Abby B. Wondering what are some of the best side hustles for English majors? Unsure what you can do with your English degree? Here are 21 ideas!
In this article, I’ll be sharing 21 suitable side hustles for English degree students and recommendations of what you’ll need to start. At the end of the post, you can find more tailored options for making money on the side as an English major.
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission (at no cost to you) if you sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link!
21 Best Side Hustles For English Majors
1. Ghostwrite for others or self-publish your own book
As an English major, you probably love reading books and have always thought of writing one yourself. Good news for you – you can!
Whether you plan to write a book for others as a ghostwriter or self publish your own book via Amazon KDP, it’s not too difficult to get it done.
You can offer your ghostwriting services on sites like Upwork or Fiverr. Ghostwriters are usually needed by popular individuals or even celebrities that are looking to sell their own books but don’t have enough time or expertise for it. They’re willing to pay others to do it on their behalf!
If you’re interested in writing for your own book, it’s possible to self publish with Amazon KDP. Compared to traditional publishing methods, it’s just so much more easier to do it via Amazon as it also saves your precious time and money. Most important part is, you’ll still be paid for every sale.
| What do I need to start? | – Book writing skills – Join an online self-publishing platform |
2. Offer professional beta reading services
Not interested in book writing yet but want to learn more about it? A practical way to start is by offering professional beta reading services for others that need feedback on their writing.
A beta reader goes through unpublished books and reads an author’s writing to provide feedback with recommendations for change. You’ll then learn the do’s-and-don’ts of book writing to understand what style suits better for different types of books.
You can find professional beta reading services on sites like Upwork to check out. With experience and time, you may no longer need an Upwork profile to get these jobs. Word of mouth goes a long way!
| What do I need to start? | – Experience reading a lot of books – Ability to provide detailed feedback for improvement |
3. Create your own YouTube channel
Looking for a more creative side hustle? I personally believe that anyone can share creative content on YouTube if they’re highly passionate about what they’re sharing.
I have made vlogs in my free time for my food adventures and travels to upload them on YouTube. The view count increases over time!
If you’re not interested in sharing personal aspects of your life on YouTube, consider making educational or entertaining content – yours to choose. The key is to be consistent with your postings and give yourself time to grow!
There are multiple ways to earn with a growing YouTube channel and you don’t need hundreds thousands of followers to do so. Popular sources of revenue are advertising income, affiliate income, sponsorships and earnings from selling your own products.
Interesting YouTube channels in the English niche:
| What do I need to start? | – A camera to record – Portable microphone for better sound – A video editing software |
Read: What I spent for my vlogging gear in first 6 months
4. Start a podcast for a passion you have
If you’re quite an introvert and want to start small in the world of content creation, starting your own podcast is a less daunting task compared to YouTube. You’ll be posting audio files instead of videos, which are easier to create and edit especially if you have a busy schedule.
It also takes less equipment to set up and start. You’ll need a good microphone to speak into and to learn how to use an audio editing software.
However, you’ll need to put in more effort to market your podcasts (Spotify or Apple) as they don’t work like YouTube where people are suggested random videos to watch.
Good thing is, you can record videos of yourself doing the podcast and sharing these videos on YouTube. I find this a popular move among popular podcasters as it gets them seen!
There are various ways to make money with podcasting, including earning from downloads and brand deals or sponsorships.
| What do I need to start? | – Good desk microphone – Set of quality earphones – An audio editing software |
Check out: 40 best student podcasts in numerous fields
Another way to become a content creator that most don’t talk about is to write for your own blog. Similar to YouTube and podcasting, you can share your knowledge and opinion via a blog post – just like the one you’re reading now.
I personally struggled to create content consistently on social media and found solace in writing for my own website. It didn’t involve the kind of pressure you would have when uploading something on TikTok or Instagram – or when you fail to consistently upload.
Setting up your own WordPress site should not be a big challenge if it’s just for a blog. You can start with this beginner blogging course!
Common ways to earn from your blog is via advertising revenue, affiliate income, sponsorships and even selling your own digital products e.g. courses. Blogging works very similar to YouTube and it may take some time before you can earn from it.
Not planning to buy courses yet? Check out my article for step-by-step guide on how to set up a blog.
| What do I need to start? | – A WordPress Website – Domain name & hosting – Passion to write for a specific niche |
Read: Why I invested in a blogging coach before doing anything else
Not looking to create content for YouTube, a podcast or a blog? You can still earn on the side by becoming a content creator for social media like TikTok and Instagram.
A common way to earn from these socials apart from securing brand deals and sponsorships, is to promote your own affiliate links to products or services you recommend.
Some affiliate marketplaces to check out are Amazon Associates, CJ affiliate, Clickbank, Share-a-sale and Rakuten Advertising. All you need to do is sign up for an account, get a link for a suitable product/service based on your audience and start promoting!
| What do I need to start? | – Affiliate products or services you can promote – Social media account with growing followers |
7. Become a photographer for online stock websites
If you’re an introvert that wants to have a slightly creative side hustle, taking photos to sell online is highly possible. In fact, I’m considering going into it myself as another source of passive income!
You’ll have to put in some work upfront to build your portfolio, get approved for sales and attract buyers. It’s still a side hustle that is built for the long term and for photo-taking lovers.
Content creators and large companies are always purchasing photos for use on their content and demand can be seasonal depending on your niche. Some evergreen recommendations are street photography, food and landscapes.
Selling on stock websites is easier to get into compared to taking photos for events and clients. Your photos can be sold any time even as you’re sleeping!
Stock websites you can join to start:
| What do I need to start? | – A good camera – Photo editing skills – Consistency to upload photos frequently |
8. Get paid to write for other blogs and websites
Passionate about content writing but don’t want to go through the challenges of owning your own website or blog? You can still explore your passion by becoming a freelance writer and write for other sites.
If you’re eager to start but unsure how to, I highly recommend this beginner freelance writing course. It teaches you how to write for client’s content websites, pitch topics and even how to do it remotely. It’s also the one I took myself!
You can start by pitching to the course trainer herself as she owns a blog of her own and only hires writers that goes for her training.
Freelance writers typically can earn up to $100 per article and even more if they’re specialized in a niche topic. Large websites and blogs often hire writers to outsource their content writing and scale faster. You can write for any niches you’re personally interested in!
| What do I need to start? | – Writing skills – Good command of English – Promote your freelance writing service |
9. Create and sell online courses for college essay writing
Instead of writing for others, you can also teach others how to write. As you’re an English major, you’ve probably gone through a lot of essay writing in college and mastered the art of it.
Your juniors and others going through a similar course as you may need the extra helping hand to ace their exams. That’s where you come in! You can offer face-to-face classes or even online ones via video call.
Alternatively, if you’re busy and want to make things passive, consider recording your lessons and selling them as paid online courses on learning platforms. The usual price points for a single payment short online course are $30, $47 and $67.
Aside from college essay writing, you’re free to create courses for anything you want as long as it’s helpful to others and is high in demand!
Some sites you can host online courses on:
| What do I need to start? | – A niched course idea – Well thought out module – Tools to record your lessons e.g. screen record, microphone |
Creating courses is too much work for you? Here’s a list of digital products you can make to sell on easy platforms like Etsy. I’ve made a quick guide on how to make these products too!
10. Tutor kids and adults online on subjects you love
Tired of essay writing but still want to teach? You can become a tutor for highschoolers and school kids. It needs some patience and time on your end to devote as kids are tougher to handle compared to adults.
Good thing is, tutoring is often a part-time job and you can choose how much work you want to dedicate to it. Ideally, you should remain consistent to ensure your clients are progressing in their studies.
Similarly, as long as you’re able to manage your tutee, tutoring can also be conducted online. Common subjects to teach are the English language, Spanish, mathematics, history or political science. Simpler subjects for kids include writing, phonics and just grammar studies.
Some sites you can join to become a tutor online:
| What do I need to start? | – A subject you’re able to teach – Plan for modules and lessons – Platform to market your services |
11. Take up simple online jobs or tasks
If you’re eager to explore new things and learn, the best way to start making money is by offering services online. These services can vary depending on your skills and capabilities, but it can be as simple as making presentation slides or speech writing for others.
Popular services that can be found on sites like Upwork include roles such as virtual assistant, data entry, logo designing and social media management. Even if you’re not the best at these, you can start small by offering a cheaper rate and accommodating to your clients’ requests better than experienced professionals.
You can be surprise of how many small businesses and solopreneurs are needing people to do these simple tasks for them.
Other ways to promote your services:
- Kolabtree
- Fiverr
- Upwork
- PeoplePerHour
- Indeed
- TikTok (because anything can go viral here)
- Build your own website
| What do I need to start? | – Computer literacy skills for a specific task – Your hourly rate charge |
12. Take care of pets for friends and neighbors
Are you a natural pet lover and don’t mind taking care of others’ pets? You can become a pet-sitter for your friends and neighbors.
Pet sitters typically make $15-20 per visit and depending on the number of visits they make, can bring in at least $200 in a single weekend!
I highly recommend this side hustle for anyone with great pet skills and experience handling their own pets so you’re pretty much used to it. It needs just as much patience as tutoring!
Services you can include with pet sitting:
- Walking
- Home boarding
- Sleepovers and night care
- Training
- Bring to vet
- Basic grooming & care
- Travel trips
| What do I need to start? | – Good skills with pets e.g. dogs, cats – Tools for the service you want to offer – Socializing to get clients |
13. Drive in your free time for Uber or Lyft
The fastest way to make an income on the side is to make use of what you already have. If you have a good functioning car, you can earn from driving it or renting it out.
If you find driving therapeutic in your free time, consider driving others with Uber or Lyft. Bear in mind, it’s not a passive side hustle and needs your full attention to ensure everyone’s comfort.
It also won’t pay as much if you’re just doing it on weekends! Aside from driving people, you can also become a delivery partner for packages or food with Amazon Flex or Uber Eats.
| What do I need to start? | – A vehicle to drive – Smartphone to receive ride orders |
14. Buy second hand and vintage items to resell for profit
Love saving money as much as making money? Then you probably know the importance of buying second hand and how it’s budget-friendly for just everyone.
The younger generation resorts to buying second hand items nowadays as a way to save money and also be eco-friendly. You can be a part of the movement by selling your own used clothes or furniture and earn extra cash on the side.
You can even turn it into a side business by buying second hand items from online marketplaces or flea markets then reselling them for some profit. You’ll need a good eye to spot these underpriced treasures!
Some sites to check out are Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Poshmark. I personally made more than $2000 in a year reselling my old unused stuffs!
| What do I need to start? | – An eye to spot underpriced valued goods – Skills and platform to sell online or offline – A small budget to purchase your first second hand item |
Check out: How to start reselling things as a side hustle
15. Offer part-time copywriting or editing services
One of the jobs you can take as an English major in today’s digital world is to become a copywriter. They are paid well depending on the areas they’re serving!
Copywriters typically writes for advertisements, social media posts and ensures proper language is used for media including websites and sales pages. There are areas you can specialize in for copywriting such as landing page copywriter, ecommerce copywriter and even social media copywriter.
All these segments require different level of persuasion to encourage different actions by the audience.
My close friend graduated with communication studies but resorted to working with a digital agency as a copywriter for clients’ ads and social media posts. It needs language fluency and creative writing skills!
Aside from writing or copywriting, you can also offer editing services and become an online editor.
| What do I need to start? | – Copywriting/editing skills – Platform to market your services – Hourly rate charge |
16. Translate professional papers in your field
If you’re highly proficient in a second or third language aside from English, consider becoming a translator for professional papers or even media. Just like other freelance services, you are paid per hour worked or per project and the rate varies with your level of experience.
Another close friend of mine who also majored in communication left her corporate job to pursue a freelance translator role. She now makes over $5000 per month translating movies and dramas!
Of course, she started small at first by offering online writing services then transitioned to becoming a translator. You can do the same by translating short professional papers in a specific field e.g. for government agencies.
| What do I need to start? | – Great written and spoken command of primary & secondary language – Attention to details |
17. Proofread and/or copyedit papers and submissions
Not interested in translation but want to help others that are less proficient in the English language? You can offer proofreading services for college assignments, professional papers, thesis and alike.
Proofreading is a popular service on sites like Upwork or even Fiverr. Another way to promote your services is by word of mouth – ask your clients to refer a customer to you in exchange for a small discount on their next project.
To be a great proofreader, you’ll need strong attention to details aside from language skills. Clients are usually told what to edit for them to edit their work themselves but you can also add copyediting to your list of services. Your clients may be tight on time and needs a pro to fix it!
| What do I need to start? | – Great written and spoken command of primary language – Attention to details |
18. Start a food or baking side gig online
Contrary to what everyone else thinks, starting a food & beverage business is not the easiest. However, if its done right, you can make a good amount of money – even if its just a side hustle.
Thanks to my F&B background, I personally believe you’ll need great marketing skills (aside from cooking or baking skills) to get your growing food business seen.
If you have good English and able to write compelling descriptions for your social media posts, you can also become a great digital marketer for your own food business.
Run your food business part-time by taking orders for the weekends and catering for small functions. There’s always joy in doing something you love!
| What do I need to start? | – Skills and tools to cook or bake – Platform to market, sell and collect orders |
19. Become a part-time librarian
Love books and don’t mind working in quiet settings? Become a part-time librarian and earn from it! It’s a professional career path with interesting job prospects.
It takes some skills to be a great librarian but it’s nothing all too difficult if you’re eager to pursue it. I wrote a separate article on ways to make side income as a librarian, check it out.
| What do I need to start? | – Training to be a professional librarian – Part time roles to apply to |
Read: 17 practical side hustles for librarians
20. Make coffee professionally as a café barista
Cafes have become an artisanal adventure instead of boring diner settings and all too usual menus. So if you love coffee, there’s nothing wrong with becoming a barista – or a part time one!
Start by learning professional coffee-making and latte art. It’s a skill that’s super useful even if you don’t plan to go back to making coffee at coffee shops. Your future self will appreciate it one day when cafe coffee is just too expensive!
Becoming a barista is just one of the many retail jobs you can take up as a side hustle. Depending on where you live, it’s fairly easy to find a local coffee shop that’s hiring a part-time barista and you might just start working the next day.
| What do I need to start? | – Barista training certification – Love for coffee |
Check out: 6 tips and tricks on becoming a barista
21. Design your own merchandise with print on demand
Been wanting to try selling things online with ecommerce but unsure where to start? I highly recommend beginners to explore print on demand, as compared to dropshipping.
Much like dropshipping, you don’t need any capital to start making side income with print on demand. It’s also much more easy for beginners as you can sell on multiple partnering platforms instead of your own website (a lot of work!).
You’ll be making designs using Canva or Kittl then upload them to merchandise such as t-shirts, phone cases and tote bags for sales. You can also purchase ready designs on creative marketplaces like Envato Elements or Creative Fabrica if you’re short on time to make your own designs.
Two best suppliers I usually recommend are Printify and Printful. They integrate seamlessly with marketplaces like Etsy and eBay!
Since you’re an English major, make your merchandise collection unique by creating your own quotes!
| What do I need to start? | – Basic designing skills – A laptop to work with – An initial niche and product |
Can’t decide what product to design and sell? Check out my product guides before deciding!
- Tote bags for print on demand
- Tumblers for print on demand
- Phone cases for print on demand
- Posters for print on demand
- Leggings for print on demand
- Jewelry for print on demand
- Candles for print on demand
- Doormats for print on demand
- Hoodies for print on demand
- Pet products for print on demand
- Socks for print on demand
- Pajamas for print on demand
- Blankets for print on demand
- Baby clothes for print on demand
- Wrapping paper for print on demand
- Puzzles for print on demand
- Stickers for print on demand
- Athletic wear for print on demand
- Hats for print on demand
- Journals for print on demand
- Greeting cards for print on demand
- Mugs for print on demand
9 Creative Jobs For English Majors
Here are 9 types of creative jobs for English majors:
- Writer
- Journalist
- Copywriter
- Screenwriter
- Reporter
- Video game content writer
- Blogger
- Vlogger
- Editor
11 Remote Jobs For English Majors
Here are 11 ideas on remote jobs for English majors:
- Research assistant
- Online tutoring
- Proofreader
- Content writer
- Translator
- Online editor
- Copywriter
- Digital marketer
- Ghostwriter
- Social media manager
- Online community manager
13 Entry Level Jobs For An English Degree
Here are 13 entry level jobs for English degree holders:
- Copywriter
- Digital marketer
- Reporter
- Technical or instructional writer
- Librarian
- Content writer
- Speech writer
- Online tutor
- Ghostwriter
- Language teacher
- Journalist
- Social media manager
- Public relations executive
Which Side Hustle Should I Choose?
Unsure which side hustles for English majors you should go for? Here are the top 6 things to consider when deciding which is best for you.
- How much time can you commit to it?
- Consider how much time you can set aside for your side hustle for weekdays and weekends
- What type of income are you looking for?
- Do you want to make income actively or passively while you sleep?
- What sparks interest & passion in you?
- Choose a side hustle that aligns to your personal goals and interests as it keeps you motivated
- Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
- Different side hustles requires different level of communication with the outside world, are you comfortable meeting new people every day?
- What is your current partner or friend up to that you can leverage on?
- Doing something with a friend or partner makes things easier and more manageable
- How soon do you need to make extra money?
- Not all side hustles make the same amount of money in the same pace, do you need money today or in a year’s time?
Bottom Line
With or without experience, it can be scary to start something new – I’ve been there myself too. The key to achieving great things is to just start!
Although having an English degree may not have gotten you a good stable full-time job, there’s just so many side hustles you can explore with your qualifications. Some of the side hustles I’ve explained above might just make you the same amount of income!
Life is all about exploring so take your time and find what resonates to you the most.
Here are 21 best side hustles for English majors:
- Ghostwrite for others or self-publish your own book
- Offer professional beta reading services
- Create your own YouTube channel
- Start a podcast for a passion you have
- Share your opinion and knowledge with a blog
- Promote affiliate products and services on your socials
- Become a photographer for online stock websites
- Get paid to write for other blogs and websites
- Create and sell online courses for college essay writing
- Tutor kids and adults online on subjects you love
- Take up simple online jobs or tasks
- Take care of pets for friends and neighbors
- Drive in your free time for Uber or Lyft
- Buy second hand and vintage items to resell for profit
- Offer part-time copywriting or editing services
- Translate professional papers in your field
- Proofread and/or copyedit papers and submissions
- Start a food or baking side gig online
- Become a part-time librarian
- Make coffee professionally as a café barista
- Design your own merchandise with print on demand
I’m not one to brag, but blogging has changed my life. I’ve been able to earn an income passively while on a coffee date and traveling with my family. With everything, it takes time to learn and not an overnight success – to speed things up, get yourself a blogging coach before starting.
These are my blogging resources to help you out:
- Step-by-step guide how to start blogging in your free time
- Why you need a blogging coach right from the start
- Worried of exposing yourself? You can blog anonymously
Photo by Zen Chung
