Small jobs for money: what can you do?
You want to earn a bit extra next to your studies, your job or your retirement. But which jobs are there, what do you charge and how do you get them? It's all here, with an example you can copy.
Help moving house on Saturday morning, third floor, no lift.
€15 per hour · €60 total
Sound familiar?
You have a free Saturday and you're handy with a drill. Two streets away, someone has a cupboard still in its box. Neither of you knows about the other. And if you do find each other, you don't know what to charge: too much and they back out, too little and you regret it later.
Which small jobs can you do for money?
Almost anything someone can't do themselves, has no time for or finds boring. Three kinds:
With your hands
A Saturday morning of carrying boxes, trimming a hedge, building a cupboard. Often for someone who can't do it any more or has no time.
At your laptop
Proofreading a CV, translating a menu, updating the sports club's website. You can do this from home, for someone anywhere in the country.
With what you know
Setting up a new phone for the neighbour, explaining maths, fixing a flat tyre. Older people often look for help with exactly these jobs.
What doesn't fit: work that needs a diploma, licence or guarantee, like electrics, gas or a roof. And looking after children. That's for a company or an agency.
What do you charge per hour?
There is no set price for a small job. This is how you get to an amount you're both happy with:
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See what others charge. Look up the same kind of job and see what it pays. Then you know what's normal.
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Stay below a tradesperson. A company charges for the call-out, insurance and a guarantee. You don't, so your price is lower. That's why people ask someone like you.
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Count travel and materials. Bringing your own tools or driving half an hour? Say so, or build it into your price.
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A fixed price when the job is clear. Building a cupboard: €40 for the lot. Nobody knows how long it takes, like tidying a garden? Then agree an hourly rate with a maximum.
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Put it in writing. An email with what, when and how much is enough. No arguments afterwards.
How to answer a job post
Someone who posts a job sometimes gets several messages. A short, concrete one stands out most.
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Show you read the job. Mention something from the description.
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Say what you did before. One sentence about something similar is enough.
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Say when you can, and the price. Confirm what it says, or suggest something else.
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Ask one question. A question about the job shows you're thinking along.
Hi Mark, I saw your job for the move on Saturday, third floor with no lift. Last year I helped two friends move, also without a lift. I can do Saturday at 9, and €15 an hour is fine. Are the boxes packed already, or shall I help with that too? Best, Lisa
Good to know
What you earn is income. If you get benefits or allowances, check with whoever pays them what extra earnings mean for you. What to declare on your tax return, the tax office can tell you.
Agree the price up front and get paid once the job is done. Working at someone's home? Tell someone where you are.
Where Tiny Job helps
Tiny Job is a free board for exactly these jobs. You search by skill, by words and by the least you want per hour, and send the poster a message. It goes by email; nobody's address is on the site. Put your skills in your profile, and people with a job can find you too.
To be fair: Tiny Job only opens once enough people are on the list, jobs don't have a place yet and the screens are in English. Look around the demo, or join the list and I'll email you when it opens.
Got a job yourself? Read how to post a job.
Questions
How much can you earn with small jobs?
That depends on the job and on you. You pick which jobs you do and agree the rate with the poster. Every job on Tiny Job shows what it pays per hour or in total.
Do I need experience?
For most small jobs, no. Be honest about what you can do. A poster would rather pick someone who does that than someone who promises everything.
Can I earn extra online too?
Yes, if the job allows it. Translating, proofreading or updating a website you do from home. Search by those skills and the place doesn't matter.
Can I find small jobs near me?
Jobs don't have a place on Tiny Job yet. So put your town in the description when you post a job; people looking type their town in the search box. Jobs at a laptop can be done from anywhere.
How does payment work?
Between the two of you. Tiny Job never sees the money and takes no cut. Agree up front what it costs and how you pay, for example a bank transfer or payment request once the job is done.
What does it cost?
Nothing. Tiny Job is free. What a job pays, you agree with the other person yourselves.
Your first job?
Join the list. Once enough people are on it, Tiny Job opens and I'll email you. Curious? Look around the demo, no email address needed.