20 Remote Jobs for College Students – 2024
May 8, 2024
20 Remote Jobs for College Students – I’m not anti-hard work. I’m all for side hustles. Remote jobs for college students are a great idea for students who want or need extra cash as they pursue their studies. But let’s face it: we live in a culture that glorifies the hustle a little too much. Just take a look at some of our icons of industry: Elon Musk gets plaudits for his 120-hour work weeks, Bill Gates famously manages his life on a minute-to-minute basis, and Mark Zuckerberg wears the same outfit every day in his unceasing quest to squeeze every last drop of productivity from his life. Apparently, the few moments it takes to decide what to wear every morning is a major inefficiency.
And while the billionaires make headlines, our social media feeds get inundated with “grindset” (AKA “hustle culture”) content. Wake up at 4 AM. Slam a mushroom coffee. Plug into your Zoom meeting, close a deal, and check in on your various side hustles. And while you’re at it, rid your life of anything that impedes your productivity, friends and family included. This, the grindset mentality promises, is the path to success.
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Whatever it’s called—the grindset, hustle culture, the cult of productivity, self-optimization—there’s a lot to criticize. It promotes an incredibly narrow conception of success and happiness. It fetishizes wealth. It’s materialistic. It encourages a kind of Machiavellian, self-interested mode of thinking that borders on psychopathic. And perhaps most pernicious of all, it sells the idea that you can do it too. All you have to do is pay for this course (or buy this book, come to this lecture, etc.), start hustling, and boom: soon you’ll be swimming in money and success. The problem? Hustle culture places the twin burdens of financial security and spiritual fulfillment squarely on the shoulders of the individual while ignoring systemic issues like astronomical college tuition, crippling student loan debt, and ever-increasing housing prices.
My diatribe on hustle culture is a caveat to the list of remote jobs for college students that follows. College is stressful and coursework can be difficult and time-consuming; I’m not suggesting that students deprioritize their studies in favor of a grindset mentality. No college student should be losing hours of valuable sleep to a multi-level-marketing scheme. However, the financial pressures associated with college are all too real, and remote jobs are becoming more and more commonplace. Remote jobs for college students don’t require a commute to work, and many allow employees to set their own schedules. Check out a list of the best remote jobs for college students below.
Best remote jobs for college students
1) Take online surveys
Okay, I’m not sure this qualifies as a “job”—but it is a way to make a few extra bucks, from home, in your spare time. Taking market research surveys definitely won’t make you rich—most sites pay from 25 cents to $5 per survey, though some pay $20 or more—but they’re worth investigating if you’re looking to make a little extra gas money with no major time commitment.
2) Tutor
Please note: this list of the best remote jobs for college students is in no particular order. But online tutoring might be the remote job that makes the most sense for college students. As college students develop expertise in an area of study, what better way to make some bread than to pass that expertise along to middle and high school students? Plus, there are myriad online tutoring websites that make it easy to post your qualifications and find students. Many platforms, like Wyzant and Preply, allow you to set your own rates and accept students when you want.
3) ESL instructor
Teaching ESL (English as a second language) is another one of the best remote jobs for college students. ESL instructors help their students learn to speak, write, and read English. ESL gigs often require a credential like a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification, but TEFL courses can be completed online in as little as 10 weeks and are generally not too expensive. Plus, plenty of colleges offer TEFL courses.
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4) Freelance translator
If you’re fluent in another language, you can earn extra money doing freelance translation work online. Industries and individuals across the globe are in need of translation services, and there are a number of online platforms that connect translators with clients. Some translation gigs pay per job, others per hour.
5) Conversation partner
If the rigor and pedagogy of translation or ESL isn’t your thing, don’t sweat—you can still make money online as an English conversation partner. Learners of English (or any other language) are eager to practice their speaking skills with natives. Sites like italki allow language learners to pay for conversation time with native speakers. Like online tutoring, being a foreign language conversation partner is one of the best remote jobs for college students because you can set your own rate, work in the comfort of your dorm room or apartment, and set your own schedule.
6) Technical support specialist
Technical support specialists are the helpful genies you call up when your devices aren’t working properly. Tech support representatives respond to inquiries by phone, email, or online messaging system—in other words, it’s a job that’s easily done from the comfort of a quiet dorm room. It’s important to note that most tech support positions will require a background in computer science or information technology. So a tech support specialist is a perfect fit for a college student studying in those fields. Tech support specialists can earn anywhere from $20 to $50/hour.
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7) Customer service representative
Where tech support staff provide tech-savvy, customer service representatives provide patience. Customer service reps are the company spokespeople who handle customer questions, concerns, and complaints by phone, email, or chat. They help customers make returns, work through lost orders, register complaints, and more. Local companies and behemoths like Amazon alike need customer support staff, and most only require a high school degree. While some customer service positions pay relatively little, others pay as much as $45/hour.
8) Outbound sales representative
Outbound sales representatives work on behalf of a company to help grow its customer base. The job involves contacting potential customers and pitching them on a company’s products and services with the goal of generating sales. This is definitely not a job for introverts as it requires cold calls, making connections, and following up on leads. But overall, it’s a great fit for college students with a phone, a quiet space to work, and a flexible schedule.
9) Editor
Editing is a great way to make extra money as a college student, especially for English majors. Editors make sure written content adheres to a company’s guidelines around style and tone. They make adjustments to help improve a piece’s tone or draw out an important theme, and they fact-check statistics and other information. Editor positions often require prior experience, but you can build up your portfolio by accumulating freelance gigs or posting your services on a site like Upwork. Most part-time editing and proofreading gigs pay in the neighborhood of $20-30/hour.
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10) Proofreader
Proofreaders often work on a freelance basis to review documents, articles, essays, and other written content. They’re responsible for issues of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. I once worked as an online proofreader for a news website. The website employed a network of freelance writers, who would send in news articles daily. It was my job to make sure the articles were free of grammar, punctuation, or spelling mistakes. In other words, it was my job to make them look professional. Proofreading is a great remote job for English majors or anyone with an eye and ear for grammar and syntax.
11) Freelance writer
Even in 2024, as AI encroaches and the written word wanes in cultural significance, good writers are still a sought-after commodity. Publications as diverse as news sites to sports magazines to industry periodicals require a consistent stream of content. But so do companies—from law firms to doctors to tech startups—whether it’s writing newsletters, company memos, or blog posts. Remote freelance writers make an average of $22/hour, but competitive positions can offer writers up to $50/hour. Others pay per project.
12) Transcriptionist
I worked as a transcriptionist in the past, and I really enjoyed the Zen nature of the work. All I needed was my laptop, a pair of good headphones, and a big cup of coffee. I worked transcribing audio interviews for a news site, but transcriptionists can work on a wide variety of projects: podcasts, webinars, meetings, and more. The average national pay for transcriptionists is around $20/hour.
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13) Virtual assistant
A virtual assistant is what the name suggests—an assistant, just virtual. Virtual assistants provide remote administrative support to other professionals, scheduling meetings, responding to emails, taking phone calls, organizing documents, and more. The majority of virtual assistant positions range in pay from $20/hour to $27/hour.
14) Graphic designer
If you’re studying art or design, pursuing freelance graphic design gigs is a great way to build your portfolio and earn extra cash. Typical graphic design projects include creating graphics for websites or social media, designing websites, brochures, or advertisements, designing the layout of publications, and creating art to accompany written content. As of 2023, the average hourly wage for graphic designers was $31/hour.
15) Video editor
Video editors are proficient in media production and editing software, and in addition to film and television, they can also work in advertising, publishing, digital media, and more. It’s a well-suited remote job for college students studying film, broadcasting, or communications. According to ZipRecruiter, the average hourly wage for remote video editors is $32/hour.
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16) Data entry
Data entry is clerical work that typically involves typing to enter data into computers. While average data entry wages run between $11 and $17 an hour, these jobs are often available as part-time and work-from-home positions. In other words, although they’re not super lucrative, they could fit nicely with a college student’s hectic schedule.
17) Coder
Studying computer science? Then make money in your spare time by working on freelance coding projects. Whether you’re an app developer, UX developer, or web developer, sites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer are crawling with opportunities that pay hour-by-hour or per project.
18) Content creator
Content creators as we currently understand them didn’t exist when I was a college student. But now the content game is open for anyone with the audacity to take a stab at it. It’s important to note, however, that making money via social media or YouTube is no sure thing. How YouTube monetizes its videos is a bit opaque, but Forbes estimated that creators make an average of $0.018 per view, which means that a video with 1,000 views nets the creator a whopping $18.
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19) SEO specialist
SEO (search engine optimization) specialists work to make sure websites appear in search engine results. This mostly involves analyzing a website’s written content and deploying specific language to optimize search results. SEO gigs are well suited to students studying marketing, digital media, or website design.
20) Sell your stuff!
Social media is a marketplace as much as it is a portal to connect with your high school pals. So if you’ve got something to sell, leverage the power of social media for your side hustle. If you’re an artist, you can sell your work or accept commissions via social media. If you’re a designer, you can use platforms like Instagram or TikTok to both market and sell your products.
Remote Jobs for College Students – Additional Resources
