Top 10 High-Paying Part-Time Jobs Perfect for New Graduates

Publié le 24 June 2024 Par Amine Boussassi

Gain experience in the workforce and try different careers with the top 10 high-paying part-time jobs perfect for new graduates.

You graduated from college and earned your well-deserved degree. Congratulations! Now, it’s time to take a step into the workforce and find out which career is best for you.

When you hear “part-time job,” we know what you’re thinking: flipping burgers at McDonald’s, stocking shelves at Walmart, or delivering goods with Uber. But don’t worry. We’re not here to repeat the same old suggestions.

Our list of the top 10 high-paying part-time jobs perfect for new graduates goes beyond the usual. Some of these jobs don’t even require you to leave your comfy bed—yes, really!

But wait, maybe you should first figure out what part-time job is the right fit for you anyway.

How to Determine If It’s the Right Job for You

Don’t buy into the idea that you need to do whatever job comes along to gather experience first and can’t make decent money right away—it’s just not true.

So before blindly saying yes to the first offer you receive, make sure your part-time job ticks every box below:

Do your homework

You’ve heard it before, but we’ll say it again: do your homework on the company. Check out the work environment, the staff, the culture—everything. And if you land on LinkedIn and notice employees quitting every quarter, that’s a huge red flag—run away! 🚩

If everything looks good and the work atmosphere seems healthy, ask yourself one simple question: Does this job match my personal and professional career goals? If the answer is yes, go for it! But if your main objective is to network in the IT field, for example, working as a translator might not be your best bet.

Schedule Flexibility

Another invaluable criteria to consider before joining a specific job is schedule flexibility. Time is money, and so are resources like transportation, food, and other expenses. So, you have to decide if you can juggle your part-time job with any additional training or other commitments you have on the side.

Not everyone can land an online job or get hired by a company that operates remotely, and we get that. But if you ever have to choose between an on-site job and a fully online one, the decision should be pretty clear.

Salary

You could say that there are no high-paying part-time gigs, and we can agree, but then we’d both be lying!

So, needless to say, the part-time job you work for should pay fairly and in line with the average wage in the country you’re living in. Salary should obviously be the make-or-break factor before you accept any job offer. And if you’re offered something that doesn’t align with the minimum wage, well, sorry to tell you that they might just be trying to take advantage of you.

Top 10 High-Paying Part-Time Jobs Perfect for New Graduates

Here comes the interesting part! In this section, we’ll introduce you to what we consider to be the top 10 high-paying part-time jobs for new grads, so grab your pen and paper.

But before judging the book by its cover, take the time to research the potential earnings of each job we’ll mention below 😉

Summer Camp Counselor

To kick off our list of jobs, we’ve got to talk about summer camps. This seasonal job will be a great opportunity for you to meet and network with people from different backgrounds.

There are all kinds of summer camps—day camps, sleepaway camps, themed camps. A fantastic chance to showcase and share your accumulated skills with the campers. Theater, languages, kayaking, IT – Literally anything.

But it’s not just about networking and teaching. Research shows that camp counselors can earn up to $22.43 per hour.

Temporary Administrative Assistant

Since administrative tasks aren’t going anywhere, at least not in the near future, working as an administrative temp to kick off your career is a terrific idea that will introduce you to the real “workplace environment.”

As an admin temp, your tasks will revolve around staffing companies, verifying paperwork, training interns when employees are out of the office, and assisting with candidate selection. And you know what? It’s not as tough as you think.

Best of all? Apart from being a very flexible part-time job, it pays quite well. According to Salary.com, the average hourly wage for an Administrative Assistant in the United States is $22 as of April 24, 2024. Pretty amazing, right?

Fitness Instructor

If you’re passionate about health and fitness don’t wait for things to come up naturally — they never do, but if you take the first step, you can end up becoming a successful fitness instructor.

But of course, you need some relevant certifications and good interpersonal skills to turn your passion into profit. The average pay might motivate you even more: you can earn $50 per hour.

Independent Tutor

Another great part-time job is tutoring. You can tutor individuals or small groups in subjects like science, math, or languages—maybe all of them! It’s not just profitable but also flexible because you can schedule sessions to fit both your and your students’ timetables. And with most tutoring happening online these days, you can make money while enjoying the sunny weather of a beach.

Payment-wise, tutors typically earn an average of $25 to $50 per hour or even more, depending on the subjects they teach.

Night Auditor

If you’re a late owl who prefers to work late at night and have enough time to do your stuff during the daytime, then you probably should become a night auditor and assist guests in a hotel. Wait – what is a night auditor?

A night auditor is a person who handles end-of-day tasks, like managing reservations, handling late check-ins, processing guest payments, reconciling the cash drawers at the front desk, and preparing invoices for the next day.

As for the financial aspect, the average hourly pay for a Night Auditor job in the US is $19 per hour.

Freelance Photography

This one is a big piece of the puzzle that gets talked about less than it should, being a freelance photographer can be the epitome of “getting paid for doing something you love.” It obviously consists of taking photographs, doing professional photo shoots for clients, trading in photography equipment, and everything in between. If you have creativity and passion for visual expression, this could be a great career option.

With photography, the sky’s the limit, especially with the hype of digital marketing and social media content creation, and getting clients has been easier than ever. But just a friendly little tip: stick to a specific niche, and don’t try to be a jack-of-all-trades. Food, nature, modeling, sports—find your niche and own it.

Freelance Writer and Editor

Imagine getting paid to write about some topics and projects that fascinate you or working from anywhere in the world. Sounds amazing! That’s why freelance writer is one of the top 10 high-paying part-time jobs perfect for new graduates.

Freelance writers produce documents like blog posts, articles, social media content, and website content. They can also proofread and edit books, guides, or short stories for clients.

It’s always recommended that writers stick to one niche. Once their clients get a good experience, they will make the word-of-mouth magic recommendation.

When it comes to compensation, writers are usually paid per word count and can earn from $100 to $1000 per piece of content created, depending on their expertise and niche.

Graphic Designer

Visual media designing is no longer a new thing, but it still hits the mark. So, if you’ve got that creative design flair, you can crush it as a part-time or freelance graphic designer.

Your tasks can be creating everything from logos and flyers to business cards, thumbnails, covers, web banners, and even animations.

But becoming a top-notch graphic designer takes a bit more than just a knack for design. You’ll, of course, need to master the right design tools, create an online portfolio and take many design courses available on the Internet.

Real Estate Agent

You’ve probably heard the old adage “real estate value never decreases,” and the same goes for jobs in this industry. Even as a part-time job, you can potentially still earn more than seasoned full-timers ever do in their nine-to-five. And because it’s commission-based, you’ll earn based on what you sell.

As a real estate agent, you can get $50,000+ annually — all while having plenty of time for your hobbies. This is definitely the go-to job for outgoing individuals with a knack for sales and networking.

Virtual Assistant

People love delegating tedious tasks like data entry, especially when they have hectic schedules and the demand for this part-time job is very steady. So, if you’re a detail-oriented person who wants to get paid around $15 – $25 per hour, then your best bet is to become a virtual assistant.

This flexible job usually requires you to be fast, very accurate, and able to work on tight deadlines. Bear in mind also that you’ll face huge competition. So, you always need to have some techniques to market yourself and stand out from the crowd.

How Can I Land a Part-Time As a New Graduate?

When you start looking for a high-paying part-time job as a new graduate, you might feel a little perplexed. Don’t worry! With a bit of planning, you can land your first job, and job boards can be a great place to start. Employers are constantly posting opportunities there—whether it’s in-person, online, or hybrid.

Your network can also help you get there, and it works more often than you’d think, so try to reach out to your connections at job fairs or online through LinkedIn. You never know where your next opportunity might come from!