10 flexible summer jobs for college students

When you’re late in your high school years or you’re in college, you’ll want a little spending cash for the weekends or extra money to pay tuition upfront to minimize your student loans. But who will hire a teen with minimal work experience on their resume? You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that there are plenty of jobs suitable for students.

To help you land the job that’ll work best for you, we’ve outlined 10 flexible summer jobs for college students and high schoolers and potential full-time summer jobs below.

10 flexible jobs for college students

Looking to earn extra cash in the summer and during your hours away from the classroom and extracurriculars? These 10 flexible summer jobs for college students could be great options. 

1. Babysitter

Parents need time away from their young kids to run errands, go to work, or just enjoy a night out on the town. This is why babysitting has remained a go-to part-time job with flexible hours for students. Whether it’s while the parents work during your summer break or in the evening after you’re home from school, a babysitter’s hours tend to align well with a high school or college student’s free time.

Plus, there’s good money in it for you. The wage you can earn varies greatly by location and your experience, but it ranges from a low average of $12.57 per hour in Louisiana to a high average of $19.11 per hour in Washington. 

If it’s a late-night assignment, once the child is in bed safely asleep and your active babysitting duties are fulfilled, you can turn your focus to getting a little schoolwork done until the parents return home.

Babysitting can also be one of the best summer jobs because you’ll have even more time to babysit, and the parent may need even more hours of childcare because their young kids are out of school while they’re at work.

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You can land babysitting gigs in your area through friends and family or sign up for sites like Care.com, if you’re over 18.

2. Data entry

Do you enjoy computers and typing? Do you have strong attention to detail? You might be interested in a part-time job in data entry. These jobs used to be in person at an office, but the remote-working boom led to more work-from-home data entry jobs with super-flexible hours.

A data entry job is just what it sounds like. You take information from paper documents or other electronic sources and enter it into a computer file or database. Often you simply enter data into a spreadsheet.

Data entry is not only a flexible job for college students and high schoolers, but it can also be a lucrative entry-level role for teens who need to make money. The median hourly wage is $17.13. And since this is generally remote work, you won’t have to worry about the expense of gas or public transit to get to work.

Because there’s always data to enter, you may also be able to expand your hours in the summer months and earn even more money.

3. Dog walker

Dogs need to be walked multiple times a day so they can get exercise and relieve themselves. Owners who are away from home during the day may need the help of a dog walker.

If you’re a dog lover, you can get paid to go to your clients’ homes and take their dogs on walks. Sometimes it’s just one walk a day, but some more high-maintenance pups need multiple walks. Dog walkers may also act as de facto pet sitters too, giving the dog food and water.

While dog walking may have more stringent hour requirements, as some dogs are on set schedules, it’s still possible to handle the tasks during your off hours from school and during breaks.

Dog walkers make an average of $15 per hour nationwide, but this wage can vary by location. On top of that nice wage, you get to hang with some fur-pals and get exercise — it’s a win-win.

4. Freelance writer

The gig economy offers lots of flexible side hustles for college and high school students, and one popular side gig is freelance writing. 

Unlike yesteryear, when freelance writers wrote for print magazines and newspapers, today’s freelance writing roles are mostly online. These can range from creative writing to marketing to more targeted SEO copywriting.

To become a freelance writer, you really only need a creative brain with lots of words to toss on that blank page, the willingness to learn from editors and other writers, and the drive to find available roles. You can be rewarded nicely for this combination of skill, teachability, and drive, as the average freelance writer in the U.S. earns $33 per hour.

Once you hone your writing skills, you can move into more lucrative roles, such as editing, content marketing, and social media management. It can even become a permanent job if you love it and excel at it.

5. Pet sitter

Being a pet sitter may be a great option if you love animals of all types. When people head out of town for a few days or longer, they need someone to care for their fur babies. This is where a pet sitter swoops in to save the day. 

Pet sitters arrange dates and times to pop into their clients’ homes, check on the critters, give them food and water, and show them the affection they need while their owners are away. They also handle light cleanup duty too if the pets have an accident or if the kitty litter needs changed.

As a pet sitter, you may need to stop by the home during a specific time, but lower-maintenance pets, like cats, gerbils, and fish, generally allow for some flexibility to set your own schedule.

During the summertime when you’re out of school, families often go on vacation and need pet sitters even more often, making this a great summer gig too.

On average, pet sitters earn $11 per hour, so the wage is slightly lower than other gigs. However, with sites like Rover, finding job postings is relatively easy. Plus, the added perk is playing with all those pets while earning cash.

6. Virtual assistant

Sometimes a company grows so fast that it needs to hire part-time assistants quickly. This is where a virtual assistant can help.

A virtual assistant is a remote employee or contractor who often works part- or full-time handling all the tasks an in-office assistant may tackle. As a virtual assistant, you may set up appointments, manage travel arrangements, purchase equipment or office supplies, manage digital files, and more. You might be long-term team members or just fill a temporary need until a full-time, on-site employee comes on board.

On average, a virtual assistant is paid well, earning $23.80 per hour nationwide. However, that wage can vary from $14.49 to $39.11.

7. Barista

Do you love interacting with people and enjoy delivering great service with a smile? Being a barista may be one of the best part-time jobs for you. These caffeine maestros understand the ins and outs of making coffee and tea beverages, whether it’s at a large chain coffee shop or a small, independent shop.

Because coffee shops generally have long hours — early morning until late evening — to serve all their customers, they often have shifts that will work around your class schedule.

There’s plenty of extra cash to be made at these shops too, as the national average wage for a barista is $13. There’s also the ability to make tips.

8. Hotel front desk agent

If you’re a people person and want a constantly changing job, a hotel front desk agent could be a great college job. You’ll handle a wide range of tasks in this customer-first role, such as:

• Answer customer phone calls

• Field questions about your hotel

• Set up and reschedule reservations

• Take payments

• Store guest luggage

• Schedule guest transportation

• Recommend local restaurants and attractions

• Handle customer complaints

If you’re working toward a college degree in some line of customer service, this job can also be a great way to get a wide range of hands-on experience. And if your dream career is a full-time job in hotel or restaurant management — or any management role in customer service — this can be a springboard to hone your customer service skills in place of an internship.

Hotel front desk agents also earn a decent living while they gain experience, bringing in an average of $14.91 per hour nationwide. Also, hotels need front desk agents at all hours of the day and night, making flexible shifts available for busy students.

9. Rideshare or delivery driver

If you’re looking for one of the most flexible jobs for a college student, a gig as a rideshare or food-delivery driver may be perfect. Companies like Uber and Lyft need drivers to deliver people to their destinations, and others like Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, and more are almost always seeking hungry (get it?) drivers to drop off food to folks who prefer not to leave the house.

For your hard work, you get a portion of the company's fee and 100% of the tips the customers pay. The best part is, you can log on and off the app whenever you like, making this one job you can do 100% on your schedule. And in the summer months or during other holidays, you can easily take this side hustle full time.

On average, Uber and Lyft drivers make $17.44 to $20 per hour, and food delivery drivers make $16.92 to $20 per hour.

10. On-campus job

We’ve primarily focused on off-campus and remote work, but many jobs on campus can simplify your job search. Some on-campus jobs can include:

• Barista

• Library assistant

• Cafeteria food service worker

• Mailroom worker

• Resident advisor

• Assistant

• Fitness center attendant

• Tutor

• Museum attendant

• Tour guide

• Bookstore cashier

These are only a few of the potential opportunities on your college campus. You can find these jobs on the college job boards or check for ads at the bookstore, cafeteria, and other common areas. You may also want to ask your upperclassmen friends because they generally know when a graduating student will leave a role and who to speak to about the vacancy.

Greenlight gives you somewhere to stash that extra cash

When you start pulling in all that extra income from one of the 10 flexible jobs for college students above, you’ll need somewhere to put it. This is where the Greenlight app can help — with its intuitive interface, investment options, and easy-to-use debit card. You can even set up direct deposit, so you don’t have to mess around with depositing paper checks.

Sign up for the Greenlight app today and see how it can help you handle your new-found income source.