Do you want to make some extra cash? The gig economy has made it possible to turn these gigs into full-time income and have the flexibility that most just dream of.
Read on to find out the best gig economy jobs and how you can get started.
Top Gig Economy Jobs
Check out these gig economy jobs to see if one (or more) might be right for you.
Technology has changed significantly and now you can easily work for yourself. These jobs give you the flexibility to work when you want and wherever you want.
1. Deliver Restaurant Meals
In today’s busy world, people often turn to restaurant delivery to eat a good meal. Doordash hires “dashers” to bring restaurant meals from restaurants to customers.
When you sign up to be a dasher with Doordash, you drive your car and deliver food to customers. In some markets, Doordash even allows scooters, bicycles and walkers.
This is what you need to become a Dasher for DoorDash:
- Valid drivers license
- Valid insurance
Dashers have to sign a contract to deliver, so you have to be at least 18 years of age.
After you sign up and download the Doordash app, you get notifications of available deliveries.
Pay is based on the order, and Doordash will show you the pay amount (not including tip) before you accept or reject the order. If you earn a tip (many dashers do) for good service, you keep 100% of that tip.
2. Drive People Around
Another way to make money with your car is to deliver people to their desired destinations. Similar to a taxi service, companies like Lyft provide personalized ridesharing service to clients.
As a rideshare driver, you’re responsible for giving clients a safe, comfortable and enjoyable ride. As with Doordash, rideshare driving companies tell you what the pay is before you accept the ride.
The pay depends on where, what time of day and how often you drive. Drivers typically get a designated pay amount for the trip, and often earn tips as well.
Related Post: Can You Make Money Driving with Lyft and is it Worth it?
3. Deliver Groceries
As a Full Service Shopper for Instacart, you’ll get groceries for people and deliver the groceries to them. You get paid based on the specifics of the trip such as the order amount and distance traveled to delivery.
In addition, many Instacart shoppers earn tips as well. If you like the idea of shopping for and delivering groceries to people, this might be a great way for you to make extra cash.
4. Complete Surveys
One popular work from home gig is completing surveys and doing other get-paid-to (GPT) tasks. These gigs don’t pay as much money as some of the other options listed here.
However, they have other benefits. The tasks are usually quick to complete, and you can do them in your spare time even if you just have a few minutes.
Check out Survey Junkie which is one of the highest rated survey sites out there.
5. Virtual Assistant
Another option for making money by working from home is to work as a virtual assistant.
Examples of job duties:
- Technical maintenance and/or management of their blogs
- Writing, editing or proofreading content for their blogs
- Social media management
- Daily calendar management
- Sending emails and/or making phone calls
Kayla Sloan makes over $10,000 per month working as a virtual assistant.
According to Kayla, beginning virtual assistants start around $12 an hour.
Possessing experience and skills can increase the pay to as much as $60 per hour or more.
If you like the idea of working from home in an assistant-type of a role, consider working as a virtual assistant.
6. Freelance Writer
Do you have a gift or talent for writing? Why not work from home as a freelance writer? Personally, I’ve worked at home as a freelance writer for nearly six years now.
I typically write for blog owners and business owners who need content for their websites. After building up a reputation in the blogging community, I get to choose my clients now.
Pay for freelance writing is based on what the client is willing to pay. It can also depend on how quickly you write.
For example, most writing clients pay by the word. If you make 5 cents per word and write a 500 word article, you’ll make $25 for that article. If you can finish the article in an hour, you’ve just earned $25 per hour.
The freelance writers I know make anywhere from $15 per hour to $50 per hour or more. Experienced writers can make over $100 per hour.
You can find freelance writing jobs on sites such as Upwork, or by offering your services directly to bloggers.
7. Rent a Room in Your Home
One option is to rent a room in your home. You could even rent out your entire home if you have a place you can go and stay while renters are there.
Sites such as Airbnb help you advertise the room or home you have for rent.
Business and leisure travelers like using sites such as Airbnb for a couple of reasons. First, the rates tend to be equal or less than what you’d pay for at a hotel.
Second, home or apartment settings are often more comfortable than hotel settings. People like the idea of sleeping in a home-like space.
The money you can make when you rent out your home or a room in your home depends on a few factors. For instance, it depends on where your house or apartment is located.
It also depends on the time of year, the amenities offered at your home and in your general area.
My friends Steve and Annette earn money with Airbnb – about $1500 every month. Check out Airbnb in your area to find out what similar rooms or homes are renting for.
This will give you a general idea of what your space could rent for.
Related Post: The Ultimate Airbnb Checklist: 14 Ways to Get More Bookings
8. Rent Your Storage Space
Do you have a garage spot, yard spot or basement space you don’t use? Why not rent it out on Craigslist or sites like it? Your garage or yard space can be used to rent storage for people for their cars, boats and similar items.
Or you can rent your garage or basement space for people to store miscellaneous personal items.
We suggest looking up similar storage fees at professional storage garages. Charge less than what a professional space would charge in order to attract renters.
You can find renters by reaching out to family, friends, Facebook or on Neighbor as well.
9. Handyperson Work
Do you have a knack for doing handyperson type work? Are you good at fixing leaky faucets or assembling things? If so, you could become a tasker for TaskRabbit.
When you work as an independent contractor for TaskRabbit, you choose your jobs. After downloading the TaskRabbit app, you get notifications of jobs in your area.
Examples of jobs might be to help someone move, to mount a TV or to assemble a small item. You choose the job you want to offer to do, and work out the pay details with the client.
TaskRabbit collects the money from the client after you submit an invoice. Then, TaskRabbit pays you every week.
You could consider starting your own handyperson business too. You could find jobs by looking through gigs on Craigslist, or advertising your services on Craigslist or Facebook.
It’s not uncommon to make $100 in one day by doing handyperson work.
10. Babysitting/Petcare
Last but not least, another popular gig economy job involves caring for kids and/or pets. If you’re great with kids, you could start a babysitting service.
If you’d rather care for animals, you could start a pet sitting service or a dog walking service. You could advertise on online sale sites like Craigslist or Facebook, or start by advertising to family and friends.
You’d choose the rate of pay you expect to receive and design your own schedule as you choose. Another advertising venue exists on a site called Care.com.
Create a profile for a variety of care gigs including:
- Babysitting
- Pet sitting
- Senior care
- House cleaning
It’s free to create a profile on Care.com, however, they have an upgraded account too. You can find information on their Premium account by creating your own account on the site.
Care.com screens all applicants, so having a profile on this site could help you gain credibility quickly. In addition, many people use this site to find trusted care, so it could offer you more gig opportunities.
11. Online Tutoring
It’s possible to find tutoring jobs for grade school, high school and college students. You will have the most success if you’re proficient in the “hard” topics like science, advanced mathematics or college entrance exams. However, you can tutor in just about any subject.
Teaching foreign students is another enticing possibility when you have teaching experience. This tutoring side gig also requires a flexible schedule as your students are on the other side of the world.
Starting a tutoring business is easy as you don’t need special certifications like teaching full-time. There may be in-person tutoring options available within your local community worth exploring and earn as much as $1,000 per month.
12. Proofreader
Proofreading general correspondence and transcripts is a lucrative task as you get to be the extra set of eyes searching for typos and grammar mistakes. For example, you can correct errors in blog posts, brochures, white papers and other widely-broadcasted material.
You can find one-time assignments through freelancer platforms like Upwork, work with agencies or cold pitch companies directly to offer your services.
In most situations, no special training is necessary with the exception of legal and medical transcripts. Additionally, Proofread Anywhere is offering a free online course highlighting the best ways to land proofreading gigs.
13. Transcribe Audio and Video
Companies and podcasters like to outsource transcriptions to freelancers that have the skill to convert audio recordings into the written word. You can earn more per audio minutes by drafting video subtitles and translating captions for foreign films.
If you have a legal or medical background, consider exploring legal and medical transcription which require relevant professional experience to start. This assignments pay more too.
There are several ways you can become a transcriber and joinging a platform is usually the best way to find reliable work. Most beginner transcription jobs don’t require special skills or equipment but you should consider getting a foot pedal and special software to become more efficient.
14. Graphic Designer
Those with an eye for detail and a creative mind can utilize their gifts as a graphic designer. The options are nearly endless but typically include t-shirts, home decor, logos and websites.
Creating a designer account on Redbubble lets you feature your designs in your own online store. It’s also possible to make proposals for project requests. You can use the platform’s software to make your mockups meaning there are no startup costs.
Customers can also reach out to you through Fiverr to create art for personal and business projects. For instance, I have hired freelancers to create graphics for one-time projects including ebooks and social media images.
15. Rent Out Your Car
Consider renting out an extra car that’s often sitting idle in the driveway. You can also lend out your primary vehicle on the days you don’t need it.
Turo makes peer-to-peer carsharing easier as you can work directly with renters. Contactless pickups are possible when you park the cars and leave the keys in a public spot such as an airport parking lot.
Most platforms offer liability insurance during the rental period to protect your asset. Your guests can enjoy complimentary roadside assistance so you can stay home when expert help is needed.
Your earning potential depends on the vehicle type and your local market. Understandably, newer and premium vehicles earn more. Full-time rentals can earn from $5,000 to $12,000 per year.
16. Housesitter
It’s often said that it’s best for houses to be lived in instead of sitting vacant when the owner is traveling or won’t be visiting a second home for an extended period.
By house sitting, you can make sure that the property is safe and sound while making money. For example, the owner may pay you to water the plants, feed the pets and mow the lawn. You can also make sure that all appliance run properly and no structure damage after storms.
There are several platforms that let you connect with homeowners that need your help for a couple of weeks or longer. This is an interesting side hustle for college students and those who are between jobs or permanent residences.
You may also look for opening in cities you want to explore and live rent-free. It’s also an easy way to stay temporarily stay closer to firends or family needing help while letting you earn income.
17. Be a Mystery Shopper
Teaming up with mystery shopping companies lets you make money and get paid to shop or eat. First, you anonymously visit the business, complete different tasks, and write a brief report about your experience that the company uses to improve their operations.
Most opportunities are for restaurants and retail stores. At first, you will have small purchases but more luxurious gigs open up as you gain experience and provide quality insights.
Some of these mystery jobs are also phone-based when you don’t have the time to go out in public.
18. Be a Photographer
Working on the side as a nature or event photographer can help you take stunning photos for individuals and business. Mirrorless cameras can get the best photos, but high-end smartphones and drones also play a part to take photos for money.
Wedding photography can be a lucrative income stream year-round. You may also consider offering videography if the newlyweds want an HD or 4k moving picture to commemorate the event.
There are several places to sell photos online and receive royalties when someone uses your images in a campaign. Some outlets also post openings that let photographers submit images where the best ones receive payment.
Depending on the platform, you may be able to sell backgrounds and vectors. These digital products are worth considering if you’re proficient with image editing software.
19. Answering Questions
If you’re a fount of knowledge, it’s possible to put your brain to work by answering questions for money. Real people want to help from content experts about concepts and solving problems when a web search won’t work.
Some of the topics include finance, law and home improvement. You can also answer school-related questions from students or product-specific inquiries from potential buyers.
Having a relevant educational degree or work background helps you qualify to be a paid responder. You will receive questions as they are asked so some weeks can be busier than others. Most platforms pay several cents per question and you can earn several dollars weekly.
20. Street Artist
If you can play an instrument, sing in tune or have another way to entertain strangers, being a street artist can be right up your alley.
There are numerous hobbies that make money when you have a public audience. Going out in the evening or during a downtown weekend event and staking your spot can be the best way to get started.
Trying out different spots across town can help you reach different audiences so you can earn more tips. Another excellent perk is that you have plenty of flexibility to perform and have fun during your free time.
21. Be a Bookkeeper
Bookkeeping from home is easier than you think as you can connect with businesses through Upwork and similar freelancing platforms. More companies are switching to independent contractors to reduce operating expenses.
This position can also pay $28 per hour on average which is a competitive rate for home-based side gigs. Having a degree in accounting, business or a similar discipline can make it easier to qualify for openings.
You can also take a bookkeeping course to learns the ins and outs of this income idea so you can provide competitive pitches to potential clients.
22. Charge Scooters
One way to make money with a truck in the big city is by charging scooters for Bird and Lime. During the evening, you pick up unattended vehicles, charge them overnight and return to a designated rental location.
You will earn a fixed dollar amount for each scooter. This can be a fun job if you like being out in the evening our early morning hours.
These working hours also make this an easy task to complete as a second job as it won’t conflict with day job with normal working hours. Additionally, you can work at your own pace.
Depending on the city, you may be able to charge scooters in markets where you’re traveling. This is one way to make a little extra money while you might be on vacation.
23. Test Websites
Businesses are constantly wanting to know how customers interact with their website. You can test websites by completing a series of tasks provided by the client.
Most tests take 30 minutes or less and require a webcam and working microphone as you will voice your thoughts as you navigate the platform. The testing website also provides screen capture software so they can see what your viewing and tapping.
If you’re an excellent reviewer, you might be invited to participate in live tests. In these sessions, a company representative sits in on the review and provides real-time instructions. These tests take longer but pay more.
Another web testing option for those with advanced computer knowledge is to search for programming bugs. Several sites have a bounty program with paid rewards if you find faulty code.
24. Be a Mover
If you have a strong back and can lift heavy furniture and boxes, you can help people move. Two examples include helping homeowners rearrange their house or loading a moving truck.
You can connect with clients on TaskRabbit. Facebook and other local selling apps are also reliable sources.
Moving and rearranging can provide steady income with a side hustle stack. One example of a similar income stream is offering furniture removal if you have a truck or trailer.
25. Clinical Trials
People living near college research centers can participate in clinical trials and research studies. You will need to have a qualifying background to be a paid panelist.
Your income potential depends on the study duration and the amount of time required.
Fortrea Clinical Trials (formerly Labcorp Clinical Trials) has testing locations across the United States. Qualifed volunteers can earn from $3,000 to $19,000 for studies.
There are other odd jobs you can pursue make money in unexpected ways.
Summary
As you can see, there are many options for making extra cash through the gig economy. Find the right one for you and start making money today.
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