When I was at school, “social media manager” was not a
part-time job that existed… because Facebook didn’t exist either.
If you wanted to make some extra pocket money, you either became a
tuition teacher even you were a child yourself (I have former
tuition students who are now married with kids), or you joined the
ranks of fresh-faced, barely-legal F&B workers and flyer
distributors.
If you’re not already some teenage programming whiz or
budding YouTube star and in need of a part time job to tide you
through secondary school/poly/ITE/university, here are some classic
options—and some of the challenges you’ll face.
This is the default part-time job of virtually every NUS
student, and has been for years, for a good reason. You won’t enjoy
the camaraderie with colleagues that you would if you were working
in a bar or at a roadshow, but in return you’ll get paid some of
the highest rates possible as a student part-timer. Depending on
what level you wish to teach, you’ll need decent O level, A level
or IB grades, as well as a true mastery of your subjects so the
parents don’t end up smelling a rat and firing you. JC and poly
students are often hired to teach primary school kids.
Rates: Rates vary wildly, but you can
expect at least $15/hour for kindergarten (yes kindergarten tuition
exists) or primary school students, and $20 and upwards for
secondary students. If you can teach at JC level you might be able
to command up to $35/hour as an A level grad.
Challenges: Few people realise just how
tiring giving tuition is. You’re talking nonstop for 1.5 to 2 hours
to an often unresponsive kid. It can be even worse for the tutor
than for the student, as the parents often hover around, so you
need to be on your best behaviour.
Tip: Some parents might have their own
assessment books, but don’t count on it. If you sat your own exams
not long ago, you may be able to fall back on past year papers from
your own school days. Otherwise, hit up Popular for assessment
books and Bras Basah Complex for past year papers. Don’t forget to
get reimbursed by the parents for your purchases.
Even if you know you’ll be earning a pathetic salary,
working in F&B can be rather rewarding as a bright eyed, bushy
tailed student.
So long as you don’t get a job at Old Chang Kee or
something, it’s likely you’ll be working with a whole bunch of
other young people between the ages of 16 and 25. Taking orders,
working the coffee machine and greeting guests can also be fun if
you’re young enough to have the energy.
There’s also the prospect of free food which, if you come
from a household where lunch means instant noodles, can be quite a
treat.
Rates: $6 to $10 an hour, with banquet
waiters and those doing late-night shifts at bars and clubs
garnering the highest rates. Interestingly enough, this hasn’t
changed much over the years—I remember earning $5 to $6.50 an hour
10 years ago.
Challenges: Other than the fact that
being on your feet and carrying heavy dishes and glasses gets
tiring, if the place where you work doesn’t have a good system for
identifying customers’ tables, you might find it surprisingly
difficult to keep track of customers and their orders, especially
at the start when you’re still getting used to how things work.
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself wandering around trying to
remember which customer ordered that spaghetti bolognese. If you’re
working at a bar it’s even harder to identify customers in the dark
when their orders are ready. Most companies require their waitstaff
to put all their tips into a tip box, and then vaguely tell you
it’s later shared with employees, although at my own part-time jobs
I never saw any of that money.
Tip: Volunteer for off-peak shifts if you
can’t handle the intensity of peak hour (lunch and dinner at cafes
and restaurants). If your employer has 4 hour shifts, 2 to 6pm is a
good window.
Spas, dental clinics, gyms and the like often hire
part-time receptionists whose main job is to pick up the phone,
help clients book appointments and greet anyone who enters. You
might also be made to sell packages.
Unless your workplace is particularly busy during peak
hour, this is a job that’s definitely one of the more relaxing out
there. I used to work the night shift at a spa back at school, and
there were times when only two or three customers would come in my
entire shift. I spent the rest of that time reading novels and
topping up the essential oils in their burner.
Rates: $6.50 to $10 an hour. The higher
paying jobs are often more intense, and you’ll have to be computer
literate which, if you’re even reading this, we’re sure you
are.
Challenges: If your job has a sales
component with commission, it’s going to be a lot tougher than it
is for those who just have to sit back and wait for customers to
call. Depending on your employer, you might be required to employ
pushy sales tactics, which isn’t for everyone.
Tip: If you work at a place with few
customers, bring something to do—do your homework in between tasks
or do some reading. At certain places it can be an hour before you
see your next customer.
This is one of the lowest jobs in the hierarchy of student
part-time options. I once spent a few days standing outside a
primary school distributing flyers for a tuition centre, but was
chased away by security.
This is a job that is both mind-numbing and tiring, and in
addition to being avoided by everyone on the streets, you don’t
have the advantage of free meals or colleagues you can hang out
with.
Rates: Few skills required, so expect to
earn $5 to $6 an hour.
Challenges: Other than the fact that
people are going to treat you like you’ve got leprosy, flyer
distribution is not allowed in many places, and you might be told
off by the police or security.
Tip: If you are serious about giving
out those flyers, smiling and making eye contact with people helps.
Don’t just flick the damn flyers suddenly at people like some
uncles and aunties do.
This is actually a pretty worthwhile part-time job option,
not only for students but also working adults who need to make some
quick cash on the weekends and don’t want to earn $5 an hour
waiting tables. The assignments are usually ad-hoc, so it’s a
low-commitment option, yet you earn an above average hourly
rate.
You’re usually made to man a booth hawking anything from
computer spare parts to weight-loss machines. You may or may not be
paid a commission for selling the products, but one thing’s for
sure—get ready to be asked lots of questions you will have no idea
how to answer.
Rates: $8 to $15 an hour
Challenges: Roadshow staff are usually
given minimal training, yet are expected to educate customers about
a product they had never heard of until 5 minutes before their
shift started. To make life easier for yourself, spend the first
hour trying to find out as much as possible about the product in
between interacting with customers. Read the brochures throughly
and familiarise yourself with the prices. Shifts are often full
days, and it’s pretty tough to bluff your way through 10 whole
hours.
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Students in Singapore to Earn Some Money appeared first on
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