Are you looking to make some extra money in addition to your regular job? Then you need a side hustle! Here are 10 jobs for introverts that will play to your strengths and make you money – what’s not to like?!
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10 amazing side jobs for introverts
Not all side jobs are equal. I don’t know about you but I’ve really enjoyed working from home over the past few months and I’m hoping it’s something I’ll be able to continue to do into the future. However, lot of side jobs involve a whole lot of not being at home – for example, working in a bar or restaurant, babysitting your neighbour’s kids or working in a call centre. As an introvert, these kind of side hustles make me recoil. I like people, of course I do, but too much of them just makes me feel drained. That’s why today I’m going to be talking about the best side jobs for introverts.
But first up, let’s talk side hustles in general…
So why should you have a side hustle?
The big question: why should you have a side hustle? Well, they’re a good way to earn extra money, of course, and you can use a side hustle to develop new skills, increase your employability and make the most out of your spare time instead of spending your time watching Netflix. Not that there’s anything wrong with that of course – I do plenty of that too!
However, one thing that’s really struck me during this pandemic is the value of having multiple income streams bringing in money each month. Basically, if you have money coming in from more than one place each month then you’re a lot less at risk when the sh*t hits the fan as it has done during this coronavirus pandemic.
To level with you: I was furloughed from my job for a period of four weeks during the pandemic. As much as I enjoyed having time off to focus on other things for a while (like my blog) it was also pretty unnerving – was I going to have a job at the end of it? Who knew? Apart from anything else, it meant my income was down 20% each month. Importantly, though, I had a side hustle.
I’d been working a freelance job as a content writer and social media coordinator as a side hustle for the past six months. This meant that whatever money I was losing from my full-time job I was essentially plugging with my freelance job. This was the lightbulb moment for me. Even if I did lose my full-time job, it meant that I would still have something – however minuscule – coming in. If I could develop this into a really healthy side hustle it’d mean I could safeguard myself in future!
Can you have a side hustle with no skills?
The short answer is yes. Of course, lots of side hustles require specialist skills that you’ve possibly developed over time in your full-time job, but that’s not the case for everything. In this post I’ll share a handful of no skill side hustles but the reality is that the list is pretty much endless!
You could become a mystery shopper, a dog walker, pose as a life model for an art class, work for a food delivery company or even rent out your spare room with Airbnb after lockdown is over – the possibilities are endless! All in all, there are plenty of options for you to get going with a side hustle without a skill.
What are the best side hustles?
For me, good side hustles are the ones that play to your strengths while also being something that you actually enjoy. Yes, of course, you may not love it ALL the time but if it’s time that you’re OK with exchanging for some extra money in your account each month then you’re onto a winner.
For me, freelance writing is one of the best jobs for introverts, which I’ll come onto later on. Why? Because I enjoy writing, and crafting a well-thought-out blog post as part of my freelance work is actually something I find pretty rewarding. If you don’t enjoy it you won’t do it. That’s why I read a LOT about matched betting but then I never got around to actually doing it – because nothing about it actually interested me!
“For me, the best side hustles are the ones that play to your strengths while also being something that you actually enjoy. If you don’t enjoy it then the high likelihood is that you won’t actually do it.”
What are the most profitable side hustles?
Good question. Unless you have a really in-demand skill set the most profitable side hustles are usually the ones that are entirely passive – so you can make money without even having to work on them for a set amount of time each week. That’s why a blog can be an incredibly profitable side hustle!
Where to find good side hustles
I find most of my side hustles through Indeed at the moment. There are always people looking for freelancers in my area of the market (marketing, social media, copywriting) and so as long as you have your CV and cover letter polished and ready then you’re good to go. As far as jobs for introverts go, there are plenty. Graphic designers, proofreaders, CV writers, SEO writers… these are just a few that I’ve seen recently. A lot of the positions are also pretty flexible with working from home positions as well as in-house roles. It all depends what you’re looking for really!
There are also plenty of other places to find profitable side hustles, such as Upwork and Fiverr. However, I’m going to be honest, I never had much luck with either of these. They always felt super competitive to me – I spent more time pitching for jobs than I did actually getting any meaningful work from them. That said, that’s just my own experience. It may be that it was just really crowded in the area I was pitching in and that if you have a more specialist skill then you’ll have more luck. Definitely have a look at these sites and see how you get on – there’s every chance you’ll do great! And as far as jobs for introverts go there’s pretty much everything you can think of.
Here’s my list of the best jobs for introverts…
1) Freelance writer
As I mentioned above, I freelance as a content writer on top of my full time 9-5 job and I think it’s one of the best side jobs for introverts. Why? Well, the first thing is you get to paid to write online. As a writer that’s a great thing! But I also love the fact it’s flexible, you can fit it into your schedule whenever works best for you, and pretty much all of the communication between you and your client can be done over email – perfect for introverts!
People are looking for freelance writers for pretty much every content niche you can think of, too, so it’s likely you’ll able to find jobs that you actually enjoy and want to write about. You can also look for more specialised freelance writer jobs, such as SEO content writer roles, which seem to be everywhere right now. Everyone wants their content to rank and be visible on Google, right? Honestly, as soon as I started freelance writing as a side hustle I’ve never looked back, it really is the best!
2) Running a profitable blog
Running a job that you’re able to monetise is one of the best jobs for introverts around and it’s definitely something I aspire to. My blog is fairly new and I’ve not monetised it yet, however, that’s certainly the goal that I’m working towards. The bad news is that it’s s a pretty difficult thing to make money from a blog – you have to put the work in and be consistent over a number of months. The good news is that once you are able to monetise your blog the possibilities are pretty much endless, and that’s what makes it a great side job for introverts. There’s affiliate marketing, running adverts on your site, partnering with companies and brands on sponsored posts, creating your own product and selling it to your customers… I could go on.
When your blog gets to that level you can still make money without necessarily having to work on your blog every single say. That turns it into a passive income stream and that makes it, potentially, one of the highest paying jobs for introverts around. Pretty exciting, right?
If you are thinking of starting a blog then why not read my blog post on the 6 things I learned in the first six months of blogging – it’s a beginner’s guide that will hopefully get you on the right track
3) Tutor
One of my very smart friends has been a tutor for high school and university students for a while and he make a HEALTHY side income from it. Yes, of course this is a post about the best side jobs for introverts and this is a job that would involve actual human interaction, but bear with me. If you’re anything like me then one-on-one conversations with a student would actually OK. It’s not standing in a room of people, it’s interacting with one person on a subject you’re an expert in. Another alternative option would be to tutor solely online, from the comfort of your living room.
The other thing I would say about this is that tutoring is possibly one of the most profitable side hustles around – you also have flexibility with the hours and if you build up a good reputation then you might even get more customers. That’s when you can increase your prices you charge!
4) Online English teacher
Another one where you have to interact with people! I know, what am I playing at here? I’ve included this because 1) lots of introverts are fantastic teachers and also because 2) I was actually a TEFL teacher for a period of time a few years ago, with the difference being that I actually moved abroad to China to do it. You can read about my experience here! I taught really young kids, which in retrospect was a bit tricky for my natural introversion, but I think teaching adults would be a whole different ball game. It’s definitely one to consider as it can be one of the more profitable jobs for introverts and it’s also something can do from your living room.
5) Taking surveys
It’s unlikely that you’ll ever make a fortune taking surveys online but if you’re looking for a way to earn a little bit of extra cash from your couch then surveys might be the side job for introverts you’re looking for. You don’t have to have a particular skill set as companies are looking for a wide range of answers from a wide demographic, and you can earn in either Amazon vouchers or points that convert into cash once you hit the payment threshold. Here’s a link to a list of survey sites to get you started!
6) Social media manager
Do you know your way around Instagram? Are you pretty well acquainted with how to get your point across in a 280-character tweet? Then you could be amazing as a social media manager for a brand or organisation. This is something that I do in addition to my freelance content writing and it’s something I enjoy because, let’s face it, I’m never off social media anyway.
This kind of role also enables you to flex your creativity – some clients will expect you to be able to design and create your own graphics, gifs or even videos so if you like doing things aside from writing then it’s perfect. If you’re good with data then it’s also a good one because can take a deep dive into the analytics side of it too!
7) Proof reader / editor
If you’re a writer than the chances are you’ve got a good grasp of spelling, grammar, and where the correct space for an apostrophe should be, right? That means your skills could be harnessed as a proof reader or an editor. You’ll need to read other people’s work and make corrections and edits – anything from picking up typos to sense checking and larger editorial changes. So if you’re meticulous and thorough with a good eye for detail then this could be a good side hustle option for you – all that concentrated alone time will suit introverts, too.
8) Graphic designer
This one is a specialist skill but if you’ve got a flair for design then it could be a profitable side hustle for you. People are always looking for marketing materials, new logos, and attractive pins to drive people to their blog, and so there is plenty of scope for keeping yourself with a graphic design side hustle.
My boyfriend is actually a graphic designer by trade and he’s done all sorts as a side hustle so far: designing a billboard-sized poster for a political campaign, creating wedding invitations, and designing a new logo for a band. He gets most of his jobs through word of mouth but local job sites and even Twitter and blogging Facebook groups are worth keeping an eye on. As a lifestyle blogger I see a LOT of bloggers out there who’d like a hand with pin design and logos, so help them out!
9) Selling on Depop and eBay
Selling clothes online is a great side hustle if you want to practise sustainable living and change those fast fashion habits we’ve all been guilty over in our lifetime. Another positive is that it’s also really flexible – you can pretty much choose how much or how little time you want to invest in it. That makes it another strong option as a job for introverts.
I had a pretty successful stint selling second hand clothes on Depop and eBay a couple of years ago and I ended making over £100 doing it, which isn’t a huge amount, but it did make a difference at the time! It’s also a great habit to get into – when you get used to getting cute items for a fraction of the original price it really makes you a lot more frugal and you’ll definitely think twice about paying full price in the shops.
10) Dog walker
Maybe you like dogs more than people or maybe you’d just prefer a side hustle that would get you into the fresh air. If that’s the case then you could become a dog walker. There’s some research that says dog walkers can earn more than the average UK salary if they do it as a full-time job and even if you don’t you still get to hang out with cute little fluffballs and that has its own value! Here’s a link to more information about becoming a dog walker if you think it’s something you’d like to do. As far as I’m concerned, this is one of the best jobs for introverts around – or anyone, in fact!
What are your favourite side jobs for introverts? Have I missed any off my list?
