Being a college student, it is an undeniable fact that I need money - we all do. We are paying insane tuition costs. So, if you are like me, you are always looking for any side jobs and hustles to get a few extra bucks. But, as I do these I find myself always wondering how much should I charge people for me to do this job? So, I figured a lot of people like myself were also wondering this. So, I decided to do the work for you. Here are the 3 most common side/weekend jobs college students do and how much you should charge for it.
1. Babysitting/Nannying
Questions You Need To Ask Yourself:
- How many children do they have?
- How old are their children?
- Do you need to drive the children around a lot?
- Will you also be tutoring them?
Pricing: Each of those questions should make your rate change. If they have more children, you should charge more. If their children are younger, you should charge more (it is a lot harder to watch an infant who needs to have constant attention versus a 12 year old who all you had to do was pick them up from soccer practice and make sure they do their homework). If you constantly have to drive the children to and from practices, camps, schools, ect. you should see if they will reimburse for gas. If they will not, charge more. If you will be tutoring, charge more. The average babysitting charges around $10-$15 per hour. As a nanny myself, I charge $11.50/hr for 2 older boys who do not need constant attention.
2. Pet Sitting
Questions You Need To Ask Yourself:
- How many animals do they have?
- If they have dogs, do they require constant walks?
- Will you need to stay overnight with the dog?
- Do any of the pets require you giving them medicine?
- Are you only there to walk the dog and leave?
Pricing: Your rate should go up as the number of animals do. You should charge more if you have to take the dog on a walk every 2 hours versus if you have a lazier dog who only requires 1 - 2 walks a day, or no walks at all if they have access to their own backyard. You should charge more if you are required to stay over night. If you have to forcibly give the pet medicine (shoot liquids down their throat of give them shots), you should charge extra (giving them a simple pill in their food isn't a big a deal). In 2013, Angie's List said the average price of a day pet sitter was around $37 a day and CareHelper.com said the average of an overnight pet sitter was between $50 and $75 a night.
3. Tutoring
Questions You Need To Ask Yourself:
- What subject am I tutoring?
- How old is the person I'm tutoring?
- What is the timeframe for tutoring?
- How long will session be?
- Is this a one-time thing or will you be working together frequently?
Pricing: When it comes to being a tutor, it's all about focusing on just how serious your subject and subject matter are. For starters, what subject are you tutoring? Are you tutoring a child to learn the alphabet and shapes, or are you tutoring a high schooler to help them pass their chemistry exam? As the topics get more serious, you should be charging more, this goes hand in hand with the age of the person you are tutoring. When you tutor a five year old on addition, you should not be charging as much versus tutoring a 17-year-old on how to pass trigonometry. Next, wonder about your timeframe. Are you just helping them be better at the subject, or are you in a time crunch to help them in one month go from an F student to a C student so they can pass the class? As you have a more intense time crunch, charge more. How long will your sessions be? Charge more for longer periods of time. And lastly, how often will you be doing this? Is is a one time thing to help prepare for a test or a year-long thing to help them understand the material and pass the class? Care.com recommends that, unless you are a certified professional, you should charge between $10-$15 an hour.
