The Art of Side Hustle – Simple Ways to Boost Your Income

The pandemic-triggered boom in remote working, which has allowed more people to have greater autonomy during their working day, has led to an increase in the number of professionals taking up side work, either as creative outlet that they could monetize, or simply because they needed the money. And Barry Winkless, head of the Future of Work Institute at recruiting firm CPL, says the trend is here to stay.

“In the UK around 25% of people have some sort of secondary hustle, rising to around 40% in the US. like Fiverr and Upwork.

A survey of 6,000 UK and Irish professionals by global recruiter Robert Walters in May found that 8% earned extra money from side-hustling, a figure that rose to 11% for professionals earning between 25,000 € and €30,000.

“It’s definitely become more common this year,” says Suzanne Feeney, Ireland country manager for recruitment firm Robert Walters. “For some people, it’s a necessary evil, so employers should be open-minded about employees’ extracurricular activities.”

The rise of online platforms means it’s never been easier to start a side hustle. While Gen Z and Millennials use them to earn extra cash doing everything from dropshipping — where a third party makes and ships products you can market and sell online — to podcasting and managing a YouTube channel, these activities require a lot of time and effort. , which may not go unnoticed by your primary employer.

But you may have a skill set or asset that you can use to generate extra income without taking too much of your work week. Here are four:

boarding/pet sitter

Pet sitting, according to the Robert Walters survey, is one of the most popular side jobs among working-from-home professionals. In the past, getting into this side hustle usually required placing flyers in your locality to advertise for customers, but now platforms such as Gudog.ie and Pawshake.ie do this for you – in exchange for a commission.

This side gig taps into a growing market: Pet ownership has increased during lockdowns and now that many owners have had to return to the office and can travel overseas, they need reliable people to care for of their furry friends. People increasingly treat their pets like family and are often reluctant to use a kennel or cattery. If you’re fit, patient, and don’t mind carrying a poop bag or emptying a litter box, this is the side activity for you.

Just like Airbnb, you can create a profile on these platforms, set your own rates within a suggested range, and indicate your availability. You can offer a range of services, from day-to-day dog ​​sitting and pet boarding at your home, to pet sitting at owners’ homes and dog walking. Expect to earn €12-15 per hour for walking your dog, while 24-hour boarding can cost between €15 and €45, depending on the level of service and comfort you offer. When setting your rate, keep in mind that Gudog charges a transaction fee of 15pc while Pawshake deducts 19pc.

Rent your car

Fleet is dubbed “the Airbnb of car rentals” because Ireland’s peer-to-peer car rental platform allows motorists to rent their cars to others when not in use. Downloads of the Fleet app skyrocketed this summer after a shortage of traditional rental cars led to tourists receiving tempting quotes from car rental companies.

On average, a car is parked 96% of the time, so it makes sense to save a few pounds by renting it out instead of letting it sit in the driveway. While demand is probably highest in the summer, when foreign tourists are on holiday, Maurice Sheehy, the founder of Fleet, says there is a growing tendency for people who live in cities and towns to occasionally use their car through a third party rather than spending thousands of dollars a year owning their own car.

After downloading the Fleet app and entering information such as your address and IBAN number for payment, you upload a photo of your driver’s license, photos of your car, vehicle registration, tax details and the NCT. Fleet will pull information from an independent source to verify that this is your car and AXA provides the insurance for any use of the vehicle.

If you make your vehicle available for the majority of a month, you could earn up to $1,000, depending on make and model, Sheehy says. Fleet will take a 5pc commission from the owner.

Take care of children

If you have children or have experience in childcare, you can find work in your locality using Suresitter, a Dublin-based platform that connects parents with nannies, babysitters -sitters and local au pairs. It also offers cleaning and housekeeping services.

After creating a profile on the app – adding details such as your relevant experience and places where you want to work – you will be asked to verify your identity with a passport or driver’s license.

You can also secure the garda check through the app and, once received, display a “garda checked” badge on your profile.

For day care, you should earn around €50 per child, and up to €15 per hour for child care, depending on whether you live in an urban area and the demand for child care children in your area. The parents will pay you directly and you do not pay a commission.

Independent

If you’re proficient in things like writing, programming, web development, graphic design, voiceovers, video editing, or social media management, it’s easier than ever to land side jobs with to platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr, which match your specialty with small and large projects offered by clients around the world.

For writers, tasks can range from writing website content and blog posts to copywriting.

If you speak a requested second language, translation jobs are advertised on Upwork, and if you type fast, companies will pay you to transcribe the audio files.

TranscribeMe.com’s salary starts at $15 (€14.50) per audio hour. “However,” says Feeney: “You have to take into account the intensity of the labor – if the hours are long and unsociable, how long can you go on?”