The 8 best PhD side hustles | Earn money during your PhD

Summary

The video script discusses the financial challenges of pursuing a PhD and offers various strategies to supplement income without distracting from academic work. It suggests university-based side hustles, leveraging skills, and creating passive income streams. Examples include one-on-one tutoring, exam cramming sessions, selling digital products, marking exams, and participating in user testing. The speaker emphasizes the importance of not compromising PhD focus and finding ethical ways to earn extra money.

Takeaways

• 💰 The financial aspect of pursuing a PhD can significantly impact a student's experience, potentially making it more challenging due to the constant worry about money.
• 📚 PhD students often engage in side hustles to supplement their income, which can include various jobs both within and outside the university.
• 🔍 The speaker shares personal experiences and observations of other PhD students to provide inspiration for potential side hustles that align with academic life.
• 🚫 Side hustles should not distract from the main focus of the PhD; hence, the speaker emphasizes finding jobs that allow for continued concentration on studies.
• 🏫 Many of the suggested side hustles are university-based, which helps in maximizing time efficiency and minimizing distractions.
• 💡 The speaker advocates for not selling time for money but instead creating content and被动收入 sources, although acknowledging that this might not be feasible during the early stages of a PhD.
• 👨‍🏫 One-on-one tutoring was highlighted as a lucrative side hustle, especially for those who are good communicators and enjoy teaching.
• 📈 The speaker also mentions 'exam cramming sessions' as a valuable service that can be offered to students during exam periods, capitalizing on last-minute revision needs.
• 🎨 For those with creative hobbies, selling handmade products on platforms like Etsy can be a way to monetize personal interests.
• 🔬 Opportunities for PhD students also include assisting with marking exams, demonstrating in labs, and providing academic support services within the university.
• 💬 The speaker advises reaching out to supervisors and university services to express interest in teaching or tutoring roles that can provide additional income.
• 🌐 While not a fan of the gig economy, the speaker found user testing to be a relatively rewarding way to earn some extra money with minimal commitment.

Q & A

How does financial stress affect a PhD student's experience?

Financial stress can make a PhD much harder than it needs to be because it's always on the student's mind, potentially distracting them from their studies.

What are some criteria the speaker suggests for side hustles suitable for PhD students?

The side hustles should not distract from the PhD work, should be near the university to maximize time efficiency, and ideally involve exchanging time for money with higher pay and more freedom.

Why does the speaker prefer not to sell time for money during a PhD?

The speaker believes that creating content and having passive income sources are better in the long run, but during a PhD, it's more practical to stick with higher-paying, time-exchanging jobs due to the time constraints.

What is one-on-one tutoring and why is it lucrative for PhD students?

One-on-one tutoring involves providing personalized academic support, which is valuable to those seeking help and can command high rates due to the personalized attention and expertise provided.

What are 'exam cramming sessions' and how can they be a source of income for PhD students?

Exam cramming sessions are intensive study sessions close to exam times, where students pay for focused help with past exam papers. They can be a source of income because many students leave their revision to the last moment and are willing to pay for such help.

Why might selling digital products on Etsy be a good side hustle for PhD students?

Selling digital products on Etsy can be a good side hustle because it allows students to monetize a hobby that produces marketable items, like planners or jewelry, without requiring a significant time commitment.

How can PhD students get involved in exam marking as a side income?

PhD students can approach their supervisors or lecturers and offer to mark exams for them, using their subject knowledge to grade papers and provide feedback.

What opportunities does the speaker mention for PhD students interested in teaching?

The speaker mentions opportunities such as becoming a lecturer, giving workshops, teaching tutorials, and conducting lab demonstrations, all of which can provide additional income while utilizing the student's existing knowledge and skills.

How can PhD students help in student services and what benefits might they gain?

PhD students can help in student services by offering assistance with exams, essays, and foundational academic skills. This not only provides them with a side income but also allows them to utilize and share their academic expertise.

What is the speaker's view on the gig economy and user testing during a PhD?

While the speaker is not a fan of the gig economy due to its exploitative nature, they found user testing to be a useful and relatively well-paid side hustle during their PhD, providing an opportunity to earn some extra income with minimal commitment.

Outlines

00:00

💼 Financial Considerations for PhD Students

The paragraph discusses the impact of financial constraints on the PhD journey, suggesting that insufficient funds can add stress and distract from academic focus. To counter this, the speaker shares various strategies and side hustles they and others have employed to supplement income without detracting from their PhD work. These include university-based jobs and leveraging skills for higher-paying, time-flexible opportunities. The speaker emphasizes the importance of not letting part-time jobs distract from the primary goal of the PhD and highlights the value of using one's skills to generate income.

05:00

📚 Tutoring and Exam Cramming for Income

This section focuses on the lucrative opportunity of one-on-one tutoring as a means to earn money during PhD studies. The speaker shares their personal experience of advertising their services on platforms like Gumtree and charging competitive rates. They also discuss the concept of 'exam cramming sessions,' where they capitalized on the last-minute study needs of students around exam periods. These sessions involved analyzing past exam papers and were offered both individually and in groups, providing a valuable service to students while generating a substantial side income for the tutor.

10:01

🎨 Leveraging Hobbies and Academic Skills for Earnings

The speaker explores the idea of turning hobbies into income-generating activities, such as selling handmade jewelry on Etsy. They also mention creating and selling digital products like academic writing toolkits. Additionally, the paragraph covers opportunities within the university, such as exam marking and lecturing, which can provide a good income without being too distracting from PhD work. The speaker shares their positive experiences with lecturing and emphasizes the satisfaction of teaching and sharing knowledge while also earning money.

15:02

🧪 Lab Demonstrating and User Testing as Side Income

In this paragraph, the speaker talks about the role of a lab demonstrator in science-based PhDs, guiding undergraduates through practical lab work. They also touch upon the concept of user testing as a way to earn a small side income, describing their personal experience with platforms like UserTesting.com. The speaker expresses a general aversion to the gig economy due to its exploitative nature but acknowledges that user testing provided a relatively ethical and interesting way to earn some extra money during their PhD.

📧 Final Thoughts and Resource Recommendations

The final paragraph serves as a conclusion, encouraging viewers to explore the suggested avenues for side income and to share their own experiences in the comments. The speaker also promotes their newsletter, ebook 'The Ultimate Academic Writing Toolkit,' and the Insider Forum as valuable resources for the academic community. The paragraph ends with a reminder for viewers to subscribe to the newsletter and an anticipation for the next video.

Keywords

💡PhD

A PhD, or Doctor of Philosophy, is the highest academic degree awarded by universities in many countries. It is a research degree that involves the creation and defense of an original thesis, often taking several years to complete. In the context of the video, the PhD is central as it discusses the financial challenges and side hustles that PhD students might undertake to supplement their income during their studies.

💡Side hustles

Side hustles refer to additional jobs or ventures that someone takes on outside of their primary occupation to earn extra income. The video discusses various side hustles that PhD students might engage in, such as tutoring or selling digital products, to financially support themselves while pursuing their doctoral studies.

💡Tutoring

Tutoring is the act of providing one-on-one or small group instruction to students outside of a traditional classroom setting. In the video, the speaker mentions that one-on-one tutoring was one of the most lucrative side hustles for PhD students, allowing them to use their academic expertise to earn money while not distracting from their main research focus.

💡Exam cramming sessions

Exam cramming sessions are intensive study sessions held close to the date of an exam, aimed at last-minute revision and preparation. The video describes how the speaker capitalized on the panic of students who left their revision to the last moment by offering these sessions, which were well-received and a source of additional income.

💡Digital products

Digital products are items that are distributed in a digital format, such as ebooks, online courses, or digital art. The script mentions that some PhD students sell digital products on platforms like Etsy, turning their hobbies into a source of income, which is an example of creating passive income streams.

💡Passive income

Passive income is money earned with little to no effort by the recipient after an initial work investment. It often comes from investments or automated income streams. The video contrasts the concept of earning passive income with the active exchange of time for money, which is more typical for PhD students during their studies.

💡Lecturing

Lecturing refers to the act of giving a talk or presentation, often to a group of students in an academic setting. The video discusses how some PhD students take on lecturing roles, either as part of their studies or as a side job, to earn additional income and share their knowledge with others.

💡User testing

User testing involves evaluating a product or service by testing it with real users and observing their interactions and feedback. The video mentions that the speaker participated in user testing for websites, which provided a small but steady side income and was a relatively low-effort way to earn money during their PhD.

💡Gig economy

The gig economy consists of freelance or temporary work, often facilitated by digital platforms. The video expresses skepticism about the gig economy's ethics and exploitative nature but acknowledges that user testing, a form of gig work, was a useful side hustle for the speaker during their PhD.

💡Monetize

To monetize means to convert something into cash or profit. The video touches on the idea of monetizing hobbies or skills, such as creating and selling jewelry or digital products, as a way for PhD students to earn extra income without detracting from their academic pursuits.

Highlights

Financial concerns can make a PhD more challenging, as they are a constant distraction if not managed properly.

PhD students often engage in side hustles to supplement their income, such as part-time jobs or freelance work.

The ideal side hustle should not distract from the main focus of the PhD and should be conveniently located, often within the university.

Creating passive income streams is not feasible during the early stages of a PhD due to the time investment required.

One-on-one tutoring is highlighted as a lucrative option for PhD students, especially for those with strong communication skills.

Exam cramming sessions are suggested as a way to capitalize on the last-minute study needs of students.

Selling digital products or handmade items on platforms like Etsy can be a good way to monetize hobbies.

Marking exams for university lecturers can provide a steady side income with minimal distraction from research.

Lecturing and running tutorials are viable options for PhD students interested in teaching and can be financially rewarding.

Helping in student services, such as essay or exam help, can be a valuable way to use PhD skills to assist others.

Becoming a lab demonstrator allows PhD students to utilize their practical skills and teach undergraduates.

User testing for websites can be a low-commitment way to earn some extra money during a PhD.

The speaker expresses concerns about the gig economy and its potential exploitation of workers.

Despite reservations about the gig economy, user testing proved to be a useful side income source for the speaker.

The speaker encourages PhD students to utilize their unique skills to find side income opportunities that align with their interests and expertise.

The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to explore additional resources and engage with the speaker's academic community.

Transcripts

the financial side of doing a phd can

actually make your phd much harder than

it needs to be and that is because

finances run the world if you don't have

enough money to eat sleep have a

comfortable life it is always in the

back of your mind and so phd students to

supplement their income if they are on a

scholarship often uh do a number of side

hustles like they do a number of

different jobs either with the

university or independently or outside

of the university to earn some extra

money and so in this video what i want

to share with you are all of the things

that i did and i saw other people doing

during their phd which may give you a

little bit of inspiration now i selected

these things because first of all they

either worked for me or they satisfied a

few criteria

the first criteria is that it shouldn't

distract you from your phd now a job an

actual like part-time job can be quite

distracting you have a boss that's there

and says hey come on in i've got more

hours

earn more money all of that sort of

stuff can be relatively distracting so

you know i've chosen it so that you can

still focus on your phd or your studies

it also has to be near where you're

doing your phd which is why a lot of

them are university-based i think i

found that that is the most useful way

to maximize the amount of time minimize

distraction and have people come to you

um and

ideally like the way i view my money and

time now is i do not sell my time for

money like i don't have a job i create

content i've got blogs i've got a

passive income through a number of

different sources and

that isn't feasible during a phd

especially the early stages just because

it takes so much time to get to that

stage it takes at least two years to get

to a point where you've got multiple

streams of income where you could relax

and like not have to think about it but

up to that point it is like a full-time

job so i've purposely decided to stick

with the things that are exchanging time

for money but are higher

amounts of money and a lot more freedom

that's kind of what i've chosen so it's

not my ideal way of making money overall

it's just suitable for when you're doing

a phd and also it's all about utilizing

your skills remember as a phd student

you've done an undergraduate you've done

a master's potentially all of these

things mean that you are actually quite

valuable all right with that said now

let's take a look at all of the

different things you can do to

supplement your phd scholarship or earn

a side income during your phd or studies

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the first one and the most lucrative for

me was one-on-one tutoring now i used to

put an ad either in like gumtree just

like free marketplaces where i just had

like my rates and my qualifications

listed out to say this is what i've done

this is what i can do these are the

results i've got in my previous kind of

exams and i can help you do the same and

my rates were actually very high i tried

not to sort of like race to the bottom

my rates were always somewhere between

about 40 australian dollars and 55

australian dollars when once i kind of

got to the end of my phd and one-on-one

tutoring is really

valuable for the person who's buying

that one-on-one tutoring so if you are a

great communicator if you like teaching

if you've worked out little skills and

hacks that have helped you get to where

you are

one-on-one tutoring is actually a really

valuable

exchange of

of content and ideas that people are

willing to pay good money for so yes

one-on-one tutoring that is where i earn

most of my money and i can do a more

in-depth uh video on that if you wish

but ultimately that is where i would

start if you are a comfortable teacher

and confident in

speaking and

communicating ideas

so this is something that i always used

to do at the end of the year around exam

time and i called them exam cramming

sessions essentially i put up little

print offs with with tear off contact

details or i'd put an email out to

people just saying hey i am offering

cramming sessions now a lot of people

used to leave their revision to the last

moment and this is your opportunity to

capitalize on their um their panic

essentially you know in the business

world the bigger problem you're solving

the more demand they'll be and the

higher value people place on it so i

used to host these like only about two

weeks out from an exam

and i used to get all of the exam papers

from the past sort of like five years

and i used to advertise these as

one-on-one or group sessions where we

would go through the exam questions and

break them down i would get all of the

similar exam questions from the past

like five or six years and we'd go

through them one after the other and i

would charge you know anywhere between

about 30 australian dollars to 50

australian dollars per person depending

on the group size and i had heaps and

heaps of interest from this and this was

really valuable the great thing about

this is people can come to you i used to

do it at the end of my phd working day

and also it is in uni so i used to use a

lecturing hall or a workshop

kind of room to do these one-on-one or

group things and yes exam cramming

sessions where we only looked at past

exams we were super focused about the

answers and a lot of people really

valued them so consider doing that

a few people that i know used to sell

little jewelry things or digital

products on etsy now this is really

great i think i didn't do this during my

phd but i do it now see with my ebook

the ultimate academic writing toolkit

like i have these things that i have

made that i can sell multiple times it's

an info product and it is really quite

valuable if you have got something like

that you can put on etsy even if it's

like a daily planner a

revision kind of scheduler all of these

things can be put up online and people

will purchase them someone else also

used to create jewelry they used to take

circuit boards strip them down put them

in epoxy turn them into earrings

necklaces broaches all sorts and put

them on etsy now this was their hobby

this was a hobby that they were able to

monetize but if you have a hobby that

produces something that people like um

you know it could be a good thing to do

in the evenings if you're doing it

anyway you could monetize it now i'm not

a huge fan of being like you should

monetize your life but during a phd if

you can look for those little things

that you enjoy doing that produces

something that you could sell then why

not win win win for everyone um but yeah

you know i'm not a big fan of um the the

gig economy or saying that your entire

life needs to be commoditized in some

way or earn you something you know but

if you do have a hobby and during your

phd you can earn a little bit of money

from it why not

during the later stages of my phd i

would actually mark exams now i used to

approach supervisors i used to approach

lecturers in the department and i used

to say hey do you want me to mark your

exams for you and what they used to do

is give me the ideal answers for example

i did it for inorganic chemistry i did

it for organic chemistry i did it for

physical chemistry i did it for the lot

and what i did is like they they did the

exam they gave me the ideal answers and

where the mark should be

um sort of put and then i would just go

through each exam and i would use

obviously my chemistry knowledge of

being oh that's close that's not or

that's the wrong answer that's kind of

partly there so i'll give it a half mark

like all of those things require your

skills um from your undergraduate to

understand what's going on so i used to

take the ideal answers and the 100 or

200 or 300 exams and i used to just mark

them and by the end after the first by

20 you start to know where the marks go

and you can just do it automatically so

i did exam marking reach out to

different lectures to see if they do

want to have you help with that because

they don't like it they're busy doing

grant applications and other things and

just by going in dropping a line saying

something like hey

exam time is coming up have you got

anyone to mark your exams or are you

going to do them yourself all of that

stuff can actually lead to a good little

income that happens at the end of the

year doesn't distract you but it can

actually result in a fair amount of side

income

i approached my supervisors and i said i

want to become a lecturer or a teacher

and they were like that is great here

are some things and that's all it took

so i actually ended up doing some

lecturing into chemistry 101 which i

absolutely love like i love lecturing i

actually applied for a couple of

lectureship positions i didn't get

because of politics and internal

applicants and all of that sort of stuff

but um i did really enjoy my time

lecturing i did really enjoy my time

giving workshops and you can earn good

money for them for every lecture i gave

i'd get preparation time money then i'd

have the lecture time money then i have

marking if there was anything to mark

afterwards so doing workshops doing

lectures is feasible you've just got to

let people know that you're actually

interested in doing that sort of stuff

and my supervisors were very keen on

getting rid of some of their things i

actually taught a masters

level lecture series in my postdoc where

i got to talk about my research my

skills my solar cell experience and talk

about

the process of my research and that was

like also cool because i was sharing my

part of my phd with people who were

doing masters they were super engaged it

was really fun it was a small small

cohort but overall getting paid to

lecture on things you already know about

is fantastic and one of the best

lectures i ever gave was in front of

like 300 people and it was scary

initially but it was just like it was

fun i really enjoyed getting up and and

talking about which is why i think i've

ended up doing the sort of things i've

done for my career

and yes uh if you want to give lecturers

uh if you want to

teach tutorials i used to love giving

tutorials where you know a certain

subset would come in and we'd go through

questions and

lecture materials i'd always make sure i

did exam stuff as well so they were

always doing exam questions from the

very start of the year people really

liked it so yes getting paid by your

university to lecture and to run

tutorials is really feasible you just

have to let people know that that's what

you're interested in and they will find

opportunities and help you look for

those opportunities as well

some people that i know during my

postdoc and they were phd students were

actually helping student services as

part of the main part of the university

in student services there were things

like exam help there was essay help a

lot of people with english as a second

language would go there to help you know

formulate their essays formulate their

their math skills

you know bolster some of the really

foundational

academic skills that you need to get

through university and they were paid as

tutors as workshop facilitators for that

service so speak to the main sort of hub

of your university if there is student

services reach out and say hey i'm

interested in helping students come

through i'm a phd student here and you

may find that there's a perfect

opportunity for you to help with maths

with help with english to help with any

sort of like academic thing like you

know just problem solving writing essays

coming up with theses reading academic

papers all of those things can actually

be taught and may be useful to the

central hub the central student services

in your university so reach out to them

and it may be a perfect opportunity for

you in the sciences at least there were

labs

students had to do practical labs to

pass their degree and so i would become

a lab demonstrator that involved three

or four people in a lab making sure

people don't hurt themselves guiding

people through the the physical and the

technical expertise that a chemist

should build whether it's titrating

whether or not it's distilling whether

or not it's crystallizing whether or not

it's um separating all of that's really

fun and you get to teach people in

undergraduate labs so if you are doing a

science or a lab-based thing there are

normally a load of opportunities to go

and demonstrate the skills in the labs

while people are doing their

undergraduate uh lab-based skills stuff

so yes reach out let people know you're

interested in that stuff and it can be a

little bit scary and sometimes you don't

actually know all the answers because

you know a first-year

science experiment is very different

from what you're doing now but you know

the little bit of reading and you do it

for a couple of years everything just

kind of locks in and makes sense and

sometimes i didn't know the answers to

the questions and i don't know i'll go

ask i'll go find out and that was

absolutely fine but yes demonstrating in

a lab could be a good opportunity if you

are in that sort of subject

i've purposely stayed away from online

and like gig economy stuff i don't think

it is a ethical way of hiring people of

working it just seems so exploitative

but there is one thing that i did that i

actually found very useful the money was

very very sort of uh you know it was

very little at the end of the month i

think the most i ever earned per month

was about 200 or 300 us dollars per

month and it was user testing where you

go on you have your computer on you log

into their portal ding something goes

off you click on some some questions and

it says yes you can take this test and

you take the not a test but the user

testing you go onto a website you go

through some tasks you talk your

experience aloud what you're thinking

where you should go it takes about 20

minutes for each one and for each time

you do that you get 10 us dollars and

it's kind of good i liked it it was

interesting to see how the web

development stuff worked and i used user

i think it was usertesting.com

it was very professionally run i did

another one called user analytics i

think

and that one wasn't as good but overall

i think user testing can be good if you

are sat at home of an evening you have

your your laptop on ding goes off you

could earn yourself 10 u.s dollars which

when converted into a range of other

money

currencies can be relatively good pay

per hour

you don't get many opportunities at

least i didn't but they sort of snowball

as you get more and more five star

reviews from people who you've done user

testing for so not a big fan of the gig

economy not a huge fan of exploiting

workers not giving them insurance

not giving them any security not

guaranteeing contract hours all that

sort of stuff but during a phd user

testing actually did work out relatively

well for me

so there we have it there are the little

ways that you can make a side income

during your phd let me know in the

comments what you would add to that and

also go check out academiainsider.com

where i have my ebook the ultimate

academic writing toolkit which has been

receiving some excellent reviews thank

you so much and also it is host to my

academia forum my insider forum so go

check it out and also remember to sign

up to the newsletter and i shall see you

in the next video

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