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London is one of the most expensive places in the world to live in.
None of us are strangers to the sinking feeling when the end of the month approaches and just a few quid are left in the wallet for groceries and nothing for a bit of fun and frolic.
Whether you are plain hard up or an expat student looking to make an extra bit of cash, London offers terrific opportunities.
After all, it is one of the wealthiest cities in the world (and has been for many centuries) and has a buoyant economy.
Do you want to know how to make easy money in London?
Have no worries since we have done all the research.
Disclaimer: The information shared in this post was correct at publication but may be subject to change. All the jobs in this list have been ranked on the basis of hourly fees from lowest to highest (average estimations).
14 Best Ways to Make Easy Money in London
1. Earn Cash from Your Couch By Taking Online Surveys
Want to earn cash while lounging in your PJs and binge-watching your favourite shows? Try out online surveys.
Managing your expenses in London can get pretty challenging. If you are finding it difficult to pay for your towering expenses with your regular job, then side gigs like an online survey can help add to your kitty. Online surveys might have a reputation for being slow earners, but guess what? You can actually rake in some decent cash while commuting to work or just chilling at home!
Websites like YouGov let you cash out via PayPal once you hit £50 in points. Want more? Check out Prolific Academic, Swagbucks, Toluna, and other fun survey sites!
Estimated Average Earnings £8/hour
2. Try your hand at Tutoring
Tutoring is a really lucrative profession in London with many parents willing to invest in it. It exists at all levels, from helping a teen learn algebra to providing A-level assistance in physics, accountancy, or Python.
Schools are rarely able to provide tailor-made education, no matter how much is invested in the education system. One-on-one tutoring is the best way to get ahead in a competitive world.
Private tutoring is an established education method in Asia as well as Europe including the UK and the USA. Teaching English with an online TEFL course is a service that is in high demand in London as many ex-pats settle here with their children
Private tuition can be in person, via different platforms such as Zoom, or in the form of a hybrid model.
Estimated Average Earnings £8.05/hour
3. Turn Your London Adventures into YouTube Gold!
Ready to be the next big YouTuber in London? You can cash in on the city’s buzz.
There’s a massive craving for YouTube channels packed with local flair – check out our London vlog too. Imagine creating fun videos on the coolest weekend hangouts, upcoming music festivals, or epic shopping events in London. If you have some basic editing skills, you’re ready to launch your channel! Dive into everything from the newest foodie hotspots like Henri, Covent Garden to iconic cultural treasures such as Kew’s Royal Botanic Gardens.
Grab a camera, a microphone, a tripod, and editing software, and you’re good to go! Not a fan of talking on camera? No worries! You can film awesome footage and let AI speech talk for you, giving your videos a pro touch without breaking a sweat. With affiliate marketing and ads, your hobby can turn into a money-making adventure.
Estimated Average Earnings £3.9/hour (just from YT monetisation, additional income can be generated through affiliate marketing or sponsorships).
4. Build Your Own London Website & Start Minting Money
Want to go from zero to hero online? Build your own London-specific website today.
If you’re in business, an online presence can turbocharge your sales with e-commerce. Into writing? Pick your genre or mix it up for a diverse audience. Here you can choose between different categories like upcoming events in London, the latest restaurant openings and maybe a review of local theatre performances.
You can learn about the best Lifestyle Blogs in London to gauge the writing style that can help you win over the London audience. While it won’t rain money right away, affiliate marketing, sponsorships and ads can build up in a year!
For tech-savvy folks, dive into Drupal, WordPress, or BigCommerce for DIY customization and SEO boosts. Newbies fear not! Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly are your easy-peasy options. Choose a domain name like .com, .co.uk, .uk, or .london to cater to local traffic.
Estimated Average Earnings £5.42/hour (for website receiving 500K monthly page views). You can earn additional revenue through affiliate marketing, sponsorships and more, but the amount depends purely on your skills and performance. Check out this top UK influencer guide to understand the dynamics better.
5. Make money as a Server
Do you want to earn a bit but not spend a lot of time? Becoming a part-time waiter is one of the best gigs in town.
Hotels, bars, embassies, and banquets direly need well-mannered young men and women who can slip on a tux and run around with a tray full of champagne glasses.
It requires minimal training, and often just an hour of instructions suffice before your first day. The best thing about being a server is that the restaurants and cafes usually offer flexible work schedules and you can choose your shift accordingly. Some of the food joints like Chipotle Mexican Grill even provide free food to their servers alongside perks like medical & vision insurance & tuition assistance.
As you become better and more polished, you will land jobs with top-end caterers serving at black-tie events. Since no matter whether the economy is going up or down (or sideways) the rich are always having filet mignon and shrimp fondue with wine, you would never be short of income.
You can check out job postings on websites like Caterer, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, and more.
Estimated Average Earnings £10.71/hour
6. Make London Houses Sparkle & Shine For Added Income
Do friends and family rave about your super tidy home? Turn your knack for neatness into a money-making gig! Offer cleaning services and watch the cash roll in.
You can start by sprucing up homes in areas like Barnet, Islington, and Croydon or take on commercial spaces in Canary Wharf. Just remember, office cleaning requires proper gear and a trustworthy crew.
Diving into the cleaning biz requires investment. Think aprons, gloves, long-sleeved tops, and cleaning products like disinfectants and descalers. No special qualifications are needed for cleaning homes, but you might need a bit more for commercial clients. Click here to learn about the regulations for commercial cleaning.
Estimated Average Earnings £11.66/hour
7. Take a furry friend out for a Walk
Londoners love their dogs and you will find plenty of opportunities to help out here.
If you love different dog breeds, then this job is perfect for you. No stress or target. Just walk a few hundred yards with your ward daily and make extra money in London.
Typically, you must collect the dog from the owner and walk with it for the desired duration. The owner would instruct you about the details—whether it is a pavement walk or you must visit a nearby park where the animal can interact with other dogs.
However, it is difficult to be a dog walker if you have never owned or been around them earlier. There is a need to gauge its temperament and work accordingly. After all, you would be responsible if it nipped the ankles of a passing gentleman.
Dog walkers are both freelancers or work with a dog walking outfit. Most take several out at the same time and have immense fun.
Estimated Average Earnings £12.10/hour
8. Moonlight as a Makeup Artist
A makeup artist is responsible for transforming the way someone looks. It might be for films and TV but more often it is for weddings and photoshoots and London is a perfect playing field here.
If you have a good sense of aesthetics, flip through the latest edition of Cosmopolitan every month and know your blusher from your bronzer, then sign up.
Also, you do not need to restrict yourself to makeup but also moonlight as a hairstylist and fashion advisor.
There is no need for a license, but you might need a trade permit if you are using your home as a business space.
If you like it, go for a diploma and accreditation and you might land yourself a full-fledged career. Some of the top-rated makeup diploma courses you can try in London are the LSBM makeup course, the full makeup diploma course by the London College of Makeup, the Glauca Rossi fashion & beauty course, etc.
You can search for job listings on StarNow, Jobsora UK, Jooble UK, and more.
Estimated Average Earnings £12.42/hour
9. Make Money chilling at Home with house-sitting
Want to live in a swanky London home and get paid for it? Becoming a house-sitter is one of the easiest gigs in London.
Have you ever dreamt of living in the bustling heart of London without the hefty price tag? House-sitting is your golden ticket!
Dive into this incredible city by caring for homes while their owners are away. The best part? No special skills are needed! Sometimes, your tasks might be as simple as watering plants or keeping the entryway tidy. And here’s the cherry on top: many homeowners let you enjoy their fabulous amenities, like cosying up with their TV or taking a dip in their swimming pool.
Ready to start your adventure? Check out platforms like Trusted House Sitters, Mindahome UK, Mind My House, and more!
Estimated Average Earnings £14.50/hour
10. Work for Uber
Do you like to drive and own a vehicle? If the answer is affirmative, you could sign up for Uber. It is one of the best ways to make money in London where convenience is king.
All that you need is a driver’s license and have no strikes as a driver.
There are around 45,000 Uber drivers in London. It’s easy to sign up. Download the app for the service you want to provide and apply online.
Your documents will be verified, and you must attend a brief training session. Thereafter, it’s your smartphone that would act as the interface between you and the company.
The best part is that you control the hours. Don’t want to drive tonight? Just switch off the phone app.
Estimated Average Earnings approx. £18.31/hour
11. Become an Interpreter
Do you speak popular languages like Mandarin? Did you take courses in German during your O levels? Spent a gap year in Italy?
You are perfectly suited to become an interpreter. Of course, the more languages you know, the greater the number of jobs will be.
In London, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to hotels, embassies, private sector businesses, and government bodies that all require a trustworthy and dependable interpreter they can rely on.
There is only so much that Google Translate and AI can do when people rely on real-time translation, especially when it’s about sensitive or confidential meetings. That is why you might get a call in the wee hours of the morning to help someone out. As you work and your resume ages, expect a steady income from working as little as an hour daily.
Estimated Average Earnings £19/hour
12. Bring the house down as a DJ
Did you always have an innate sense of the kind of music that would make everyone tap their feet?
If so, DJing might be just what you are perfect for.
Do you know what is common between DJ Anthony, DJ Lenny, DJ Karl & DJ Dan? All of them are London-based DJs making it big in the music circuit.
Some would say it’s hard. Not necessarily, but it takes a lot of passion as former DJ and entrepreneur Toby Burns explains in his interview with the LBN magazine. You must know the world of music inside out, be in touch with all the latest trends, and preferably have a good acquaintance with house music in London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Ibiza.
Since London has some of the hottest nightlife spots, you have it relatively easy – Shoreditch, Soho, and Camden Town are just a bus ride away.
A reasonably cheap i7 laptop is all the equipment that you need these days. There are fantastic tutorials on YouTube which teach you the tricks of the trade within a week. If you become reputed, charging £1,000 for an evening is not unknown.
You can search for DJ gigs on websites like DJ Jobs, UK Music & more.
Estimated Average Earnings £22.50/hour
13. Become a Mystery Shopper
No, it does not mean you have to indulge in cloak and dagger! Behind the rather suspicious name hides a most benevolent occupation.
A mystery shopper is an undercover agent of sorts. In plain language, they will pay you to visit stores and find out if the service is optimal.
Not only stores but restaurants and banks (or any other service business open to the end consumer) also employ them.
Are the employees friendly to customers? Are they rude towards those who have no intention of purchasing but browse endlessly? Do they scowl when you take up too much of their time and make them work hard?
No matter how many resources they have deployed to train and assess staff, only a mystery shopper can provide the perfect feedback from a customer point of view.
Some of the companies you can register yourself with are ABA, Market Force & GFK. You can search for work opportunities as a mystery shopper in London from websites like Reed,
Estimated Average Earnings £25.98/hour
14. Turn Your Spare Room into a Money-Making Haven
Office space can be extremely expensive in London. But think of a scenario when you wish to talk to your clients in London without having to deal with the lack of privacy in a cafe. If you have a spare room you can cash in on specific spots. This is perfect for those needing a quiet place for client meetings away from rowdy pubs in London.
Check out Vrumi to connect with businesses, students, and creatives looking to rent your space by the hour. From work sheds to houseboats, list it all—your cozy nooks could be the next hot spot for co-working and creativity! Some other websites to post your free space are Hubble and WeWork.
Estimated Average Earnings £60/hour
15. Earn money virtually
Apart from the above-listed gigs, there is a plethora of online job opportunities available in today’s digital world and you could do those flexibly from anywhere in London, including hot London co-living spaces and coworking offices.
If you want to discover various work-from-home jobs or remote working jobs then you should check out guides and conduct some research also on established remote work job platforms and business directories.
Or you can head over to YouTube where many experts share how they make money online:
If you can make it here – you’ll make it anywhere!
London, just like the Big Apple, is a competitive turf, but with these simple jobs that anyone can get started within London, you can make easy money without a lot of stress while remaining flexible. There is plenty more from being an assistant on a movie set to working as a nanny. You can get more inspiration from other guides too:
(18 Proven Ways) How to Earn Money Working from Home in the UK
None of the occupations we have listed above require you to have a formal degree and most are great as part-time jobs because you are your own boss and choose the time when you wish to work.
Many lead to a lot of further career opportunities and a steady income to pay the bills. But a bit of parting advice, part-timer or full-timer, be passionate about what you do and the rewards are sure to follow.
For further queries, you can get in touch with us here.
Author Profile
- Online Media & PR Strategist
- Blogger and Educator by Passion | Senior Online Media & PR Strategist at ClickDo Ltd. | Contributor to many Education, Business & Lifestyle Blogs in the United Kingdom & Germany | Summer Course Student at the London School of Journalism and Course Instructor at the SeekaHost University.
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