Part time job ideas UK – Best part time jobs

Looking for part time job ideas in the UK?

I'm Steph, mum of three! 👋
Here, I share practical insights on making (and saving!) money. With a knack for budgeting and a passion for financial freedom, I've picked up lots of tips & tricks along the way. And I can't wait to share them with you here!

I wanted to talk today about easy part time job ideas and some of the things I’ve done for extra income. Are you looking for the best ways to make money?

Having 3 kids, I’m aware that it’s not as easy as some people make it seem to just go and get an easy part time job.

There have been so many times when we’ve needed to make money fast. Sometimes I got really stuck looking for new part time job ideas to get the money coming in. While none of these are get rich quick schemes (if you know of those, send them my way!), they’ll bring in extra money, with the amount of money generally directly related to the work you’re prepared to put in.

I always had an actual ‘job’, but this was part time in itself, and not really anything that I wanted to be doing. It was a job to help pay the bills. So over the years, I did a number of things that bought in some much needed extra cash.

If I was doing it all again & starting out trying to earn more money, I’d definitely combine it with some of the newer ways I know to make money. See this post here about bringing in more money each month.

However, I really enjoyed some of these and would do them all again!

Some of these are what we think of as actual ‘jobs’ where someone pays you. Others are self employed jobs, but these all tended to be somewhere I had a captive audience and didn’t have to get the customers! You’ll see what I mean. I hope you enjoy my money making tips here, and that they spark some ideas to get you bringing in more cash!

Setting up a market stall

One of the first things I ever did to bring in some extra cash was to set up a market stall. I was looking for an easy part time job idea that could make me some extra money. Being a total foodie and worse, a foodie with a very sweet tooth, baking was how my market ‘career’ started.

I put this off for a while, because you have to jump through several hoops to be allowed to do it. They turned out to not be that bad, or take that long.

What to sell

I went with cakes. I chose a Farmers Market near us (we’re in the South East). I’ve always made cakes and am not bad at making them. I enjoy creating them and so this was a no brainer for me.

The very first market I did, I decide to make just cupcakes, brownies and one large cake that was sold in slices. I didn’t price the ingredients properly and didn’t take into account the fee for the pitch and having sold the lot, I lost about £25 but I was thrilled.

I hadn’t thought I’d sell a thing, so put the loss down to experience and was more careful the following week.

Most markets will only allow a certain amount of pitches that sell similar products. If you fancy trying this idea, I’d put a spin on your products so you’re unique. One woman at my market started selling only brownies. She did amazingly well, and became known as the brownie woman. She couldn’t make enough!

How to find a market near you

This is a list of markets that are being held near you. The NMTF is the main UK representative for market and street traders and they hold up to date lists of current markets.

It’s also really handy to browse through their lists of sellers if you’re having trouble finding a product to sell or to make. There are loads of ideas you could borrow to try yourself.

Don’t be put off if the market doesn’t appeal to you. Keep looking, there are loads of different types of markets around the UK.

What equipment do you need to run a market stall?

When I started mine, I needed nothing more than the products, in my case food, and things like bags, table cloth, tongs etc…to be able to run the stall.

Included in the price was electricity if we’d needed it (we didn’t), the table and the marquee bit.

How much does a market stall cost?

I paid £20 every Saturday, when I ran my stall. The market manager would come around to collect the money, and give you a receipt.

How do you get your kitchen approved to cook commercially?

This was the part that initially put me off. I’d heard that it was quite a long process that we might well not pass anyway. I’m happy to tell you that this is not true.

I got hold of my local council and they couldn’t have been more help. You need to register your business 28 days before your first market. You can do that here.

When they came to assess our kitchen I was so nervous! I had 3 small children and we’d bought a house that needed renovating.

We only had 1 sink in the kitchen (as opposed to a double one!) and had heard this was an issue since we also didn’t have a downstairs cloak room to wash hands in.

It would have been good if I’d known before they arrived that they weren’t looking for a showroom kitchen. They just need to see you keep your kitchen clean. Show them they you know how to keep foods correctly and store them properly.

This book from Amazon is really helpful to get you up to speed on what they’re looking for.

I’d never cooked commercially before so there were lots of things that I wasn’t aware of.

There’s nothing to be daunted about, just things that you need to be aware of!

Once I ‘d got approved to use my kitchen to cook commercially in, the final step was to take out insurance.

You must have this. This insurance covers you legally in case you make anyone ill for any reason. It’s illegal to trade without it. I used the NFU. They offered the most comprehensive insurance for the best price.

How much can I earn running a market stall?

Bare in mind this was my first venture into bringing in extra income. With hindsight (always great!) I undercharged because I didn’t have enough confidence that I was selling awesome food people would pay a lot for.

After ingredients and market fees, I took away with me about £150 a week. Then I paid tax on that as it was on top of my regular part time job for an employer. For the work, I should have charged more. But I loved it, and have included it here because if you love baking, it’s an easy job!

If you try this side job, send me photos to put on here! Thank you :)

Part time teaching assistant

If you’ve got kids of any age, doesn’t term time work sound like the most appealing job ever? Childcare made SO MANY part time jobs not worth it after paying for childcare.

A term time gig was perfect.

Teaching assistants help support the class teacher in and out of the classroom. If you like working with kids, are patient and caring, then this could be perfect and bring in some extra money, all while your own kids are at school.

What do teaching assistants do?

Some of the things teaching assistants help with are :

helping kids who need extra support
overseeing group activities
helping on school outings
attending training days
carrying out school admin tasks

How do I become a teaching assistant?

In the UK, schools generally set their own standards for teaching assistants. Your Local Education Authority carries a list of current vacanices, and these will state the qualifications they’re looking for.

If you’ve worked in a nursery before, or with kids at all, that’ll be a massive help when you’re looking for a teaching assistant role.

There are some newer qualifications you can take if you’ve got no experience at all, and these can lead to a role on completion. These are

It’s possible to take these courses from home, and Learn Direct currently offer these.

How much do teaching assistants in the UK earn?

UK teaching assistants currently (2019) earn an average of £18,500.

This would then be pro-rota, so depending on your term times where you live, it would be less than this.

The higher the level you’re qualified to the higher the pay. I have heard though that it’s quite hard to find an assistant job higher than level 2.

If you’re at home all day and would like to be out earning money, a Teaching Assistant might just fit in really well for a few years!

Market research jobs for Ipsos Mori

Ipsos Mori are the market leaders of some pretty high profile surveys. No, I’m not talking about filling in surveys online for £1 (although this really can add up!) I’m talking about face to face surveys, (you”ll be asking the questions!)

Ipsos Mori recruit almost all the time for more interviewers, and they pay well if you manage to get through the recruitment process.

Do you like the idea of meeting and interviewing fascinating people?

Ipsos MORI is currently recruiting for curious and self-motivated Market Research Interviewers to complete face to face interviews across many high-profile surveys.

What do Ipsos Mori Interviewers do?

As an Interviewer, you’ll be interviewing a variety of people in their homes about their views. The sorts of research that Ipsos Mori conducts is generally about politics, media and national companies, so an interest in these type of subjects might be good!

Who would be a good Ipsos Mori Interviewer?

Someone who’s looking for 18 hours a week, and is super organized. You can chose your own hours every week, making this a great fitting in with the family job.

You need a UK drivers license and have access to a car. No experience is needed either. So if you’re looking to get into something quickly and get some cash rolling in, this might be for you.

How much do Ipsos Mori interviewers get paid?

You can earn up to £90 per day. You’ll also get travel expenses. Holiday pay comes after you’ve passed a training period.

Some other ways I’ve talked about in case these don’t take your fancy, from money maker APPS to matched betting!!

Tried any of these part time job ideas and want to share your experience? Get in touch!