The latest data from Statistics Canada shows that tuition costs are rising across Canada, with an average cost of $6,834 for an undergraduate student for the 2022/2023 school year.
Everything from base tuition to books and lodging has gotten more expensive, which has pushed many students to pursue a side hustle or search for an online job to make extra money.
If you’re looking for the best online jobs for students in Canada that are also flexible, then you’re in the right place!
Below, I’ll show you some great online job options that will fit into your busy school schedule and allow you to earn some money on the side.
What Are The Best Online Jobs For Students?
It can often be hard to balance work with your studies. When I worked as a waiter during college, I would work full-time through my summer break and switch to a part-time schedule once I started classes up again.
It was one of the few jobs that offered the flexibility of hours I needed to keep up with classes.
The internet is a game-changer for students, though.
There are a plethora of online jobs for students that don’t require any college degree and often pay as much as (or more than) traditional post-college careers.
For example, a creative freelancer with no college-level education or diploma can earn anywhere from $20 to $40 per hour by applying skills they can learn for free on YouTube.
Other online jobs could involve starting your own small online store or working a part-time virtual job for hourly pay.
As a student, you should look for the following characteristics in an online job:
- Flexibility of schedule (so it doesn’t interfere with your school)
- Learning opportunity
- Good pay
- Something that you can apply your major to (if possible)
The Best Online Jobs For Students In Canada (2022)
Are you ready to start earning some extra money? Here’s a thorough list of some of the most legit online jobs for students in Canada.
1. Proofreader
- How much you can earn: $15 to $23 per hour
- Knowledge or skills required: Speed-reading, grammar, word processors
If you’re an English major, obsess over grammar, or just enjoy reading, then a job as a proofreader should be right up your alley. These online positions are typically freelance jobs that you can find on freelance sites like Upwork or Freelancer.
As a proofreader, your job will entail reading through blog posts, articles, and even school research papers.
You’ll usually be given a certain formatting standard to follow, and it will be your job to check for any imperfections in the work, making notes for the editor.
Proofreaders are often paid piecework-style, based on how much content they read through or the length of content that they’re proofreading.
To learn more about this fun an easy online job, I recommend checking out the Proofread Anywhere course.
This simple course will teach you everything you need to know to become an online proofreader and start earning money on your own time.
2. Freelance Blog Post Writer
- How much you can earn: $20 to $45 per hour
- Knowledge or skills required: Writing, grammar, word processors
Freelance writers create the content that proofreaders go over. Being a freelance writer isn’t cut out for everybody and involves a lot of focus and mental attention.
However, if you enjoy writing (and can write quickly), then this is a great online job for students.
As a freelance writer, you’ll usually write blog posts for established niche websites.
Depending on your interests and knowledge, you could end up writing on everything from cybersecurity to nutrition. Freelance writers are typically paid by the number of words they write.
Assuming you can write an average of 1,000 words per hour (which is standard), you can easily earn $25 to $30 per hour for simple posts and upwards of $45 per hour or more for more advanced posts.
To learn more about how to become an established freelancer, check out my four-step guide to freelancing in Canada!
3. Social Media Manager
- How much you can earn: $10 to $20 per post
- Knowledge or skills required: Social media applications, marketing, trends, photography/videography
Being a social media manager can be as simple as making daily posts for a business or it can involve developing complex social media marketing strategies. The good news is that there are plenty of opportunities for everybody, regardless of your skill level.
As long as you know some basic marketing principles, can take a good photo, and understand how to use the latest social media apps, you’re good to go! You can earn an average of $10 per social media post if you’re just offering a basic posting service.
Alternatively, some businesses and influencers are looking for a full-time social media manager to handle comments, messages, and create a consistent posting schedule. These more involved positions typically offer higher pay and require you to be consistent.
4. Graphic Designer
- How much you can earn: $20 to $35 per hour
- Knowledge or skills required: Photo editing, illustration, art, design
I have a cousin who’s currently going to school for graphic design. Once they learned all of the basics, he became a freelance graphic designer to make some part-time money while in school.
If you’re on the same track, then this is a great way to earn some extra money while gaining valuable real-world experience in your chosen field!
Graphic design jobs can be as simple as creating a flat logo for a client or could involve using web software like Canva to create charts and graphs for social media applications.
The best place to find freelance graphic design jobs is on Fiverr or Upwork.
5. Data Entry
- How much you can earn: $15 to $20 per hour
- Knowledge or skills required: Math, typing, spreadsheets
If you know your way around programs like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, then data entry is one of the easiest online jobs for students in Canada. I’ll admit – the work is a bit dull.
You’ll mostly be entering numbers into spreadsheets or transcribing audio clips into the written word. However, you don’t need any advanced skills and plenty of part-time positions are available.
6. Call Center
- How much you can earn: $15 to $18 per hour
- Knowledge or skills required: Conversation, tech support, patience
Working for a call center is an easy part-time job that you can do at home working from your cell phone or through a laptop. You can apply to work with large companies, and you’ll often get to choose your own hours. You can expect hourly pay, and your daily job will involve picking up phone calls and redirecting customers or helping them solve their problems.
7. Virtual Tech Support
- How much you can earn: $20 to $30 per hour
- Knowledge or skills required: Basic understanding of computers and technology
Working as a virtual tech support agent is a step up from your average call center job. As a tech support agent, you’ll often be engaged in lengthy phone calls.
You’ll answer questions about various products, guide the customer through using them, and redirect them when necessary. Products you’ll offer support on could be anything from computers to light systems.
These virtual tech support positions are relatively easy to find on Indeed and typically offer hourly pay and flexible hours.
8. Video Transcribing
- How much you can earn: $15 to $20 per hour
- Knowledge or skills required: Writing, word processors
Video transcribing is a fairly straightforward online job for students that simply involves listening to an audio or video clip and transcribing the spoken word. Content creators often hire transcribers to create subtitles for their videos so that they can be overlaid on social media or translated into other languages.
Transcription jobs can be found on most freelancing websites. However, you may also have some luck finding a steady-paying job on Indeed.
9. Virtual Assistant
- How much you can earn: $20 to $25 per hour
- Knowledge or skills required: Organization, communication, working with files
Virtual assistants are the new secretaries. As a virtual assistant, you’ll generally work part-time helping small businesses by organizing files, answering phone calls, scheduling clients, and replying to emails.
This position is great for social individuals who know how to manage their time, are organized, and have solid communication skills.
This can be a very rewarding online job for students and can give you some great work experience that you can list on your resume, especially if you’re working in your focus industry.
The 90-Day VA course is a comprehensive three-month course that will teach you all of the skills you need to know to be an effective VA, as well as how to land the highest-paying positions.
10. Virtual Tutoring
- How much you can earn: $18 to $25 per hour
- Knowledge or skills required: Knowledge in the field you’re tutoring in, communication
If you’re an academic, then it shouldn’t be hard to find a part-time online job as a virtual tutor. Depending on your knowledge level, you could find steady work helping secondary-school students prepare for their exams, or you could be helping fellow college students pass theirs!
Virtual tutoring will usually be completed through Zoom, Skype, or another video chat application.
You’ll often review the student’s work, quiz them, and help them understand new concepts as they relate to math, science, history, or other subjects.
11. Resell Items On eBay or Amazon
- How much you can earn: $100 to $5,000 per month
- Knowledge or skills required: Sales, deal-finding, marketing, trends
If you have an eye for trends, know how to find a great deal, or you’re a seasoned thrifter, then reselling items online is a great online side hustle for students to consider. I have a friend who’s managed to turn their hobby of selling old Hot Wheels cars into a profitable side business.
He goes thrifting for the mini cars, finds rare models, and then sells them on eBay to collectors for way more than he bought them for.
You can apply this simple business model to just about any small hobby you find. You could also purchase bulk items at a discount and then sell them individually as a small online retailer.
12. Take Online Surveys
- How much you can earn: $20 to $30 per week
- Knowledge or skills required: Answering questions, reviewing products
Taking online surveys isn’t a full-time job by any means, but it is a good way for students to earn extra money on the side. Canadian consumer research companies like Survey Junkie and Swagbucks pay users to complete questionnaires and surveys on various products and services.
These platforms may also pay you to view video ads, play online games, or sign up for free promotions. Once you accumulate enough rewards, you can exchange them for PayPal credit or get a cheque mailed to you.
13. Software or Web Development
- How much you can earn: $30 to $50 per hour
- Knowledge or skills required: Software development, coding, web development
If you’re a computer science major and you’re looking to gain some valuable experience working in the real world, then applying for an online job as a software or web developer is a great idea.
To find something flexible, I recommend specifically searching for part-time work or working on a project-by-project basis as a freelancer.
The best place to find high-calibre jobs like this is on Indeed. However, you can also find smaller contracts on sites like Freelancer, Fiverr, or Upwork.
14. Start A Paid Social Media Group
- How much you can earn: $5 to $50 per month per subscriber
- Knowledge or skills required: You should be really good at something
If you’re a talented musician or have an otherwise valuable skill to share with the world, then you can start your own paid social media group using a platform like Patreon or Discord.
You can start offering it as a free service and then slowly start charging a monthly fee as the group becomes more popular.
I have a friend who started a Patreon for her acoustic guitar tutorials, and now she earns an extra $500 per month from her subscribers. All she has to do is post a few in-depth tutorials to the group and respond to questions from her group members.
Key Takeaways
There’s never been a better time for students to find online jobs that work with their schedules.
Whether you choose the route of freelancing on your own time or find a part-time online job with flexible hours, you’ll be able to build some real-world skills and earn some decent side money while you’re still in school.
No matter what you’re in school for, becoming financially literate will help you save money, earn money, and most importantly – manage your money. McGill is currently offering an excellent (and 100% free) online course to teach financial literacy to Canadians.
Keep on reading to learn more and start your journey to financial freedom!
