sitters make money by staying in a house and taking care of it while the owner is away. If you don’t mind changing location very often and would love to be paid for occupying a house (rather than rent), this could be a good flexible job for you. It also works well with other full-time or part-time jobs.
15. Private fitness instructor
If you’ve always been interested in fitness and learning more about health, getting a yoga license and teaching others could be a fulfilling part-time job for you. You’ll be able to work for yourself and get fit at the same time!
16. Web developer
As a web developer you could go freelance and help others create websites, pieces of software or fix bugs. If you’ve got a good portfolio and want to work for a company, you can make a decent amount of money on the side.
17. Become a freelancer
Talking about freelancing, going out on your own is a great way to make some money part-time. If you’ve got a skill or service that you can sell from your laptop, freelancing means you can work on your own time and command your own rates. Think marketing, graphic design, etc.
18. Nanny
Working part-time as a nanny is a great job for stay at home moms. You can choose to work as much as you want and can include your own kids when doing the nannying.
19. Virtual assistant
More businesses and people are working online and going digital, which means they now prefer virtual assistants to in-person assistants. As a virtual helper, you’d aid with email, managing calendars, designing online courses and organising webinars.
20. Massage therapist
If massage is something you’ve always been interested in, you can take a course and learn a massage technique that interests you. You can then choose to work for yourself or get hired in a spa.
21. Construction Worker
If you have past experience running machines, using tools, and building things then construction work might be an option.
Now, you’ll have to be okay with outside temperatures and some potentially grueling work, but you can make decent money even part-time. And your pay will be higher with more experience, if you have certifications for certain machinery, etc.
Part-Time Job Search Sites
Finding part-time jobs can be as simple as going to a store or business an applying. However, your best bet is to search a few job sites to find some openings.
FlexJobs
FlexJobs is a job site that is specifically to help people find remote jobs that are also flexible. You’ll find plenty of part-time work, consulting, and freelance opportunities.
They have their own researchers that search online forums and other job boards to find remote jobs, and then list them on the website. Each listing includes a summary, descriptions and other information. Learn more and sign-up for FlexJobs.
UpWork
Upwork is a great place if you’ve decided to go freelance and want to start acquiring clients. It’s straightforward to use: you find a task on Upwork that seems like a good fit, you send them a pitch and then the job poster decides to engage in an interview. You can choose to charge per hour or per project.
Indeed
Indeed is another well known job search board that publishes jobs in your local area. You can see jobs available in your city and apply online. You can also post your resume on your account for other companies to find you.
Gig Economy Apps
Gig economy apps are platforms that connect small and quick jobs to anyone who needs something done. Uber, for example, connects drivers with people who need to get to specific places.
As a gig economy worker, you get to work on your own hours and you can choose to work as much as you want (and no boss!).
The social media network has become of the largest platforms in the world with over 700 million users worldwide. And that number continues to grow!
But it’s also a great platform to build your professional working network and find part-time jobs. If you have a profile already, you might want to check out the job section and filter down to what you might be looking for currently.
Craigslist
Craigslist is a site to post everything from jobs, houses, items for sale and more. If you live near a big city, you’ll likely find employers that are posting jobs in the local area. It’s straightforward to use and you can reach out to employers quite easily.