Side income sources are best when you are a student and hustling for some money. It will be great if you have a side passive hustle to earn extra money online or do some 1-2-hour gig jobs.
If you are a student hustling in your day-to-day life for some extra cash, then get ready. Because you are about to learn the top 10 ways to earn extra income online from your phone.
Before we start with our best side hustle ideas for students in India. You need to learn some crucial skills or at least have some interest in one or two hobbies. You must know that learning is the best way to survive your mundane life. It can be fruitful in terms of making some side income sources.
Now that we have given you the basic building blocks for your side income jobs. Let’s start with our top 10 best side hustles in India for a college student.
Top 10 Side Income Sources For Students
| Side Income Source | Basic Requirements | Additional Skills/Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Podcast | Storytelling, audio editing, microphone, recording software, basic editing skills, marketing & promotion | Interviewing skills, niche knowledge, social media presence |
| Stock Trading | Financial literacy, investment capital, trading platform, risk management skills | Market research, technical analysis, emotional control |
| E-Sports Streaming | Gaming skills, high-performance PC, streaming platform (Twitch, YouTube), engaging personality, audience interaction | Commentary skills, community building, editing capabilities (optional) |
| Content Writing | Strong writing skills, grammar & punctuation mastery, ability to research & understand diverse topics | SEO knowledge, target audience awareness, content management system (CMS) familiarity |
| Freelancing | Specific skills depending on chosen field (e.g., graphic design, web development, translation), ability to manage multiple projects & deadlines | Client communication skills, time management, self-marketing |
| Gig Jobs | Varies depending on the gig (e.g., dog walking, data entry, virtual assistant tasks), basic computer skills & internet access | Adaptability, problem-solving skills, attention to detail |
| Online Tutoring | Subject expertise, communication & teaching skills, internet access, online teaching platform familiarity | Patience, ability to tailor teaching to individual needs, assessment & feedback skills |
| Youtuber | Creativity, video editing skills, camera & audio equipment, ability to create engaging content | Niche knowledge (optional), social media presence, marketing & promotion |
| Photography | Photography skills, camera equipment, basic editing software | Knowledge of composition & lighting, understanding of target market, marketing & promotion |
| Affiliate Marketing | Marketing & communication skills, website or social media presence | Product knowledge, ability to build trust & relationships, analytics skills |
1. Podcast
In India, podcasts are in trend right now! Podcasts have been running for quite some time in India. Millions of people listen to podcasts every day in India. You might have heard some of these popular podcasts like Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, The Ranveer Show, Krishna – The Supreme Soul, etc.
There was a time when podcast monetization wasn’t available in India. But now many platforms are offering monetization including Spotify, Apple Podcast, Gaana, and many others. There is even a video podcasting is also available on Spotify. You can easily start your podcast with a few simple clicks and
Now in India, you can monetize your podcast very easily by asking for donations, paid membership tiers, serving your own ads, selling sponsorship, joining an advertising network, etc. There are multiple ways to earn money by using platforms in India. You just need to find your niche and give a maximum of 2-3 hours for two or three days a week can give you a side passive income to earn extra money.
Earning potential in the Podcast varies and depends upon your audience. Build a strong audience and you can grow from a couple of hundred to thousands in a month easily .
Did you know you can earn money by watching ads in 2024? Discover how to turn your screen time into cash today!
2. Stock Trading
For all the commerce and maths stream students this one is for you. If you are looking for the best online side hustles in India, then stock trading is one of the best ideas. Nowadays you can easily trade in stocks with your phone. You can even start with a small amount of money by investing in mutual funds and buying and selling stocks and shares.
If you have a thorough knowledge of the stock market then you can easily turn your knowledge into one of your online side hustles. And start earning in your student life. To start this side income you only have to give a few minutes to keep checking the market or an hour to learn about the stock market. And voila with a great interest and some knowledge, you can easily make thousands per month.
Again, the earning potential of the stock market depends upon your stock market’s deep insights and knowledge.
3. E-Sports Streaming or Online Gaming
If you have an interest in E-sports or Online gaming then you can turn your gaming hobby into your side hustle to earn online money. A larger number of YouTube population watch their favorite youtuber to play video games live. E-sports are becoming one of the mainstream to earn a hefty amount of money with every live video stream.
Where many YouTubers use the E-sports platform as a full-time gig. You can also make money while playing often with a sufficient number of subscribers. If you love to play online games and enjoy playing and finding quests. The number of people are out there who are ready to throw their money on you.
To make this work you need to be consistent with your live video. The best way to do it is to schedule it on a daily or weekly basis. To make money from E-sports make a premium account, ask for donations, endorse other channels or products, affiliate marketing, etc. Initially, you can earn upto Rs10000 a month or more based on your dedication.
Are you aware that you can earn money by playing games in 2024? Dive into the world of gaming and start earning cash today!
4. Content Writing
Content writing is another best freelancing job that can give you extra income. If writing is your hobby or passion you can easily earn some extra cash. These days many IT companies or websites are looking for content writers for copywriting jobs. Many Universities and colleges are also searching for academic writers to write academic notes or documents. You can find these kinds of jobs on several online portals and earn a side income. Fiverr, Upwork, and Indeed are some of the platforms to find content writing jobs.
You can even write your blog using many blogging platforms or websites to start earning money. Content writing is one of the best online jobs in India for students right now. For blogging, you can use WordPress, WIX, and Medium.
Did you know you can get paid to read books? Start earning while you indulge in your love for reading today!
5. Freelancing
Freelancing is the best way to hone your skills in coding, developing websites, apps, designing, or writing. Thousands of jobs are available on the freelancing platform in every category. You can easily look into Fiverr, UpWork, LinkedIn, Freelancer, Guru, Toptal, etc.
Find the job that suits you and your interests and earn extra money online in India easily. Freelancing is the best online side income especially when you don’t have time to do a full-day job. All the jobs on the freelancing platform will only take a few hours depending on the work. And Voila! You have an earn a thousand or more in just a few hours as a student.
6. Gig Jobs
Gigs economy jobs are one of the best ideas to earn money. To understand the gig economy are kind of job that will only take a few hours of your daily routine and it doesn’t have to be online. In brief, a gig job could be anything from food delivery to personal grocery shopping, private tutor to Dog walker, Proofreader to virtual assistant. Gig jobs are the best opportunity to do multiple jobs depending on your interests, mood, or skills.
The best part is you will earn hundreds of rupees in 1-2 hours. Plus you will meet and greet new people, have experience with multiple jobs, and learn new things daily.
7. Online Tutoring
Like private tuition or tutoring, you can also earn money from online tutoring. Don’t worry you don’t have to be a grad or master’s student to fulfill the requirements of an online tutor.
There are many online platforms where you can be a private tutor if you are an expert in some subject or know how to play a musical instrument like guitar or piano. You can be an online tutor and start earning extra money online. Don’t worry if you don’t know anything we have a bonus for you. You can be a local language tutor for foreign students who want to learn other languages like Hindi, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, etc.
Start conversing with them in your local language or any other language you have expertise in and start earning extra money online with your studies.
8. Youtuber
YouTube is one of the legal and legitimate ways to earn a side online passive income in India. If you are a content creator or artist, or into vlogging and stuff then start your YouTube Channel.
Initially, you have to be consistent on YouTube but gradually you will see the results. This is one of the best passive online incomes in the world. You will even get paid for your old content if it gets successful in gravitate traffic. You can even make money with Google Ads or YouTube Ads, affiliate marketing, and much more.
9. Photography
We all have smartphones and click some selfies or random pictures daily. But if you have some good photos in your gallery. Then you can make money out of it. Sell your stock images on Getty, Adobe Stock, Alamy, and Dreamstime.
All these markets resell to other brands or websites which later use them as reference photos. By stocking your photos on this platform you will get money from a one-time sale or royalty money. If you are an expert in taking photos you can offer your services as a freelancer and earn extra cash. Photography is another best way of side income for a student in India to earn cash.
10. Affiliate Marketing Through Social Media
Affiliate Marketing is another great idea for a side income to earn online money in India. If you have a social media appearance and a couple of thousands of followers on your social media platform, then affiliate marketing is for you.
With the right content that can go viral, you can easily build your audience, which is your followers. Then you can attract local brands to endorse on your social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. You can use affiliate marketing platforms like Amazon to promote other brands and products.
To sum up Affiliate marketing, you promote other products to social media accounts. If your followers buy the product from the link you share, you will get a percentage of the profit. That’s how you will get paid for your brand promotion on your account.
Some Important Factors to Consider Before Starting a Side Income
There are some key features you need to note down-
- Time Management- You must learn how to schedule your time among all those classes, assignments, study time, and projects. With better time management, you will left with 2-3 hours to start your side income jobs.
- Learn Skills- If you are already an expert in some skills like writing, music, photography, or anything that interests you so much. Then congrats you can skip this step. You can turn your hobbies or passions into your side jobs to earn extra income. If you don’t have any hobbies or passions then learn some new things. The best way to find your passion is to try a couple of things and stick with one skill that you enjoy the most.
- Knowledge Management- Next and the most important thing is to gather all the knowledge you can. Before starting any passive or side income jobs to earn extra cash, you must have all the background details about that particular field. For example how it works, what tools you need, essential documents like a bank account to get paid, what platform you need, and how much work you put into it daily basis.
All these three things are the essential ingredients of your guaranteed and effective ways to earn extra income as a student in India.
So these are our top 10 sideways sources to earn money for a student in India in 2024. All these side ideas for some extra cash include some passive, online, or gig jobs. You can easily have a side extra income as a student in India if you keep consistent in your work.
