Best Side Hustles For Seniors
Not too long ago, having a “gig” to make money was basically relegated to people like actors and musicians. In the last 10 years or so, many different types of people have gig jobs – also known as a “side hustle” – to make money. This has become so commonplace that it is often referred to as the “gig economy”.
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While the gig economy originally started and revolved around younger people, now many seniors are also participating. By its nature, these gig jobs are what are called freelance jobs – not regular employment. For most of these jobs, the worker gets to choose how much and when they want to work – in other words, these jobs fit into a person’s schedule and needs, rather than the other way around. This is an ideal situation for seniors who are looking to make money on the side, without being tied down to the requirements of a regular job.
Another benefit of these types of jobs is that you can often be “working” a few of these at a time, providing not only more income opportunities, but also preventing boredom or monotony. Plus, the big benefit of having a great deal of freedom while still making some money. You can even choose a type of gig that will get you out of the house if you wish. Depending on your background and interests, you are likely to find a gig job that is both suitable and interesting. Listed below are the best side hustle jobs for seniors.
Tutors
Learning via the internet, also called distance learning or online education, has exploded in recent years. This has also created a huge number of openings for tutors in a large variety of subjects and for students of all ages. There are many online tutoring services that hire online tutors. They provide the students and collect the fees – you just need to do the actual tutoring. If you have prior teaching experience or a university degree, this can be a great fit for you. Depending on the subject and level of the student, these jobs often pay over $20 per hour.
Pet Sitter
Do you love animals? If you do, here is a great gig. There are numerous online agencies that hire people to do pet sitting for their clients. Again, they provide you with the client and pay you directly. The pet sitting can be done at the client’s home or at your home. Sometimes, these jobs also involve house sitting as well – for extra money of course. Pay for pet sitting is $13 per hour and up.
Photographer and Photo Editor
If you are already a “shutter bug” and own some decent cameras and equipment, then you are set to be a freelance photographer. This job entails taking the photos and often editing them. Some clients will just need the editing work. You can specialize in what you work on, such as children, weddings, parties, etc. There are also opportunities for doing commercial work – such as shooting products or locations. Pay is usually over $25 per hour, more for commercial clients.
Amazon Delivery Driver
Yes, the giant online commerce site hires people on a gig basis to help them make deliveries to their customers. These deliveries can usually be done with a regular car – but if you have a small truck or SUV, you will have more opportunities to make money. Of course, the need for this grows greatly during holiday season and around Mother’s Day and so forth. Pay is reported to be around $20 an hour.
Writer and Editor
If you like and are talented at writing, there are all sorts of jobs in this area. All the websites and social media pages and blogs that you see on the internet need written content created on a constant basis. That’s a ton of writing, therefore there are many opportunities for writers and editors. Writing talent combined with a certain subject expertise can land you some very nice gigs. Pay varies, but for skilled writers it can be over $20 per hour.
Bookkeeping and Accounting
There are many small businesses that outsource their bookkeeping and simple accounting needs to agencies and firms that hire freelancers to do the work. This kind of work usually requires some actual experience or education. Also, you need to love “crunching numbers”. Extra opportunities are available in this area during income tax filing season. Pay for bookkeeping is over $17 per hour and more for accounting work.
Rideshare Driver
Many seniors play taxi driver for rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft. If you like driving and meeting new people and you have a newer appropriate car, this can be a good way to make some extra money. This is also great because you choose when and where to accept rides, including when you’re out and about anyway in your car. Drivers can earn over $15 per hour.
