13 High Paying Summer Jobs For College Students

At first glance, high-paying summer jobs for college students may seem few and far between.

Take a quick look around, and you’ll see a host of roles in retail, the service industry, and the like. While all these are no doubt challenging, they’re so in-demand among cash-strapped students that employers simply do not need to pay any more than they have to.

Look a little deeper, however, and you’ll find there are some jobs out there for which there’s less competition and, thus, a good chance at a better rate of pay.

To help you find them, we’ve put together this guide to the best-paying summer jobs suitable for college students.

13 High Paying Summers Jobs For College Students

Contents

1. Tutor

Average pay: $17.50 – $20 per hour

Tutoring is an excellent way to take the skills and knowledge you've been developing in college and put them to work in helping others, all while making an above-average hourly rate to boot.

Demand may be highest for maths and English tuition, but if there's a subject you specialize in, you could be making as much as $20 per hour for passing on your know-how to high school kids.

2. Golf Caddy

Average pay: $20 – $30 per hour

If you live near a good golf course or country club, you may be able to make some fantastic money carrying golf bags around for players.

These types of jobs aren't advertised anymore, but if you know someone at the club or hear of an opening over the proverbial grapevine, it's not an opportunity to be missed.

Golf caddies are usually paid $100 – $120 for carrying bags around a full 18 hole course which works out to roughly $20 – $30 per hour. While that's no doubt great pay, keep in mind that you will have to be physically fit to do this kind of work.

3. Freelance Graphic Designer

Average Pay: $20 – $30 per hour

If you prefer a summer job that's less physically demanding and more about expressing your creative side, you can always set yourself up as a freelance graphic designer.

Of course, you'll need the skills and tools to do this kind of work, but there's no reason why you couldn't bring in as much as $30 an hour if you've got the talent for it.

One of the best ways to start is to build up an online portfolio showcasing your work then approach local businesses offering to help with their graphic design needs.

You can also advertise online at places like Fiverr. If this sparks your interest, you might want to read our complete guide on how to make money doing graphic design.

4. Referee for Local Sports League

Average Pay: $16.48 per hour

If you love sports and you can be fair, impartial, and assertive, you might have a great seasonal career ahead of you as a referee or umpire.Local youth sports leagues often hire students to fill these roles, and there's always work available throughout the summer.

The only drawback, of course, is that you'll have to be prepared to get some stick from a team's fans if they don't like the decisions you make.

While referee and umpire jobs for students may be advertised, your best tactic for getting a job may be to take the initiative and approach, local teams and league organizers yourself.

5. Virtual Assistant

Average Pay: $15 – $40 per hour

If you like the idea of being self-employed and doing a wide variety of tasks for a wide variety of clients, starting your own virtual assistant business may be the way to go.

Being a virtual assistant involves helping business owners with all kinds of different jobs, from bookkeeping to copywriting, managing social media, or taking care of day-to-day admin tasks.

The amount you earn depends on the work you're doing, but make no mistake about it; this can be a very varied, engaging, and lucrative summer job.

If you're unsure where to start, here's our guide to jumpstarting your virtual assistant business.

6. Uber Driver

Average pay: $14 – $20 per hour

If you're a college student over the age of 21 and you have your own car, you could really put it to work as an Uber driver.

You'll make the most money during the weekends when people have had too much to drink to drive themselves. However, even at other times, there's plenty to be made as Uber Drivers can earn as much on tips as they do on fares.

7. Pool Cleaner

Average pay: $16 – $18 per hour

In many respects, working as a pool cleaner is the ideal summer job for college students.

After all, what better way to earn money through the summer than by working outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine? What's more, people use their pools more than ever during summer, meaning there's going to be plenty of work for you.

Unlike some of the jobs on this guide, this is one you probably don't want to go down the self-employed route with. Sure, you could, but it would mean you'd need to invest heavily in all the right pool cleaning equipment.

Instead, it's best to get in early with pool cleaning companies in your area and enquire about any vacant positions.

8. Photographer

Average Pay: $16 – $25 per hour

If you're a dab hand with a DSLR, you could make a not-insignificant amount of money selling your services as a photographer.

The most lucrative approach is to strike out on your own as a freelancer, for which you could easily make an average of $25 per hour. The problem with that, of course, is the same as it is for any kind of freelance work – you'd need to do all the hard work of marketing and admin yourself.

Another route may be to land a seasonal job as a photographer to make around $16 – $17 per hour. OK, so it's not as much as the freelancer makes, but it's also much less hassle.

Alternatively, if you don't like the idea of dealing with other people, you could put your photography skills to use in selling stock photography, our pick of one of the best online jobs for introverts.

Need more side hustle ideas this summer? Check out these out-of-the-box ways college students like you can try to make some extra money during summer:

9. Freelance writer

Average Pay: $20 – $25 per hour

Freelance writing is by no means the most straightforward job globally, but if you're an English major or a student who simply loves the written word, it can be a very fulfilling, rewarding, and varied way to make money.

Sites like Fiverr, UpWork, and People Per Hour are all excellent places to find clients. Alternatively, you could simply write to publications and websites in the industries you're interested in writing about and pitch them some ideas, or even contact businesses about writing their blog posts for them.

While you're more likely to earn by the word or by the article than per hour, you'll still be able to make more than your typical low-paying summer job.

10. Gutter cleaner

Average Pay: $12 – $15 per hour

This seasonal gig homeowners are likely to hire out during late summer or early fall is another lesser known summer job perfect for college students.

Typically, you can make up to $70 to $200 per home for an average size suburban home about the size of 1500-2000 square feet. According to this article, you can charge $45 for cleaning the gutters of a garage, and up to $120 for a single story home.

If you decide to look for a gutter cleaner job working for a gutter cleaning business, you can expect to make up to $12 an hour. As it is an unskilled labor and a highly seasonal gig, the pay is relatively low compared to other summer jobs above. However, if you are a college student looking to make some extra cash, it is a great way to do so as it does not require much experience.

11. Deliver Groceries

Average Pay: $18 – $35 per hour

Did you know that you can get paid to grocery shop for clients? If you're looking for a fun, summer job that is potentially high-paying, check out these 6 companies that will pay you to buy and deliver groceries!

The highest hourly rate doing grocery delivery is $35 an hour, which can add up over the summer break. Before you consider doing this high paying summer job, you will need at least the following 3 things:

Access to a smart phone
Good understanding of quality produce in order to choose the best fruit and vegetables for your customers
A reliable car, license and insurance

If you don't mind doing a bit of leg work and delivering groceries during summer, start cashing in on this opportunity now!

12. Work at a Zoo

Average Pay: $11 – $15 per hour

We're not all fortunate enough to have a working zoo right on our doorstep, but if you are, it's worth getting in touch about any seasonal job vacancies they might have.

Unsurprisingly, zoos reach their peak season for visitors over the summer months, meaning they're more likely to have opportunities available.

Those opportunities may not involve working directly with animals unless doing so closely ties in with what you're studying at college, but it's still a cool experience and certainly beats being stuck in an office all summer!

13. Dog walker / Petsitter

Average Pay: $13 – $15 per hour

Last but not least, let's stick with the animal theme and wrap our guide to the best high-paying summer jobs for college students with a look at dog walking.

If you love animals, this is an ideal way to spend all day around your favorite furry friends and get paid for the pleasure of doing so.

Like many of these jobs, working as a dog walker or pet sitter requires some self-motivation to go out and find the gigs, but if you're not afraid of a little hard work, this can be an enjoyable summer job.

High Paying Summer Jobs for College Students: One Final Thought

Whether you prefer to get out in the fresh air and sunshine this summer or to stay inside where there’s plenty of lovely, cool air conditioning, the 13 high-paying summer jobs listed above should provide you with a wide variety of options.

Whichever one you choose, keep in mind that there are pros and cons to taking a regular paying job versus freelance work. For example, become a freelance graphic designer or photographer, and you’ll likely make more money than you would be working for an agency or studio. Still, you’ll also have to work that much harder to find paying gigs.

Get a regular job instead, and while there’s more of a guarantee that you’ll have steady work, it does mean earning less than a freelancer.

If you do decide to go the freelancer route, be sure to check our guide to the six costly mistakes all freelancers should avoid.