Side income that's worth your weekend
Twelve platforms for converting hours into money — selling, gig work, paid research, freelancing — ordered roughly by hourly rate, not by which one shouts loudest.
Skills & teaching
Tutorful
£25–45/hour for tutoring; demand outstrips supply every term.
British, well-known to parents, takes a smaller cut than MyTutor. Maths, English, sciences are the bread and butter. No teaching qualification required — a recent strong A-level grade is enough for GCSE work.
- £25–45/hour
- Verified profile
- Online or in-person
Fiverr
Skill-based gigs — design, copy, voice, video.
Best for repeatable, packaged services rather than custom client work. Voice-overs, podcast editing, simple logos. Takes a 20% cut; differentiate on speed and reviews, not price.
- Packaged services
- Global market
- 20% platform fee
Upwork
Freelance work — better for hourly client engagements.
Pay structure is hostile until you build reviews; first 10 jobs are the hardest. Once established, hourly rates routinely beat Fiverr's packaged pricing.
- Hourly contracts
- Long-term clients
- Sliding fee scale
Research & user testing
Prolific
Academic studies that pay £9–12/hour, reliably.
University researchers post studies; you take them in your spare time. The pay floor is usually £9/hour; well-targeted studies pay more. Fill out your profile in detail or you'll get few invites.
- £9–12/hour
- Academic studies
- Pay reliably
User Interviews
User-research interviews paying $50–200 per session.
Companies recruit interview participants for product research. US-leaning so you're paid in dollars; sessions are usually 45–60 minutes. Fill out screeners in detail to get matched.
- $50–200/session
- 60 min sessions
- USD pay
Respondent
Higher-paid research — £30–150/hour for your professional field.
Targets people in specific industries (developers, designers, doctors, etc.). Higher per-session pay than Prolific or User Interviews, but fewer sessions. Best as a top-up if you have a niche role.
- £30–150/hour
- Industry-specific
- Hour-long sessions
Gig work
Rover
£12–18 per 30-minute dog walk, two dogs is the arbitrage.
Largest UK pet-care platform. Walks, daycare, overnight house-sits. Working conditions are strictly better than the main job. Build up a few five-star reviews and you can fill a weekend.
- £12–18/walk
- Overnight stays £30–50
- Insured
TaskRabbit
Local errands and physical tasks — flat-pack, deliveries, moves.
London-heavy. IKEA flat-pack assembly is the highest-margin task; people pay £40–80 to avoid an afternoon of swearing. You set your own rate.
- Set your own rate
- London-strong
- Same-day work
Airbnb (host)
Rent your spare room or whole flat when you're away.
London hosts are limited to 90 nights/year for short-term lets without planning permission. Check your tenancy agreement and mortgage allow short lets before you list — most don't.
- Short lets
- 90-night cap (London)
- Check your lease
Resale
Vinted
No seller fees on clothes — a bin-bag is genuinely £80–300.
Free to list, free to receive payments. The failure mode is listing items at what you hope they're worth; the success mode is listing at what they actually sell for. Sort completed listings by 'sold'.
- No seller fees
- App-first
- Fast turnover
MusicMagpie
Sell old phones, tablets, and DVDs in five minutes.
Lower prices than eBay or Vinted, but instant offer and free postage. Best for things you would otherwise put in a drawer for two years.
- Instant quote
- Free postage
- Tech & media
eBay UK
Best for non-clothing — collectibles, electronics, vintage.
Higher prices than MusicMagpie, more effort. Auction format suits items where the market price is uncertain. Sort completed listings to set realistic reserves.
- Auctions or fixed
- Largest market
- Sold-price data