Finding Work on the Side

As I've been pretty unemployed these last few months (to say the least), I thought I would have a look at what I could do as some side work to help earn a little cash during this time, and maybe even carry it on once I'd found a job.  A little bit of research showed that there are a number of things advertised as work you can carry out from home, but I was put off a number of them as I was pretty sure that my dyslexia would make them difficult to do.  After a bit more research these are the ones I took more of a look at.

UserTesting

This seemed like the perfect side job to me.  It comes in both the website form and as an app.  You register your account, carry out a few tests to see if you're suitable, and then you get sent websites to review and surveys to fill out which led to a cash reward.  Unfortunately, this hasn't really worked out that way for me as I never seem to fit the demographic they're looking for.  So, despite having it open on my laptop almost all the time I have it on, I haven't actually gotten any money from this.  However, that's probably not going to be the case for everyone.

ClickWorker

As with UserTesting, to set this up you register and then take a few tests to see if you'd be eligible for the work.  It also comes in the form of a website and an app.  I did have some issues at the start as my location (New Zealand) didn't match my nationality and they were worried about fraud, but a few emails later and that got sorted.  There have been a lot more things for me to do on this, which have mostly been surveys, but you don't get a lot of money for each survey so I can't ever see it being a big earner, even if you do it for hours at a time. 

Rover

This is a dog walking and sitting app/ website that allows you to look after other people's dogs.  I've looked after a few people's dogs, either in kennels, whilst house-sitting, for friends and family, and, of course, my own furry mooch, so I decided to give this a go.  It was pretty easy to set up and Rover does give you some cover in case there is an accident with the dog, though I still decided to take out extra insurance for peace of mind.  If I'm honest, I haven't had a big up-take and this probably isn't the best time to be starting this, but I have still enjoyed the walks and it has been a little money coming in at least.

Task Rabbit

This app looked really interesting and a good way of doing odd jobs here and there that get you some money in.  There are a few things that I could possibly do on it, though I don't necessarily have any qualifications and certificates the back up my abilities, just experience.  I'm also not too sure how much someone will want another person going to their home at the moment and I can't actually do that right now anyway, joys of Covid.  Due to that, I haven't actually finished registering with this app yet, but I will do so in a couple of months and I'll see how it actually ends up working out.

Shop and Scan

This is actually a little earner that I've been using for a few years now.  It's pretty easy to set up and once you have you just scan your food shopping every week and upload these barcodes to the website.  You get awarded points each time you do and, once you've collected a number of them, you can get gift cards either for online stores or activities.  I usually save these up until Christmas or birthdays so I can get better gifts.  This has definitely been worth it and, if you try nothing else, give this a go.

If I'm honest, these haven't really brought in a lot of money and I would actually question if some of these are even worth the time you have to put into them.  The Shop and Scan have definitely helped and the Rover could bring in some consistent income, especially if you could house-sit as well (which I can't at the moment).  However, the income from the other side hustles is pretty small right now.  I will look at other options and if I find anything worth the effort I'll let you know.