Home Page

This post is from Grown and Flown

by Laura Hanby Hudgens | Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes

Do you have a college student who will be home for an extended winter break this year?

Are your students in need of money but don’t have time for a job during the school year? While seasonal retail jobs are often a great option, there are a few other ways for young adults to earn extra cash over the winter break.

How students can earn money over winter break

IT Help

Whether your student is a computer wiz or just a wiz on their phone, there’s a good chance they know more about technology than most adults over 50. Maybe your student can help people set up a new computer or install and troubleshoot software.

Perhaps they can set up a website or create and manage a blog. But it might surprise you how many people would be willing to pay someone to do technology odd jobs such as these:

• Syncing all their devices or remotes
• Printing their photos
• Finding and using helpful apps
• Using Zoom or FaceTime
• Editing photos
• Or simply learning new and helpful ways to make the most of their computer or phone

House and Pet Sitting

College students can make great house sitters. They are often responsible and reliable. And, let’s be honest, many would welcome a few days away from home during the long winter break. Just encourage your student to get all the necessary information by asking questions like these:

• Do your pets require any special care?
• Are any rooms or furniture that are off limits to your pet?
• Are there any household tasks I should accomplish while I’m here?
• What is your wifi password?
• Do you have a security system?
• Are there specific times during the day that I need to be sure I’m here?
• Do you have any scheduled services or repairs like lawn service or housekeeping while I’m here?
• How can I reach you?

Seasonal Work

There are many stores and institutions who need more hands on deck over the winter break. This is temporary work that may dovetail perfectly with your student’s school break. For instance UPS has thousands of jobs that they are filling for the holiday season including working in a warehouse, as a driver helper, or as someone who delivers packages in your own car. 

Household and Yard Help

Your student doesn’t have to be particularly tidy to be able to provide basic housekeeping and yard help. But even if they aren't interested in traditional house cleaning, your student could make money doing some of these seasonal tasks:

• Putting up and taking down holiday decorations
• Gift wrapping
• Hanging lights outdoors
• Polishing silver
• Raking leaves
• Shoveling snow
• Cleaning and organizing garages, sheds, or barns

Dog Socializing and Basic Training

Becoming a certified dog trainer can take up to a year and hours of coursework. But many amateur dog trainers are self-taught. It’s important for your student to be upfront about this with clients and let them know that they aren't a certified trainer.

But dog obedience classes are expensive. Some families, particularly those who only want basic socialization and manners training, are willing to employ an amateur trainer to save money–as long as they get results. If your student loves dogs and is willing to put in the time to read up on dog training or watch some informative videos, basic dog training might be a great way to earn extra money.

Personal Shopping

Many people, particularly the elderly, try to limit their outings during colder months. For the young adult who likes to shop, providing shopping (and returning) services could be an excellent winter break job. Encourage your student to market themselves as more than a delivery person or an errand runner but as an amateur personal shopper–for anything from holiday gifts to groceries.

Even with many stores offering pickup and delivery service, some people prefer someone who will contact them with questions about substitutions or even offer suggestions and gift ideas.

Get the word out

No matter how great your student's ideas are or how marketable their skills, they still have to find customers. For that, they might need your help. Many families aren’t comfortable with the idea of their young adult hanging up fliers or putting an ad on Craigslist. We want our young adults to make money, but we also want them to be safe. With the right marketing, ideally they can earn enough money just working for friends and acquaintances.

Social media is a great way to advertise, but if your students don’t have Facebook -- the preferred social media of the over 40 crowd -- you might have to post their “ad’ for them and let friends and family know how they can reach your young entrepreneur. Or better yet, encourage your student to start their own social media presence for their business that you can share with your contacts.

And don’t forget about good old fashioned word of mouth. Ask a friend to tell their book club what your student has to offer or your cousin to tell their friends. And apps like NextDoor can be a great way to let neighbors know about your student’s business. Finally, once jobs start coming in, encourage your student to ask satisfied clients to spread the word and to recommend them.

With an extended winter break ahead, many students will have extra time on their hands. Fortunately, with a little ingenuity and hard work (and maybe a little help from family members), they can turn that extra time into extra cash. And that is a win for everyone!