Best student summer jobs 2023
Summer is the perfect time to get a temporary job and earn some money ahead of the new academic year. To help you get started, here's a list of the best summer jobs for students.
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Looking for a summer job? We know of loads that can boost your CV and earn you decent money.
Your first stop should be our part-time job search. You'll find a huge range of jobs that are perfect for students in your area.
And if you're hoping for some inspiration, we go through a list of the top summer jobs below. Some, you may well have thought of already. Others are a bit more surprising – but could be ideal.
17 top summer jobs
Here are the best summer jobs for students:
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Retail work
If you're able to find a job in a shop, this is a great way to earn cash over the summer.
You might even be able to keep the job when you start studying again, just with fewer hours.
When it comes to retail work, there's a wide range of options. You could consider supermarkets, high-street chains or independent stores.
Think about which shops are best suited to your interests and career goals. For example, if you want to work in publishing, see if there are any local bookstores that have job vacancies. Or, if you're keen to go into the food industry, you could try to get a job in a delicatessen.
This way, you'll be able to gain relevant experience for your CV, while making money.
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Work abroad
Keen to travel and make money? See if you can find a summer job overseas.
We go through some different jobs to consider in our full guide to working abroad. A few examples are:
- Becoming an au pair for a family
- Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL)
- Working as a holiday rep.
You could also look into working for an American summer camp. These are great ways to teach your favourite hobbies while seeing the USA (and earning money in the process!).
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Work in a restaurant, cafe or bar
Whether working as a waiter/waitress, behind the bar or in the kitchen, hospitality jobs can be perfect for summer.
Some companies (especially chain restaurants) have good employee benefits like free food.
Have a look for jobs in cafes, bars and restaurants in your area. Small independent businesses are likely to advertise job vacancies by placing a sign in their window, so keep an eye out for these.
And you can find loads of hospitality jobs for students by clicking the button below.
Make sure you're familiar with the tax facts every student should know. -
TV or film extra
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Ever thought about working as an extra for a film or TV show?
It's a great part-time job to do during term as it usually involves flexible hours. But, as you can earn around £80+ per day, being able to work more hours during your break from uni could make this a very lucrative summer job.
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Festivals and events
If you're keen to go to events and festivals this summer, but you're short on cash, there's a pretty good solution: working at them.
You might be able to find paid summer jobs at some events. Have a look at job sites to see if you can find any opportunities that suit you.
At music festivals, though, it's common for students to work on a voluntary basis and get a free ticket instead of earning money. It's such a good way to save money on festival tickets that you'd otherwise pay for.
The voluntary roles can include things like cleaning up litter, giving out wristbands and selling programmes.
You can usually volunteer for festivals via charities. Oxfam, for example, has a good festival volunteering scheme.
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Temp work
When looking for a summer job, it can help to sign up with a temp agency. They should be able to help you find short-term work contracts with good rates of pay.
There can be a huge range of roles available as temporary contracts. You might find opportunities that involve admin, customer service, sales, warehouse tasks, working on reception and more.
You could gain some valuable experience through temp work that would look great on your CV.
A good place to find flexible and temporary roles is Indeed Flex (link below).
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Work for your university
Working for your university is easily one of the best jobs for students – and not just during term time.
Over the summer, you might find there's work available at your uni in loads of different areas, like accommodation, admin and events.
Chat to the careers team or student services to find out how to apply for summer jobs at your uni.
You might also be able to find temporary jobs at unis by searching on job sites like CV-Library.
Unsure how to find the right job for you? See our tips on how to get a part-time job. -
Pet sitter
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Spending time with animals like dogs can be great for your mental health. So, as long as you love animals, it'll be hard to find many summer jobs that are better than pet sitting.
We have a whole guide that covers the key info about making money from pet sitting. If there's anything you're unsure on in terms of insurance, earnings or how to get started, that page should answer your questions.
Some of the top sites for finding pet sitting jobs include Care.com, Tailster and Cat in a Flat.
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Babysitter
Throughout the school holidays, many parents will be looking for babysitters to look after their kids during the work day.
As you'll have so much time off over the summer, babysitting to help out working parents could be an ideal summer job.
To find babysitting jobs, you could ask any parents you know whether they'd be interested in hiring you, like family friends and aunts/uncles.
Parents will likely prefer to hire babysitters who they already know and trust. And equally, if you already know the children you'd be looking after, it'll be easier for both you and them.
Before getting started, it's worth reading this guide to making money from babysitting. It includes info about DBS checks, where to find jobs and how much you can earn as a babysitter.
If you already have loads of work experience as a babysitter, you might be able to find summer jobs via sites like Care.com.
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Private tutor
Working as a tutor is great, both as a part-time job during term and as a summer job.
Tutoring is well-paid and looks impressive on your CV. It shows you're knowledgeable on your subject and skilled at explaining complex info in an accessible way.
See our dedicated guide for the key things to know before becoming a private tutor.
In the guide, we list a few of the top websites for finding tutoring work – one of which is Superprof. On there, you can find tutoring jobs both locally and online. Click the link below to head to their site.
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Admin work in an office
As so many graduate jobs are office-based, it's a good addition to your CV if you can gain experience working as an office administrator.
To find admin work, a great place to start is our part-time job search tool.
It could also help to use a recruitment agency.
And, to expand your search further, there are loads of temporary office administrator roles advertised on job sites like CV-Library.
A lot of these opportunities will be full-time. But, you might also find a part-time role that will fit around your studies when you return to uni.
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Cleaner
If you're able to clean quickly and to a high standard, this could be a brilliant summer job for you.
Working as a cleaner will likely involve cleaning homes, hotels, offices, Airbnbs and so on.
It's one of the best-paid part-time jobs for students. So, if you're able to keep the job on a part-time basis during term, it could make a big difference to your finances throughout the year.
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Work at tourist attractions
Summer might be one of the quietest times of the year for you, but it's the busiest time for a lot of tourist attractions. So, it's no surprise that summer jobs at tourist attractions are popular among students.
The types of roles available will vary depending on the attraction. But, as a general rule, you could expect tasks that involve working with the public. You'd need to be able to stay calm, polite and level-headed while working in a busy environment.
If that sounds like you, this could be the perfect job for summer.
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Labourer
Working as a labourer is another well-paid summer job.
It can involve tough physical work. But, if you love staying active and working outdoors, it's worth looking into.
Labourer roles can involve a range of tasks. You could be working in construction, events, roofing, window installation – essentially anything that requires manual labour.
If you're able to find a summer job with a company with a key area of focus (like roofing, for example), you could get trained as a specialist. As a result, your pay should increase.
This would help a lot, especially if you plan to keep the job on a part-time basis during term, or return to it on a full-time basis during the next holiday break.
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Paid summer internship
Paid student internships are, unfortunately, difficult to get. But, if you're successful in applying for one, it could provide you with invaluable work experience.
Focus on the companies you'd love to work for after uni. Have a look at their websites to see if they advertise summer internships. If they do, check whether there's still time to apply.
The applications often close pretty early. If you've missed this year's deadline, put it in your calendar so you can be one of the first to apply next year when applications open again.
Not able to find info about internships on a company's website? Contact them directly. Look online to find the best person to reach out to, and ask if there would be a possibility of you working for them over the summer as an intern.
If you're successful in applying, follow these tips on getting the most out of the internship. There's a chance it could lead to a graduate job, so do everything you can to impress them.
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Make money online
If you're looking for more flexibility than any of the above summer jobs offer, look into how to make money online.
There are loads of things you can try. Here are a few examples:
- Start a website
- Try affiliate marketing (e.g. on your website, on social media or in newsletters)
- Become a blogger
- Answer paid online surveys
- Make money watching videos
- Start a YouTube channel
- Make money as a freelancer via Fiverr.
These are far from the only options. Click the link below for more ideas.
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Start a business
Do you have a business idea? Summer is the ideal time to work on it.
Make the most of having so much free time, and work on developing your idea and drafting up a business plan.
We've got loads of tips on how to find startup funding, along with a step-by-step guide that talks you through how to start a business.
Your uni years really can be a great time to start a business, as we know first-hand. Save the Student's founder, Owen, launched the site during his first year at the University of Manchester. Head to our 'about' page to read more about the story of how Save the Student started.
Here are the companies that offer the best employee benefits.
