Student Jobs

Finding student jobs can be a real challenge. On the one hand, you need a job that will pay a decent wage to help cover some of the many expenses college students encounter.

But on the other, your time (or lack thereof) can present an equally challenging environment as many part time jobs will conflict with other responsibilities like studies, extracurricular activities, and (let us not forget) living your life and enjoying the college experience.

While there’s no magic bullet to finding jobs for students, we’ve put together a great resource to help address many of the issues students face when looking for part time jobs. Whether you’re looking for a part time student job, summer work, or even full time opportunities, be sure to check out these student job resources.

High Paying Student Jobs For 2015

It seems like an oxymoron. Most of us don’t associate the phrase “high paying” with “student jobs,” but believe it or not, there are a few out there.

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of how to find jobs for students, we thought it would be helpful to cover a few popular trends in student work. Currently, these are some of the top paying part time jobs for students (source: NextStudent & the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics).

1. Paid Surveys (Popular) - If you are between the ages of 18-25, your opinion is in high demand. Learn how you can get paid for your opinion with our detailed getting started with paid surveys article. Average Hourly Pay: Variable

2. Computer Lab Assistant - If you know your way around hardware, software, and applications, you’re just giddy about printer hookups and toner changes, and you’ve got a knack for troubleshooting, becoming a computer lab assistant may be for you. Check with your computer labs on campus for available positions, and remember that the more technical knowledge you have the better. If none are available, consider selling your services online or to students, teachers, faculty, or the locals. There are several services like Geeks On Call where you call a 1-800 number and get charged per minute for technical help. Why not set up your own service? There are a LOT of people who don’t mind paying good money for technical help, and if you’ve got the chops, this could be a lucrative endeavor. Average Hourly Pay: $8 – $11 (on campus) $21.78 (off campus)

3. Administrative Assistant - It may not be glamorous, but admin assistants have some of the highest paying hourly jobs out there. Students have an advantage to finding these jobs due to the sheer number of faculty at a given campus. Many department heads, deans, or even professors will hire assistants to help with their busy lives. Check with your local career center or visit sites like Craigslist, CareerBuilder, and Monster. Average Hourly Pay: $19.57

4. Aerobic Instructor / Fitness Trainer – If you’re going to workout, why not get paid for it as well. Apply with your student rec center or get the word out that you’ll train for a fee. Check local gyms for training positions as well. Average Hourly Pay: $15.86

5. Mail/Print Center Attendant – Does your school have an on-campus center for printing, copying, binding, or mailing services. If so, this can be a great paying student job. Also be sure to check out FedEx Office (formerly Kinkos) if there’s one in your area. Average Hourly Pay: $12 – $13

6. Library Assistant – Whether your sorting, shelving, or organizing books, periodicals, or other materials, student library assistant jobs pay well and many times have some down time where you can actually study a little as well (ok, we all know that means Facebook). If one of your on campus libraries is not hiring – remember to check ALL the libraries at your school, many times there are smaller ones people don’t know about – be sure to check local public libraries as well. Average Hourly Pay: $11.42

7. Bank Teller – Even though these may be tough economic times, student bank tellers are typically in high demand. About 1 in 4 tellers work part time, and if your major is related to finance or accounting, this may be a good foot in the door for your career down the road. Check the major banks like: Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, but be sure to check other local smaller banks and credit unions as well. Also, if you don’t find anything on the websites of banks or credit unions, it never hurst to pay a visit personally. Many times, local management will know of things that may never be posted to the website, and taking initiative is always impressive to a potential future student employer (this is actually a good tip for any student job: if you’re looking online and don’t see anything open, pay them a visit in person). Average Hourly Pay: $11.36

8. Desk Attendant / Hotel Desk Clerk – While these are two different student job opportunities, they are relatively similar. Many campuses are hiring desk attendants to monitor traffic into and out of buildings be they dorms, libraries, classrooms or the like. If you’re a night owl anyway, this may be of interest to you. You’ll also have a fair amount of down time for even more Facebook studying. Hotel Desk Clerks are very similar, except…you guessed it…you’re working in a hotel. Major college campuses have a LOT of hotels, so be sure to research you local campuses and hotels for student desk attendant jobs. Average Hourly Pay: $8 – $10

9. Babysitter - Before you blow this one off, remember you need money! Babysitting is one of the oldest forms of work for young people, and responsible students make great candidates. Check you local and/or student newspapers for student babysitting jobs, and don’t forget to ask around as well. Babysitting is very much a word of mouth business, so if you do a good job, you should have plenty of work to keep you busy. Average Hourly Pay: $9.21 (5-9 years experience) $7.17 (1-4 years experience)

These are some of the highest paying student jobs for 2015, so be sure to pursue any or all of them if interested. If none of those are for you, here are a few tips to finding jobs for students in your area.

Finding Student Jobs

Landing that perfect student job is not impossible, you just have to know where to look. Remember, there are potentially thousands of other students in your same or similar position, so don’t always resort to the “normal” ways to find part time student work. Being creative in the job hunt can open exciting doors, so here’s a few tips to help.

1. Start Local

Although the internet has virtually changed the way students look for jobs, using local resources like your college career center or student/local newspapers are typically the best places to start. Many times local employers will resort to these two avenues to fill available student jobs. Increasingly the web is becoming an integral part to finding student workers, but it will benefit you to start your student job search on the local level first.

2. Use The Internet (but know where to look)

It goes without saying that the net is a great place to research student jobs, but chances are you don’t know where to start. Many of the frustrations students face when looking for jobs is pinpointing how and where to start their online job search.

While there are many internet based job resources, one we especially like for students is Snagajob. Billing themselves as the “Number 1 Place For Hourly Employment,” Snagajob was surprisingly easy to use. By simply entering your zip code, you’re presented with companies hiring in your area. You can then click to read the description and even apply for the job directly from the site (once you set up your free account).

Enter your zip code above, and get instant access to a list of available jobs in your area.

3. Be Persistent

Being persistent conveys to your future employer that you are serious and interested in the job. The key is to be persistent without being pushy. Some things you can do that will impress potential employers are things like:

• Be 5 minutes early to the interview.
• Dress business casual, even if that attire won’t be necessary for the job.
• Show individuality on your resume. Don’t make it look like a template from Word.
• Follow up with a phone call, letter to your interviewer, or both, stating your interest in the position.