Earning extra cash

pavlovs_dog

very true...summer school type of idea?... but then they would get their results until the middle/end of august? (gcses and a level)

SnowyOwl_2

Oops sorry, just edited my post to say go for the ones who are just entering their actual GCSE year but didn't do well in the June/July exams...

Becles

pavlovs_dog wrote:

it will be over the summer period, and there wont really be any exams up and coming. would you guys (in your role as parents) employ a tutor for your child over the summer even though there were no exams in the immediate future?

We had half term here last week, and my eldest (age 8) got bored and asked for some maths work to do! Luckily I had a Key Stage 2 CDROM put aside for occasions like that, so it kept him busy.

From what I remember when I was at school, you didn't really get a break from the GSCE work between the two years of study. I can remember having lots of homework that holidays, and lots of pointers of where I needed to learn from the mock exams we'd had in the summer term. There maybe children going into their final GCSE year who would appreciate some coaching.

On the computer teaching, my Dad is hopeless on the PC and my brother works in IT so is far more qualified that me. He said he likes me teaching him better as my brother has a habit of slipping into jargon or assuming he can do basic things, where I go through every little step in English! Maybe you could teach older people who have little knowledge of PC's?

pavlovs_dog

fair point.

i have a very impressive academic record to my name (not to blow my own trumpet, but when it comes to things like this, there's no point in false modesty), which i think would re-assure people if i was to go down the tuition route. and im considering teaching as a career, so i would benfit from it too, not just financially but also on a skills level.

Fran

pavlovs_dog wrote:

i have independent student status, which means i am completely self financing and receive nothing from my parents towards the cost of my education. if i breach my personal income allowance for the year, it could affect loan entitlement, and because my wags fluctuate quite a bit i dont want to be relying on it to have to pay for my course costs, accommodation etc. ive done bloody well to stay out of debt so far, and i am fully intent on graduating owing only my student loan.

i would rather save what is left of my alllowance for my steady job than using it to earn a pittance in another job that i will leave after the 3 months. that is why i dont want to go on a payroll.

I don't like saying this as there are a lot of great suggestions on this thread. But, surely no-one should be encouraging you to do something like this as you seem to be clearly stating that you want to earn money but not declare it as it will affect your loan entitlement. If you are only allowed so much then surely you have to stay within that limit; if the question you were asking was regarding DSS benefits for example people would be on to you like a ton of bricks. (Eg. if someone posted, "how can I earn some extra money because I am only allowed to earn so much on benefits and I want to save it?"). It sounds like you are making potential trouble for yourself; perhaps you'd explain what would happen if you don't declare the extra untaxed income?

culpepper

The OP is only really trying to keep their head above water.
As far as I understand it,from next year, students wont have to pay any money upfront for their tuition but at the moment they do.
I think there are plenty of people who claim stuff as students who are getting assistance from their parents re: food,rent,car/travel costs,clothes costs etc which are not taken into account by the grants people and really this person is finding it hard because they dont sound as though they have that extra help.

pavlovs_dog

fran -

short of winning the lottery, nothing i can do this summer would take me anywhere near the uppermost limit of my allowance, there would easily be a £2000 deficit. the reason im looking to earn the extra cash is that i will have my very first 'home' to furnish and do up come september. the only way i'll be able to afford that is if im not eating out of next years loan installment. theres no point getting to some point in 2006, running out of money and then having to drop out of uni - i dont have family that i could go running to for handouts, so that is what would happen. ive gone thorugh to much s**t in life to get where i am, so im not going to let that happen.

it jsut seems pointless to go through the hassle of trying to find a job for 3 months(fact of the matter is that most places dont like taking on students for summer jobs because they know we'll be buggering off in a few months back to college). who can blame them, really? i would rather do something fun, innovative, and be able to say that i got to where i am off my own back rather than be stuck in some crummy 9-5 that pays a pittance and destroys your soul.

the types of jobs being suugested here are not the type to bring in a regular, dependable income. theres likely to be weeks where i do well, others where i earn hardly anything. there are many people on here, who do a sideline in ebay/car boots, who will also tell you that some weeks it isnt worth their time, whilst others are worth getting out of bed for. they are also very honest and open about what they do, but that isnt to say that their income from such activities is declared, taxed etc etc. fact of the matter is that people are just trying to make the ends meet. its a far cry from robbery, or fraudulent benefit claims. forgive me (and several of the others) for our robin hood/marxist philosophies. im not setting out to rob the taxman, or the tax payer, happy as they are to rob me. im trying to get through uni without debt, get my life on track and try and establish an adulthood thats a tad less traumatic than my childhood was, and make my way in the world. once i've graduated and got my high flying job (as mr blair guarantees for all 50% off the youth population who go to uni (rolls eyes) then i'll be taxed like a ***** even harder than i have been already, and try mnot to moan about it too much.

sorry if ive sounded harsh, once i get on my soapbox, its very hard to maintain focus. guess what im trying to say is that i dont condone what people who are part of this community do/say they do, i dont look down on it either. rightly or wrongly, people do it.

as culpepper rightly points out, when it comes to things like this, it is never black and white. there are always going to be those who get extra help from the people around them, and then there will be the others who have to try and do what they can to make their own way.

Spendless

If you can earn upto £2,000 without being affected and the 'type of jobs being suggested wouldn't bring a regular income in' then i'm going to repeat what i said before

our Tescos asks for temporary staff whilst their permanent staff are on their summer hols

the photographers shop was looking for a student to work full-time in the summer months - cos it's their busiest time.

Wouldn't it be better to work somewhere probably full-time for the summer than not know from one week to the other?

pavlovs_dog

in one way yes

but at the same time, doing my own thing has the perk that i have almost 100% flexibility with my hours, allowing me to please myself in the meantime. such as catching up with course notes/old school friends etc etc

ashmit

Sorry to hijack the thread a little, but it's kinda relevant

Someone mentioned doing people's ironing upthread - if you're doing people's ironing, do you do it at your house or at theirs? Do you collect it if at their house and take it back round, or do they drop it off and pick it up?

And if you're earning £6 an hour for say 3 hours a week, do you have to declare it to the tax people? I don't mind paying tax on it but the idea of filling in a tax form if I don't utterly have to fills me with abject horror Can't I just send them a cheque?!?