If you’re thinking about studying abroad, you may be worried about saving enough cash to make it to the end of the semester. Let’s face it, no one wants to spend their evenings inside their apartment eating noodles from a cup when they should be enjoying the local cuisine.

While some countries may allow you to work part-time legally, it can be hard to find a job that fits in with your study and provides a regular source of income. The last thing you want is to commit to regular hours and miss out on spontaneous student events, or not have enough time to study for exams. So if you want to find work that fits in with your schedule (not the other way around), check out these 5 online jobs you can do from anywhere:

1. Designer

Pretty much everyone has a blog these days and if you don’t have the money to create your own webpage just yet, you can start off with a simple WordPress blog or Facebook page. With the continued rise in internet subscriptions and smartphone users, the need for websites and apps has never been higher.

Which means that a good designer will never be without work. You can decide to specialize in websites, mobile apps, or graphic design and work the hours with the clients that suit you.

How much you’ll make as a freelance designer depends on how much work you’re willing to put in. You may need to make an investment in time to start off with, while you improve your skills and study the market.

The Catch?

You have to know about design. At least the basics, which means brushing up on some courses before you go. Try learning about basic design and how to make simple WordPress sites for free on YouTube, or pay for an inexpensive course on a site like teachable or udemy.com.

 

2. Translator

Being in a foreign country doesn’t make you fluent in the language. And being fluent in the language doesn’t make you a translator. But if you have language proficiency and time on your hands, you don’t always need a fancy qualification to translate for certain projects.

The more experience you have, the more you can charge and you’re qualified, you can apply to sites like Day Translations and forums, such as Translators Café. What’s the best thing about working as a freelance translator? You get to practice your language skills every day, while studying in the country of your choice.

The Catch?

You need to be fluent in two languages minimum and have a natural ability to translate. Not everyone has this gift – translating can be hard – but if you want to give it a try, there are plenty of companies crying out for this necessary service.

 

3. Writer

If you have a romantic image of writers, sitting down scribbling away in a book, then erase that from your brain if you want to make money. Writing tends to be undervalued and underpaid. It can be very hard to get clients when you’re first starting out and don’t have any published work to show.

But if you’re serious about writing, sit down and come up with a few articles that you think will be of interest for the sites that you like reading. Perhaps you can relate them to your area of study, or working and learning abroad. A lot of sites will take well-written posts and publish them. Not many will pay you, but you’ll get the benefit of your name in print and be able to show examples to future clients.

The Catch?

Not very well paid to start out with and you’ll need to write well, but also learn to write quickly. If you’re getting paid $15 an article and it takes you 5 hours, you’re not going to make much extra.

 

4. Programmer

Hand in hand with designers, programmers are always in demand these days. Especially good ones, so the more time you can dedicate to improving your skills and extending your portfolio of programming languages, the better.

While you don’t necessarily have to have a degree in computer science to be a freelance programmer, if you want to work with larger companies, you’ll be competing with people who do. But to kick-start your efforts at making part time money, try taking a course online and signing up to GitHub for peer support and advice.

The Catch?

You need a certain type of personality to be a programmer and not everyone has the patience. It can be quite stressful when people rely on you to make sure that their site functions correctly.

5. English Teacher

Teaching English will always be in high-demand, even if you’re in an English-speaking country, thanks to the rise in immigration. As the rest of the world tries to keep up with digitalization and globalization, everyone wants to learn English.

You don’t even have to do this face-to-face anymore or stand in classroom in front of a group of students. There are a bunch of companies offering English teaching online and you can teach per hour from the comfort of your apartment.

The Catch?

You’re not going to be a millionaire teaching English online, but it’s a relatively easy way of making sure you have enough money not to miss out on anything fun. Some companies require a university degree or TEFL course, so you may not be able to apply to all positions.

 

The Takeaway

Studying abroad can be the best experience of your life and enrich your future in so many ways. But running out of money and having to pass up on festival, concert, or outing can be frustrating.

With minimal effort, you can hone your skills, whether you like to write, speak languages, or are more tech savvy. Then you can use this knowledge to make money online from anywhere in the world. No visas, no commitment, just you and your computer managing your schedule.

 

Author Bio:

Sean Hopwood, MBA is founder and President of Day Translations, Inc., an online certified translation services provider, dedicated to the improvement of global communications. By helping both corporations and the individual, Day Translations provides a necessary service at the same time as developing opportunities for greater sympathy and understanding worldwide.