With tuition, textbooks, food and rent, it's easy for any university student to watch their bank account dwindle over the course of the year. The student loans add up, debt skyrockets and, at the end of four years, you're left with one diploma and dozens of bills.
It’s easy for anyone to say, “Get a job and work it off.” However, the reality is that a full-time student sometimes doesn’t have the necessary experience — and if they do, many don’t have the time to bus downtown and work an eight-hour shift. Even if you’re looking to work part-time for a little extra pocket money, many employers are only looking for full-time workers.
Luckily, we go to a university that offers a lot of opportunities for students to make a little extra cash without even leaving campus. Here's how:
Become a note taker
This could possibly be the most beneficial job that UBC offers. Simply attend class, take neat notes and send them off to the student in your class that is unable to take notes themselves. Not only does it make you some money, but it also makes sure you attend every class and take organized notes. Plus, you help out someone else with their schoolwork.
Pay grade: $337.00 for a three-credit course and $674.00 for a six-credit course (about three hours of note taking a week).
Help out the psych students
Psychology students are always running studies that often times just require completing a survey. For undergraduates, they sometimes offer extra credits as well. Once again, you will help out fellow UBC students by furthering their experiments while doing something fun.
Pay grade: Depends on the individual study – just visit here and here and check out their requirements.
Tutor
If you’ve ever met someone that says they have never have had trouble in any of their classes over the years, they’re lying. Even the hardest working students have trouble in classes that you may excel at. Teaching is the best form of studying – when you teach, you learn.
Pay grade: Make your own! Check around to see what other people are charging, then base your cost on that.
Drive around with AMS
If you don’t mind sacrificing some Friday or Saturday nights, then drive around and pick up students that don’t feel safe walking home alone at night with SafeWalk (check the listings here). This job is associated with the AMS and you get to work with at least one other driver which provides a little bit of company on slow nights.
Pay grade: $11.00-$14.00 hourly depending on the shift, 10-20 hours per week.
Check UBC job sites
Pages like the AMS job postings and UBC CareersOnline occasionally have some good gigs.
Pay grade: Varies.
All of these jobs are part-time and, while they don’t pay enough to cover your degree, they may at least help out with your textbooks, groceries or a night out in Vancouver.