11 Flexible Side Hustles That Actually Work

Side hustles are a great way to make extra income in New Zealand while you are still working your day job. They allow you to pursue and actually make money off your hobbies and passions outside of the office.

Whether you are saving up for something, would just like to increase your income or need to have another creative outlet a side hustle could be for you!

With modern technology, it has never been easier to set up your own side hustle (that actually makes money). The options are endless.

Keep reading to learn 11 legitimate side hustle ideas so you can start earning extra money and create more freedom and fulfilment in your life today.

1. Uber

If you have a car and some spare time being an Uber driver or UberEats delivery driver is a great way to make extra income on the side.Uber will assist you through the application process and make sure you have all the documentation you need to sign up.

If you meet the driver and vehicle requirements you can sign up straight away to be an Uber driver. You can still be a delivery driver even if your car doesn’t meet these requirements.

With Uber, you are essentially a self-employed contractor. It is upto you how much or how little you work.

You get paid per mile less the service fee that Uber will deduct and any expenses incurred. It works out that Uber drivers generally make around $25-35NZD per hour.

Driving for Uber is a great option to have as a flexible weekend job in Auckland or any other city in New Zealand.

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2. Become a freelancer

There is a freelancing side hustle gig out there for almost anyone.With remote online work and online businesses becoming the new norm,there are plenty of opportunities to start up a freelancing side hustle.

When it comes to freelancing there are so many options of the type of work you can do. Some common freelance roles include writing,administration assistance, graphic design, web design, social media management, transcript services, editing and copy writing to name a few.

If you don’t have any experience or qualifications yet you can complete certifications online, start out interning or do a service exchange to get your foot in the door.

There are platforms you can use to find freelance clients around the world. Some of the most popular sites are Upwork,Fiverr,Freelancer and People Per Hour.

You can also find your clients by building a website or social media channels with a portfolio of work so people can hire you. There are many communities on Facebook you can join to find Freelance opportunities.

Freelancing is great because you decide on which clients you take on,on how much you want to charge and how much capacity you have to take on new projects. The more experience you get, the better clients you will attract and the rate you can charge will increase. This side hustle could easily turn into a full-time gig over time.

3. Teach English Online

Teaching English online is a really popular way to make extra income.If you have a bachelor’s degree and a TEFL certificate many companies will accept you. Having teaching experience is a bonus!

Teaching English online is a great way to boost your monthly income or to start working remotely from anywhere in the world. Demand for online teachers has skyrocketed since the global pandemic so this is definitely a viable option.

Pay for online teachers ranges from $15-25USD per hour depending on the company and your level of experience. The hours are flexible and you are in charge of how many classes or students you want to take.

There are many different English teaching platforms you can work for.Two of the most popular ones are VIPKid and Palfish .

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4. Start Reselling Products Online

Buying and reselling items for more than you bought them is a fun little side hustle that can make you some serious cash if you do it right.

Platforms such as Amazon and eBay are extremely popular for buying and reselling products for a profit. In New Zealand, the best platform to use for this is Trade Me. What you decide to sell is really up to you.Research into current trends and what is popular, source a supplier and you’re on your way! A popular place to source products to resell is Alibaba.

You could resell anything from ice cube makers to socks to headphones. You could even get into the business of buying second-hand clothes and reselling them for more on Trade Me.

5. Translation Services

Are you bilingual?

If so you can use your second language to start a side hustle! There is always a need to have documents, books, articles, contracts and soon translated into different languages and it pays well.

You can find many translating opportunities on Upwork,Fiverr and Freelancer.

6. Monetise Your Blog

Blogging is a great way to have a side hustle that you are really passionate about. Whatever you are really into, whether it is fashion, cooking, travel or gaming you can blog about it.

Once you have a blog there are many ways you can grow your audience to help you monetise it. Starting a blog is easy, even if you have never designed websites before.

There are templates, plugins and platforms galore to make it easy for you. Buying a domain and paying for web hosting is cheap and the rest you can figure out yourself for free. You can invest in a web designer and graphic designer later when you have started generating income.

The most common channels for making income from a blog are ads such as Google Ads or Media vine, affiliate marketing and sponsored posts.

Affiliate marketing is when you take a percentage of a sale which you referred to the company selling products or services. Many companies will happily set you up as an affiliate because you are helping to sell their products.

You need to have a decent amount of traffic to start earning money through these channels on your blog. First focus on finding your niche and creating unique, high-quality content that people value.Invest your time (or money) into SEO and utilise Pinterest and backlinks from other websites to help grow your traffic.

Monetising a blog with affiliate income and add revenue is a great way to make passive income in New Zealand.

Making income from your blog takes a lot of work and won’t happen overnight, but it is an amazing way to turn your hobbies and passions into an income-generating side hustle. And you never know where it might lead!

7. Start a Youtube Channel or Podcast

Blogging is not the only way to monetise your online content.

Youtube and podcasting are two other viable online channels where you can start a side hustle. If you love talking and have a particular topic you love to investigate, start a podcast. You can either do it alone, with a friend or host interviews. Once your podcast gets traction and takes off you can start accepting sponsors for your shows.

Youtube is also a great way to create visual content which you can make money via ad revenue, affiliate marketing and sponsored posts.The options on Youtube are endless! Whatever you are into you can make videos about whether it is makeup tutorials, recipes, workouts,travel vlogs or astrology. The sky’s the limit.

Video equipment and editing software are easy to use and accessible these days for everyone. You can make your videos look professional without having to spend a fortune or hire someone.

If you are recording educational or conversational videos and interviews you can hit 2 birds with one stone and upload the video to Youtube and the audio to your podcast.

Building an audience through Youtube or a podcast is another incredible way to make passive income.

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8. Become a Fitness or Yoga Instructor

If you are passionate about health, well being and fitness you could consider becoming a fitness instructor or yoga teacher as a side hustle.

Getting certified in each is an upfront investment but so worth it,plus you will love the training. There are so many affordable options to get certified via online courses that you can do along side your current full-time job.

Once you become certified you can start teaching part-time in studios or gyms in New Zealand. Gain experience and start building a community of loyal students! This is a good option for using part-time employment to make extra money.

There are also many options for teaching fitness and yoga classes online. There are online platforms that allow you to teach live classes when you want to such as Myyoda.

Zoom also allows you to host live online classes anywhere anytime with students from all over the world. Build an online community of fitness or yoga students by blogging, Youtubing and podcasting you could turn these people into paying students from all over the world.

This is another amazing way to turn a passion of yours into a side hustle and potentially a thriving business.

9. Complete Tasks on Ezy Peazy

If you have certain skills like gardening or cleaning why not make extra money by helping people in your area with these tasks.

People are so busy and would love help around the house but don’t want to pay the high fees of hiring someone from a professional company to do the work for them.

Ezy Peazy is a skills outsourcing platform based in New Zealand which connects people who need jobs done with skilled people who can complete those tasks. Ezy Peazy is New Zealand’s answer to Airtasker in Australia.

Sign up for Ezy Peazy, create a profile with your expertise and start browsing tasks! Once you find tasks that are right for you, make anoffer. When your offers are accepted Ezy Peazy will securely hold the funds until the task is completed before depositing the money directly into your bank account.

The tasks on Ezy Peazy include gardening, cleaning, plumbing,furniture assembly, delivery services, business administration and so much more.

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10. Make and Sell Products on Etsy

If you have a creative flair you start an Etsy store and make and sell products on there.

Whether it is digital products such as graphic design templates or physical products such as jewellery, there is a place for all creatives to start a business on Etsy!

Etsy is perfect for handmade items, unique jewellery, vintage clothes and so much more. It is an amazing platform for people to get their craft out in the world and is an amazing way to start a side hustle that you are really passionate about.

You could also consider renting out a stall at a local market and setup a shop on the weekends.

11. Sell Your Photos

If you have a knack for photography you can actually make money from your photos! Upload your images to stock photography websites such as AdobeStock, Shutterstock and GettyImages.

You will receive a commission every time someone downloads your photo. If someone buys extended rights for the use of your image you could be looking at very high commission rates of up to $100USD per image.

If you are uploading high-quality images that businesses need and find valuable this could be very lucrative. Research what types of images are popular and start building a strong portfolio.

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There you have 11 ideas for a flexible side hustle that actually work!

Making extra income and finding more freedom and purpose in your life is possible. So take a leap and get started working on your next side hustle today.