51 Side Hustle UK ideas (Practical Tips You Need To Know!)
What more and more people are beginning to realise is that their wage does not need to be their only income and are looking for side hustle UK ideas!
This notion is what has given rise to the ‘side hustle’ – which refers to a job on the side that makes you some extra money while you’re also working.
Side hustles are a great way to use some of your skills to make some extra cash in your free time, and this article is going to give you 50 ideas for how you can get started!
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What can I do as a side hustle UK?
- Start a blog
- Create an online course
- Sell your clothes
- Become a delivery driver
- Online surveys
- Tutoring
- Become a driver
- Fiverr
- Translation
- Dog walking
- Pet sitting
- Babysitting
- House sitting
- Mystery shopping
- Freelance illustration
- Logo design
- Transcription services
- Proofreading and editing
- Selling books
- Rent out your spare room or property on Airbnb
- Teach music
- Research Studies
- Cleaning
- Gardening
- Removal services
- Sell items online
- Start a YouTube channel
- Freelance writing
- Watching videos
- Sell artwork
- Make jewellery
- Start a class
- Become a function musician
- Decorating
- Matched betting
- Focus groups
- Sell custom designs
- Photography
- Sell baked goods
- Music mixing
- Driving instructor
- Walking tours
- Open an Etsy store
- Become a virtual assistant
- Teach English
- Publish an e-book
- Drop-shipping
- Website testing
- Modelling
- Enter competitions
If wanting to save up that little bit of cash to get your side hustle off the ground, check out our no-spend challenge.
How can I make extra money on the side UK?
1. Start blogging
It is true that when starting a blog it can take a while for it to become lucrative, but once you build up an income from it, you can start earning even when you aren’t actively working!
If you are new to blogging, Create and Go Launch Your Blog Biz Course as part of the Blog Biz Bundle is genuinely one of the best blogging courses available for someone looking to start a blog and learn how to make their first £1,000 online.
See the Launch Your Blog Biz Course Here!
2. Create an online course
If you have something that you feel you could teach confidently to others, then writing your own online course could potentially earn you some great passive income as more and more people sign up for it.
Skillshare and Udemy are excellent platforms to create your online course. Skillshare operates on a royalty system whereby you get paid for each minute of your course watched. Udemy pays you a fixed fee per class.
3. Sell your clothes
Something that there is always a market for is second-hand clothing, via platforms such as Depop, eBay or Vinted. You can either sell clothes that you already have and no longer wear, or even buy clothes to sell for profit to make it a more sustainable side-hustle!
4. Become a delivery driver
Platforms such as Uber, Deliveroo, Doordash, Postmates and Just Eat offer great options for picking up extra work when it’s convenient for you, making it a super flexible way to earn extra money.
5. Online surveys
Many people don’t realise how many side-hustle options can be done simply sitting in front of the computer. Online surveys are a legitimate way of earning money and you can do them any time you have a few minutes to spare! Websites such as Swagbucks and Curious Cat are among the most popular for making money online.
6. Tutoring
If you’re looking for a sustainable side-hustle for a significant second income, then setting up an online tutoring business is certainly something to consider. Check out our online tutoring article for more information on how to get started!
7. Become a driver
If you have a car already, you can become an Uber driver to make extra money in your spare time.
8. Fiverr
Fiverr is a freelancing platform where you can put up ‘Gigs’ and offer up your skills to make money. You can offer pretty much any service on there, and clients will find you based on what they search for.
9. Translation
If you know two languages, then why not put them to good use and offer a translation service? Jobs can be found via LinkedIn or on forums like Translatorscafe and Proz.
10. Dog walking
For animal lovers, dog walking is the perfect side hustle – you get paid to hang out with dogs! Either set up your own registered business or use a service such as Rover to get started.
11. Pet sitting
Similar to dog walking, you can also make money from looking after other people’s pets in their homes! This can be while they are out or at work, or for longer spells if the owner is on holiday.
12. Babysitting
There are so many apps out there now that can help to connect you with parents who need a babysitter. These apps and sites, such as Sitters.co.uk and Bubble, mean you can choose how much babysitting work to take on to suit your schedule.
13. House sitting
Homeowners who want to ensure that their house and/or pets are safe while they are away will often look for someone to stay there in their absence and keep an eye on things – this is a great way to make some extra cash, especially if you work from home already!
14. Mystery shopping
Sites like MarketForce make mystery shopping a super easy side-hustle to start, plus it’s a lot of fun! Often, on top of getting paid, you will be able to keep products or have free meals as a part of the job also!
15. Freelance illustration
If drawing is your skill then why not use it to make a bit of cash on the side? Put your services and rates on a freelance platform like Fiverr, or ask around people that you know!
16. Logo design
Whether you have design experience or are simply a creative person, logo design can be a quick way to make extra money. There will always be businesses that need a logo to be designed or redesigned, so you can find work fairly easily this way!
17. Transcription services
Transcribing as a side hustle is the perfect option if you’re looking to control your earnings and earn money from anywhere in the world!
18. Proofreading and editing
There are always going to be people who need work proofread or edited – from students who need a fresh pair of eyes on their academic work to people writing in a language they aren’t as comfortable with. This is a great way to pick up extra bits of work here and there when you can.
19. Selling books
Flipping books – buying cheap books and selling them on for profit – is a tried and tested means of making extra money. Simply source some books in clearance or sale, and sell them on a platform of your choice!
20. Rent out your spare room or property on Airbnb
If you have a spare room in your home, or you own another property, letting it out to people on a short term basis can bring in a significant second income.
21. Teach music
If you have a talent, it can likely be used for your side hustle, and knowing an instrument is no exception! Run one-on-one classes either in person or online, and work it around your schedule.
22. Research Studies
If you search a bit, you can pretty much always find some kind of research group looking for participants. The topic of the research can be anything, from market research to psychological studies!
23. Cleaning
Apps like TaskRabbit have opened up a whole new world for those looking for side hustles. Now you can make money simply for cleaning someone’s house or car!
24. Gardening
In a similar vein to cleaning – doing someone’s gardening is another way that you can make money around your day job or on the weekend!
25. Removal services
If you’re able to lift heavy items and have access to a vehicle with plenty of space, you can make money by offering a removal service for an hourly rate!
26. Sell items online
If you have things in your house that you no longer need, you can sell them online for money. To make this a more long-term side hustle, you can buy items cheaply and sell them for profit, for example on eBay.
See our 13 genuine ways to make money online here!
27. Start a YouTube channel
Youtube is one of the most popular platforms out there, meaning that people are always looking for new content to watch. Videos such as tutorials and how-tos are always popular, so try thinking of something you could advise people on and go from there!
You don’t need to spend a fortune on expensive gear to start a YouTube channel. If you have a smartphone with a camera, just use that!
28. Freelance Writing
If you’ve got a way with words, then freelancing writing can be a perfect way to earn a little extra cash on the side! Plenty of platforms such as Fiverr or Upwork offer great platforms where you can find clients looking for anything from website copy to ghostwriters!
29. Watching videos
Watching videos and ads has become an increasingly popular way of earning money in your free time. The flexibility of this method is pretty much unparalleled as you can watch videos here and there whenever you have the time and earn money while you’re at it!
30. Sell artwork
Many people will ask for specific commissions from artists, such as pet portraits or landscapes, and if you have a style that people like then it can be a great way to earn while doing something you enjoy.
31. Make jewellery
Platforms like Etsy make it incredibly easy to sell things that you have made, and jewellery is one of their largest categories. Jewellery can be made using affordable materials meaning you can profit easily!
32. Start a class
If you have a specific skillset, why not share it with others and make a bit of money while you’re at it?
33. Become a function musician
Function musicians are able to charge a comparatively high hourly rate and predominantly work nights and weekends, making it perfect if you’re fitting your side hustle around your day job.
34. Decorating
If you enjoy interior decorating or you’re handy with a paintbrush, painting people’s houses can be a brilliant way to make money. Once again, the hourly rates you can charge make this a particularly lucrative side hustle.
35. Matched betting
Matched betting can take a little while to figure out, but once you do it can make you a lot of money in a short space of time.
36. Focus groups
Joining focus groups (where you are asked questions based on something specific to see what reaction it elicits) can make you a lot of extra money. Sites such as paidfocusgroup.co.uk are a great place to start.
37. Sell custom designs
Selling custom designs for things like tattoos or mural templates, which are unique to each customer, is a great way to be able to charge a little more for your art. Platforms such as Instagram and Etsy are both very effective for this.
38. Photography
Got an eye for photography? You can sell your photographs to websites such as Shutterstock for others to use!
39. Sell baked goods
Having a kitchen in your home means that you have the opportunity to sell unique and custom cakes from your house. Custom cakes for occasions are always wanted and you can promote them for free on social media!
40. Music mixing
Another excellent freelancing opportunity is music mixing. Many musicians will not know how to mix their own music, and therefore will need to send a track to someone who can. You can also raise your rates as you gain good reviews and recommendations.
41. Driving instructor
If driving is one of your strengths then becoming a driving instructor on the side is a great option for you. Driving instructors are always in demand, so finding customers won’t be a problem!
42. Walking tours
Living somewhere with plenty of tourists? Why not register with a walking tour company and make some cash showing people around where you live!
43. Open an Etsy store
Etsy provides a great platform for selling pretty much anything you could imagine. Many people use it as a way to sell crafts that they make themselves, but it’s also a great place to sell other things that you have in large quantities, such as vintage clothing!
44. Become a virtual assistant
If you already work from home or freelance, becoming a virtual assistant can fit into your schedule very easily. Once you have customers, you can expand your network and take on as much or as little as you like.
45. Teach English
Even if you have no teaching qualifications, there will always be people out there looking to improve their English skills. This means that if English is your first language, you can start teaching others.
46. Publish an e-book
Whether it’s a novel, short story or informational non-fiction book, writers can make some good money from self-publishing their books on the Kindle store and other eBook platforms.
Amazon KDP has made the process of publishing a book (ebook & hard copy) accessible to most people because you don’t need to pay for expensive editing and can self publish at a relatively low cost.
Check out our post on how to self publish a book using Amazon here!
47. Drop-shipping
Drop-shipping means that if you are selling a product, you don’t make the product until the stock has already sold. For example, if you are making earrings to sell on Etsy, you would only make a pair after someone had already ordered them.
This allows you to make money selling without worrying about making too much product.
48. Website testing
Sites such as WhatUsersDo get people to test websites and pay them for it. All it entails is clicking around a specific site and seeing how easy it is to use or find a product within it.
49. Modelling
There are always agencies looking for different kinds of models for products; modelling goes much further than the fashion modelling that comes to mind, and is much more accessible than many people realise.
50. Enter competitions
There are hundreds of online competitions going at any given time, where you will have the opportunity to earn cash, PayPal credit, vouchers and more!
51. Invest in the stock market
Investing in a Stocks and Shares ISA regularly in low cost diversified funds can be a great way to generate additional income. Investments can rise and fall and you may get back less than you put it.
See how to building an amazing low cost stock portfolio here!
If you have any questions on side hustle UK ideas, please leave a comment in the section below. We would love to hear from you!
