OPPORTUNITIES IN GHANA

Make money from YouTube videos

2014-11-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

Remember that viral video you laughed at yesterday while chowing down on your doughnuts? That video could have earned the maker more than £100,000.

We’re not kidding when we say you can earn some serious dollar from YouTube videos and it might just be the funnest money making gig like EVER.

While it sadly isn’t as easy as clapping your fingers and the money appearing in your bank account like magic, making money out of YouTube videos is still a relatively simple concept.

And, in an effort to help you earn some dollar, we’ve put together this step by step guide. Send us some of your earnings maybe?

How to make money from YouTube videos

How much money can you make?

Straight in there with the killer question, you shrewd lot. Well, the answer is a bit of a mixed bag really, if we’re honest.

While you might be lucky and find a video clip of yours goes viral and earns you £100,000 (like the guy who uploaded a clip of one of his son’s biting the other one’s finger), this is very unlikely. That said, if you have got something funny, by all means give it a shot.

You’re much more likely to build up revenue by getting an audience through constant content, whether you’re making vlogs, cat videos or just talking about custard creams.You might remember the tale of 17 year old Fred Pye – he hit the news recently forearning £24,000 a year by making walk-throughs for Grand Theft Auto.

But as we said, it isn’t all like this. Livie Rose, a beauty blogger from Brighton says her pay fluctuates from thousands one month to £50 the next, and some people only report a few pounds here and there.

What can you realistically expect?

As a benchmark you can expect to make around $1.50/1000 views. This means that 1million views = $1500… That’s around £880 to us English folk.

However, keep in mind that a lot of the channels (such as Epic Mealtime) sign advertising contracts with certain companies or even promote their own merchandise, like T-shirts, which can earn them even more on top of their views alone.

It’s hard to put a total on this but the possibilities are endless depending on what your videos are about.

How does it work?

The basic deal with this is Google Adsense, a nifty little programme that allows you to monetise (we love that word) your website or videos with adverts.

After you’ve signed up with the beast that is YouTube and built a decent amount of followers and views you’ll receive an email asking if you want to monetise your videos. You’ll then be able to select videos you want to earn dollar on.

The basic gist of this is companies pay Google to advertise on your videos and you’ll get a cut of the profit.

Just to be clear, you can’t monetise any videos with copyrighted material in them. So no nicking other people’s stuff y’hear?

What do you need to get started?

Depending on what you’re planning on filming you’ll need to get your setup sorted from the beginning.

There’s no point having good content if you’re filming it on your iPhone. A decent setup goes a long way towards showing that you’re serious and having people respect your videos.

You’ll need:

A decent camera – Quality is important and you’ll need to record your videos in full 1080p HD.
Video editing software – Both PCs and Macs have pretty decent video editing software (Movie maker & iMovie) but Adobe Premier is a decent option for advanced users.
Sound recording equipment – Most cameras come with a microphone but if you’re looking for top sound quality you might need to purchase a decent microphone.
Lighting – This is not an essential but some top Youtubers swear by it.
A decent backdrop – If you’re filming a vlog or pieces to camera you might want to set up a decent backdrop. You can stick with plain white or jazz it up a bit with a collection of posters for example.

How to make your videos the bestest?

As we said before, the way this works is you get popular then you get paid. You can’t sign up to monetise videos no one has watched yet.

It makes sense really, who wants to pay to advertise on a billboard no one walks past? Yet while building up a decent audience might seem daunting, there are some easy tips that might help you get there sooner:

Choose your genre: One of the most popular genres on Youtube is gaming walk-throughs but it’s a pretty competitive. Take some time to think about what you can do well and whether you think you can make a success of it. Other genres that work well are: product reviews, comedy, how to’s, sports and films.
Choose a good username: Sounds trivial, trust us, it isn’t. You need to make your username memorable and steer clear from numbers and random characters. Yes, that means Xxx_ponysrock92_xxX is a no go. Sorry.
Catchy relevant titles: Make your title both catchy and relevant. That way people will remember it, and more people will stumble across it if they’re searching for something similar.
Upload regularly: You won’t build an audience if you stop posting! Remember, the longer you keep that audience locked in, the more monies you get.
Be original: There’s nothing wrong with tried and tested formats such as reviews or cat videos, but you have to make sure you stand out from the crowd. Go forth and be different kids!
Show your enthusiasm: You need to be creating videos about something you love. Having a passion for your videos will show! If you don’t love what you’re doing you’ll soon get bored and the videos will start to show that. The passion comes first and the money comes second…

Always make sure to follow the rules too; no inappropriate content, copyright or spamming. Play nice and you’ll be fine.

How do you make more?

If you’ve built up a pretty sizeable base and have a dedicated audience, there is one other avenue to explore aside from Google Adsense and YouTube itself.

Patreon is a great little web tool that allows your fans to sign up and donate money directly each time you post something new.

The key to this is building up an audience that appreciates you – if they like what you do the chances are they can be persuaded to part $1 or more each time you upload. Yes it’s US money, but money is money!

Also, as mentioned above, you can approach companies to talk about advertising or at the very least free sample for you to review/talk about.

You might even want to branch out into creating your own merchandise once/if you make a name for yourself.

Some of the big shots on here are earning about three thousand dollars everytime they post a new video. Yes you read that right.

So, have you decided to give YouTube video-ing a crack? We’d love to see your efforts and hear how it went! Make sure to hit us up in the comments below.

No spam, No catch, No brainer. Privacy Policy.

What are other people reading?

Student tax refunds – are you owed money?

Make money reviewing music on Slicethepie

How to make money out of old books, CDs, games and DVDs

6 steps to successfully working from home

2014-11-21T08:26:00.001-08:00

By Jem Collins in Jobs & Careers, Make Money

Working from home may be your idea of heaven but it’s harder than it sounds. Here are some expert tips to earning some cash without leaving your student accommodation.The internet is crammed full of work-at-home job adverts which can look like the ideal job for poor students, particularly when you’ve got 5p in your bank account.

The idea of working at home in your PJs can sound like the best gig in the world, but be warned, it isn’t all fun and games.

Because we’re lovely people we’ve put together six of the most important things to consider before you hang up your work uniform for good.

Find the right job

So you’ve decided that earning from home is the ideal set up for you. You’ve stocked up on tea, sugar and comfortable pyjamas; in fact all that’s left is the find the job itself.

You’ll find this next point a recurring theme throughout this article, so we’ll forgive you if you feeling like hitting us later, as long as you actually take in what we’re saying.

Put simply, finding a job online is exactly the same as finding any other type of job. Fail to take it seriously and you’ll fail to profit.

Online job sites are a great place to start and we’ve got our very ownpart-time job search engine. It’s also worth checking out sites such asGumtree and Guardian Jobs.

Another option to consider is freelancing on various projects, as it gives you much more flexibility and variety.

Check out our step by step guide on freelancing for everything you need to consider and once you’ve done this you can head on down to sites likePeople Per Hour, where you can offer your services for shedloads of freelance jobs.

Once you’ve found the perfect job, you’ll need to make sure you put in an application that stands out. Check out our advice on acing phone interviews and making your CVor cover letter the talk of the town.
Don’t get conned

It has been said a million times before, but if something looks too fantastic to be true then it probably is…

You can forget your dreams of a £75 an hour gig; people simply aren’t going to pay mega bucks unless you’re very highly skilled.

Treat online job adverts just like you would any other; check out the company before you apply, expect at least a phone interview before being offered the role and always make sure you visit head office in person before you accept (or at least use Google Street view).

It might sound stupid, but blindly trusting the person at the end of an email could mean you end up working without getting paid or, even worse, scammed out of any money you did have.
Crank up the willpower

The possibility of having a job where you can work starkers and not leave your bed is definite bragging rights, but you’ve got to be sure you have got the self-discipline to not roll over and go back to sleep.

When you’re working for yourself, there will be no one to continually ring your phone and leave expletive messages if you don’t show up for a shift. And no one to tell you off for slacking half-way through.

Your housemates may be playing a round of Fifa and last night’s photos may well just have hit Facebook, but if you don’t find the time to work you’ll find your bragging rights evaporate very quickly.

Basically, don’t be these guys.
Avoid loneliness

In one sense online jobs can be some of the most social around. Some friends want to go for a ‘quick pint’ at the pub (personally we’d suggest pre-drinks, much cheaper)? No problem! Just switch your shifts around and the beer is yours before you know it.

However an online job can also be one of the loneliest ways to work.

There’ll be no more chats at the water cooler, complaining about the customers or attending raucous work dos.

In fact, for the most part, you’ll have to forgo the idea of meeting people at work entirely.

On the plus side though, there’ll be no more walks of shame when someone on your shift finds out what really happened to you last night.
Don’t do too many hours

It’s always a little bit tempting to go overboard on work hours, especially when working actually means sitting on your bum at home.

Remember you’re not getting paid to do nothing, so the chances are you won’t be able to cook a roast or finish that essay at the same time.

Most uni courses suggest a limit of 15 hours a week for any kind of term-time job so you can still concentrate on your studies, but it’s probably better to go for a lower number of hours at first and then add a few more later if you think you can handle it.
Become self-motivated

Whilst decent companies will give you as much help settling in as they can, that doesn’t mean there’ll be someone there to help you when it’s 3am, you’re shattered and you haven’t the foggiest at what to do next.

You simply just have to get used to the idea that there will be no instant feedback and help only comes in emails between nine and five.

Getting organised and planning your workload will really help and give you plenty of time to take on problems.

And finally…

Don’t let all the above give the impression that all online jobs are bad; it’s just best to have a balanced view of things before you commit to anything.

One of the major advantages of working at home is you won’t have to pay for travel, or account time for it.

You also won’t have the worry of switching jobs or getting holiday when term ends and no one will complain if you end up working at ridiculous hours as long as the job gets done (extra flexibility).

Do your research and you could end up with the student job of a lifetime!

After all of that you you find yourself thinking that working from home for a company is not for you then why not take a look at our ultimate list of quick ideas to start making money online, here.

Student to Millionaire: The ultimate guide

2014-11-21T07:38:00.002-08:00

So you fancy being a millionaire? There probably isn’t a student alive who hasn’t thought what it would be like to have a bottomless bank balance.

While we’ve all dreamt of countless jaunts to far-flung destinations, and an endless queue of gorgeous people wanting to help you splash your cash, short of a lottery win, chances are you’ve ruled it out as a daydream.

But being a ‘millionaire’ isn’t really as difficult and unachievable as you might think. Lots of people prove each and every year that you don’t have to be a banker, EuroMillions winner or be born with a silver spoon in your mouth to build up your wealth to seven figures.

So, here’s our ultimate guide to getting that million. Let’s get rich!

What’s on this page?

What makes a millionaire?

Ok, so a million quid ain’t what it used to be. It’s actually getting easier every day thanks to things like inflation. So for many budding rich-listers it’s a question of lifestyle and not having to worry about your finances.

To live like a millionaire, you don’t actually need to have a million pounds in the bank – 99% of ‘millionaires’ don’t. To actually be a millionaire you will most definitely have to be right on top of your finances and investments!

Being a millionaire can mean all sorts of things, but in this guide we’re essentially going to look at a realistic path in which you can build up your wealth to a target beyond £1,000,000.

We’ve suggested a few ‘fast track‘ ways to becoming a millionaire at the end for those who just can’t wait… but stick with us for the fool-proof guide first!

Let’s briskly walk through the rest of your life, taking a look at the steps you can take to become a millionaire (or even a billionaire!).

As a student

Most students have to scrimp just to get by, and can expect to leave university with a hefty amount of student debt (see how much).

So, becoming a millionaire at this stage in your life is a tall order. If you’re serious about being wealthy though, now’s the time to get your act together.

Set goals!

The wealth game is a long slog. Money doesn’t come easy. Before you embark on your millionaire challenge, it’s vital that you have a clear life plan.

You need to work out a feasible and realistic route to making your millions that draws on your past skills, experience and ambitions.

We’ll touch on setting income goals later on, but if you’re serious about this then you need to know how to achieve it not just dream it!

Sort out your spending habits

Most millionaires don’t run around buying Lamborghini’s all the time while cracking open the Champagne for breakfast. In fact, that’s part of the reason why they’re millionaires in the first place.

They say that ‘a fool and his cash are soon parted’, and that’s a fairly decent motto to live by if you want to join the super-rich.

Hone in on your money skills

Practicing and learning some basic budgeting and money saving skills while you’re a student will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life, so don’t just write it off as ‘something you’ll do another day’!

If you haven’t already got it, download our free book: The Essential Student Guide to Finance.

Start earning

To be wealthy you need to have income! Use any spare time you have (aside from studying and partying) to earn some cash. It’s a good idea to land a part-time job, but it can also pay off to be more creative.

Check out our quick ways to make money guide, or why not start-up a small business if you have something to offer?

Start saving

There’s no getting away from the fact that you will have student debt, but because you don’t have to pay it all back right away (if ever) it’s not like other debt (read about the repayments).

You may find that sometimes you do have a few quid to spare, especially when the loans come in.

Get into the habit of putting this into a savings account (easy access is best at this stage) and you’ll be surprised how much interest you can earn on it during your time at uni.

At the same time, remember to cut down on spending. Avoid having a car and think carefully before splashing out on big-ticket items if you don’t really need them.

As a graduate

Going from a life of education into a world of work can be a daunting prospect. There’s a lot to adjust to, and you might still be worrying about what you actually want to do with your life, nevermind the challenge of becoming a millionaire in the next few years!

Our advice is don’t worry about the unknown, things always work out and there are lots of things you can do to boost your chances of breaching the high-life.

Get a job

Your first priority to maximise your income at this stage is to secure a well paid job. Having said that, think carefully about the career you want to embark on: one you will enjoy and can progress quickly in. Read more about finding a graduate job.

If you’re finding it hard to get on to the career ladder, then pick up a part-time job for the time being whilst you job hunt. And if you’re really struggling to find any paid work then don’t be afraid to sign on at the Job Centre for a short period.

Start a business

The fast-track method of becoming super wealthy in your twenties is to start a high growth, high return business with a plan to exit within 5 years or so.

But, of course. there is absolutely no guarantee you’ll even make a penny, and the risk can often outweigh your other options of building a longer term income.

It’s important to have a well researched idea and a solid business plan before you start, and a clear picture of how you’ll support yourself when there’s no money coming in.

Having said all this, there may never be a better time to start in business than as a graduate. You’re responsibilities are minimal and even if it all goes Pete Tong, you’ve got a wealth of experience to build on to take forward.

Take advantage of tax-free ISAs

One of the reasons why people will never become millionaires is simply because they don’t know how. There are lots of competing options out there fighting for you to invest in, but you need to think smart and do your homework on what is available to you and then what will give you the best return.

Tax free cash ISAs are one of the best ways to consistently build up your savings. If you don’t yet have an ISA, get one now! Why? Read on…

Every year, each person in the UK over the age of 16 has an allowance of money they can put in a tax-free savings account, called an ISA. Once your money’s in the account, it stays tax-free, year after year. So if you have a little bit of spare money lying around, you should absolutely, definitely, 100%, put it in an ISA. After all, why pay tax (currently 20% on savings interest) when you don’t have to?

You can open a different ISA every year with a different provider if you want to, so shop around for the best rate. The top interest rate you can expect right now is around 3%. If you deposit £5,760 (the max. allowance for 2013/14) in one of the best ISAs, you’ll earn £169.76 over the year in tax-free interest. If that same amount was invested in a normal savings account paying 3%, after tax you’d receive £135.

For more on ISAs, read our guide on the best ISA accounts.

Before you’re 30

A few years on from graduating, you’ll hopefully have a decent amount of cash coming in on a regular basis. Now’s the time to start getting serious. Being wiser with your spare money is what makes the difference between your Average Joe and your millionaire.

Get on the property ladder

Whilst you’re renting a property, you could see it as throwing cash down the drain every month.

Of course there are lots of benefits in renting, but by this point you should be a little more settled both in where you want to live and financially.

You may be quite happy living with your parents for a few years after you graduate (even if they’re not over the moon), and building up your cash reserves, but sooner or later, you should be looking into buying your own place.

Once you’ve bought your own house or flat, you’ll probably be paying much less every month in mortgage repayments than you had been forking out on rent, and you actually have a place of your very own at the end of it. Historically, property prices follow a strong upward trend so you really are investing in your future.

If you’re in a good financial position, then considering a buy-to let investment is the next step to financial freedom. So long as you can get the initial deposit down, and get a good mortgage deal which is less than the rental income, you’re on the fast track to being rather rich.

Again, you are also likely to benefit from a rise in overall property prices meaning you can bring in big bucks by selling up at the peak of the market and buying at the bottom.

Of course, there is the whole issue of getting a deposit together, and that’s a lot easier said than done.

But going back to those budgeting skills you honed as a student, you can put a plan in place to save up the necessary amount. You’d typically be looking at needing 10% of the property value.

Invest in stock markets using index-trackers

If you’re not familiar with the stock market, it can all seem a little bit daunting. Index-tracking stocks are fairly straightforward though, and more to the point consistently beat the vast majority of managed and hedge funds.

In simple terms, these funds are a collective investment scheme that replicates the movements of one particular financial market (eg. the FTSE 100). There are 3 big advantages over other stock market investments:

Very low-cost, with long-term returns of up to 10%pa
Don’t require much knowledge or professional help
Avoid the classic issues of following greed and making stock choices
Easy to manage
Can be wrapped in a Shares ISA for tax-free returns
Maximizes the magic of compound interest (where interest income is reinvested)

This sort of investment works best when it’s given several years to appreciate and mature, so think of it as a long-term venture rather than a get rich quick scheme. But be assured, over time your wealth portfolio will swell nicely.

Read our guide on index-tracking investments, and if you really want to learn how to make your millions using this strategy then definitely read Andrew Hallam’s Millionaire Teacher. Highly recommended.

Get to grips with your pension

Retirement might seem like a long way off yet, but sorting out a pension fund before you hit 30 is a very wise move.

The benefits of pensions in growing your wealth are on a par with index-tracking investments. Even a modest amount put into a pension fund now can make a big difference in the future.

As with many of the other tips on this page, the key thing is to grow your knowledge of these major types of investment products available to you.

You might be able to get a good pension through your employer, who often match every pound you put in, but don’t forget to look at other providers too.

Try to pick a flexible one, that allows you to pay in as much or as little as you can afford, with a low annual fee. Virgin Money is offering some good deals at the moment.

Before retirement

When you retire you’ll still require an income to cover not only basic living essentials (like rent and food) but to sustain the lifestyle you have worked so hard to achieve.

To be a millionaire OAP requires some planning years before you reach retirement age.

Set an income goal

Most retirees are ‘pensioners’ because, well, they are living off of their pension which at least covers living costs. But you want to live like a millionaire, right?

To get to this level of income without working requires a fairly sizable pension plus a good number of other streams of income being earned every month on your capital assets.

If you want to really live it up post-work, it’s important to set an income goal before you retire that does not require you to work any more. This number will vary for everyone, but whatever it is, pick one and work to it. Instead of retiring at 70 you might find you’re able to retire at 58 if you wanted to, because you’ve reached your goal.

By the time you give up work, your investment portfolio becomes your income portfolio. To protect your nest egg you need to diversify…

Diversify your interests

Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket. Over the years, you should aim to build up a portfolio of wise investments that will get you set for when you retire.

A good income portfolio would ideally include a mix of:

Cash and stock ISAs
Government bonds
A pension (private or state)
Index-tracking funds
Buy-to-let property (UK or overseas)
Cash

All of these are sources of sustained income. This kind of balanced portfolio will leave you in a position to enjoy your retirement, rather than wondering how you’ll afford it. And with the UK’s state pension getting worse each and every year, that’s a very good position to be in.

Write a Will

Remember, whatever happens, you can’t take it all with you when you’re in the ground. After a life of saving and building up your wealth, you want it to fall into the right hands when you’re gone.

It can be worth seeking professional legal and tax advice to make sure you have a strategy that maximizes the beneficiaries of your Will. And don’t wait until you’ve gone grey, the earlier the better!

Fast tracks to becoming a millionaire (legally)

If the long but fool-proof road to becoming a millionaire – that is, scrimping and saving as a graduate and building a well-balanced and sustained investment portfolio in your 30s onwards – doesn’t appeal to you, then there are other more creative ways to becoming filthy rich in a shorter time-frame.

Try these for size:

Move abroad – with a healthy bank balance you can live like a king in exotic countries such as India, Mexico and Thailand
Lotteries, game shows & competitions – this method of course all comes down to luck, but for a (very) small group of people a punt has paid off big time
Career choice – this guide has mostly focused on investing, but get into a high paying industry or job and you might be driving the flash car quicker than you think
Sell a business – we touched on this, but there’s still lots more to be said for starting up a company, adding value, generating sales and flogging it on
Gambling – not one to recommend since the majority of gamblers get into bad debt, but nonetheless it can be a quick way to big bucks for some. Check our guide to Matched Betting to profit without risk
Property developing – you’ve seen the daytime TV shows, and adding value to houses is without doubt a great way to build wealth relatively quickly
Inheritance – you probably haven’t got much choice in this one, but you can always send a Christmas card to distant wealthy relatives, just in case.

A million isn’t what it used to be, but it’s still more than enough to give you a very comfortable lifestyle. Making wise investment choices will help your cash to stand the test of time – AKA inflation, your biggest wealth enemy.

Whether you’ve got a couple of tenners spare or perhaps a couple of thousand, give some really serious thought to what you should do with it.

But remember, if you want to be a millionaire, you’d much rather stash it away to earn more money than spend it now.

For more about becoming a millionaire in the 21st century, check out these great books:

4 fool-proof student business ventures

2014-11-21T07:36:00.002-08:00

Like most time rich cash poor students, starting a business and raking in some cash and spending the proceeds on partying and designer clothes probably seems like a pretty idyllic plan (if not slightly unrealistic).

Without getting too far ahead of yourself starting the right sort of venture at university (one with low start up costs that is quickly cash positive) can be a great way to earn good money and spend your time productively.

We’ve outlined a few tried and tested student business plans below. These are all about execution and hard work, but if you utilise your skills correctly they are some great ways to earn good cash, improve your CV and have fun.

4 student money making ventures

Start a club night

For student businesses, this is the oldest trick in the book. However, starting a successful, profitable club night does take a lot of planning.

The first key point to consider is whether you have the right networks at university to get a club night going, you really need to socialise with a large range of people in different groups, courses, societies and halls (or partner with someone who does).Informal networks are absolutely key for getting a club night off the ground.

Secondly, it’s important to think about what sort of club night is missing within these networks in terms of the music and venue you choose – these will be a key part in getting people out on a night out or switching from an already established night they go to. But if you’re friendly with a large number of people who will do a favour for you and promote your night to their friends it’s a quick way to start generating some cash without too much risk being invested in the night.

Remember though, getting people to a launch party is far easier than the second and third time you run your night, so you’ll have to work especially hard no matter how well the launch goes!
Start a student discount card/app for your area

Probably the second most popular and easy to start student business venture is starting a discount card business. The principles here are pretty simple.

Talk to local companies to get discounts for your members, make some cards with the discounts featured and get selling the cards with these discounts to students!

It would probably be wise however to approach it in a more unique way with a particular selling point; for example, instead of charging students for a card – why not set up an app or website listing discounts for free (similar to our discount section) and offer being featured to local businesses on a free trial and then start charging businesses on a monthly basis as your user base expands.

You could then also set up a premium membership with extra discounts for students who are willing to pay for a card once they’ve used the free service.

Again, execution and spreading the word about your discount club is key, but when done correctly the business could become a nice money earner.
Start an agency

This particular businesses plan does require you to have skills in a particular area that are of a high enough quality to charge someone else to hire (or the time and commitment to learn these skills). However, if you do have skills in an area like design, development, marketing or consultation of some sort then this can be a particularly easy to start business that you should excel at.

Probably the easiest place to start is approaching local businesses. Offer a heavily discounted rate at first and in time you’ll have a portfolio and will be able to increase your rates.
Start blogging

Whatever your interest is, there is a market in the blogosphere that will be interested in your opinions. Check out the article on how to build a website here.

Once you have a blog up and running the really key thing is putting out relevant, high quality content on a regular basis. By doing this you’ll gain followers and recommendations and once you have a big enough audience can start advertising relevant companies on your site – this can be enough to earn a serious income if your market is big enough and you become a leader.

Learn basic SEO and social media advertising skills to help get yourself off the ground.

Do you have any business ideas of your own? Let us know in the comments below.

No spam, No catch, No brainer. Privacy Policy.

What are other people reading?

13 tips for finding a graduate job

3 ways travel can help you get a job

The ultimate guide to work experience

UK Millionaires: Where and what they studied

2014-11-21T07:34:00.003-08:00

We always hear stories of uni dropouts that become millionaires but what about actual UK graduates?

Most of us dream of being filthy rich and there are lots of ways to reach that goal. Some people have exceptional talents, some pray for lottery jackpots and some follow every ‘get rich quick’ scheme that comes to town, many more go to university first.

It’s more than possible for uni graduates to become millionaires and we’ve written a step by step guide on how to go from student to millionaire, but if you still think it’s impossible, here are nine true life stories that might change your mind.

These are some of the UK’s finest university-educated millionaires, with the full deets on what they studied and how university helped them get where they are today.

Rowan Atkinson

The ‘Johnny English’ star is now worth £60 million. Before he found fame as an actor, comedian and screenwriter, Rowan Atkinson had ‘bean’ a student of electrical engineering.

He completed his undergraduate degree at Newcastle University before going on to study a master’s degree in the subject at the University of Oxford.

It was during his time at university that he met fellow-screenwriter Richard Curtis and came up with the idea for the hilarious ‘Mr Bean’.

Whilst studying at Oxford, Atkinson wrote and performed several sketches. His university life provided him with the experience, confidence and connections to excel.

Christopher Nolan

Award-winning director of ‘Inception’, ‘The Prestige’ and the latest Batman trilogy, Christopher Nolan has come a long way since his uni days.

He is now worth a cool £60 million, despite only leaving University College London (UCL) 20 years ago. Nolan is also the youngest director to have been honoured with a hand and footprint ceremony at the world-famous TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.

Although he read English Literature, Nolan admired UCL for its outstanding film-making facilities. He quickly rose to President of the university’s Film Society and created several films alongside his studies. Both his degree and his extra-curricular activities at UCL supported Nolan’s interests, allowing him to find his true calling.

J K Rowling

Everyone knows J K Rowling as the author of the best-selling Harry Potter series, but not many people realise that, before that, she actually read French and Classics at the University of Exeter.

No doubt this essay-based subject assisted her later writing. University also provided an opportunity to meet like-minded people. She is now the highest self-made woman on the UK rich list.

Sacha Baron Cohen

Very nice… From Ali G to Sweeney Todd’s Adolfo Pirelli, Sacha Baron Cohen is a truly versatile actor and comedian. In 1990, he matriculated at the University of Cambridge, just as UK millionaires Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie had done before him.

Baron Cohen chose Cambridge for its prestigious reputation and prolific acting opportunities. Whilst reading history, he regularly participated in their Amateur Dramatic Club, where his acting skills were able to flourish.

Now worth nearly £70 million, Baron Cohen cannot deny that the skills he acquired at Cambridge have helped him reach his current stardom.

Sir Terry Leahy

The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) is responsible for shaping this former Tesco Chief Executive.

A BSc in Management Sciences provided Leahy with the skills needed to expand the successful supermarket chain. Leahy even devised the ‘Clubcard’ scheme – a money saving system invaluable to students today.

Chris Tarrant

Chris Tarrant is known for asking the question ‘who wants to be a millionaire?’ but when he first entered the hallowed halls of the University of Birmingham, he could only dream of actually being one himself.

Tarrant read English at Birmingham, after declining an Oxford scholarship. His English degree gave him the writing and communication skills needed to become a successful television personality.

The University of Birmingham boasts the highest proportion of self-made UK millionaires; an astounding 84% of their rich graduates became wealthy on their own.

David Gill

David Gill was the Manchester United Football Club’s Chief Executive and a Vice Chairman of The Football Association (while they were still good), but he started his journey at the Birmingham Business School.

At Man United he was among the highest-paid directors, with a staggering £2 million salary. With a clear head for business and an incredibly informative degree, there was no stopping him.

E L James

Love them or loathe them, we’ve all heard of the Fifty Shade of Grey books by now. What you might not know is that the woman behind the books is now thought to be worth more than £20 million.

The University of Kent graduate read history before launching herself into the world of erotic fiction in 2009. The essay-based subject was clearly a blessing as James didn’t even start out with a book deal, making use of self publishing sites online.

Sir Chris Hoy

Chances are you probably watched Sir Chris Hoy cycling to victory in the London 2012 Olympics. Olympic medals aside, the University of Edinburgh graduate is doing pretty well for himself – he’s estimated to be worth £52 million.

Perhaps unsurprisingly he graduated with a degree in applied sports science, but also spent a great deal of time training with Edinburgh City Racing Club. Figures really.

You?

These are some of the most notable university-educated UK millionaires, but there are many more examples of brilliant Brits, and remember, there’s always room for more. Maybe your name will be featured on this prestigious list in a few years time?

It’s interesting to note that not one of these nine millionaires studied exactly the same topic as the one that made them rich – more often than not, it was the university societies they joined that gave them the extra-curricular skills they needed to succeed. So if you have a passion, join your university’s society or set one up!

FOUR (4) STEPS TO YOUR OWN WEBSITE (AND A JOB)

2014-11-20T03:25:00.001-08:00

By Owen Burek in Jobs & Careers, Make Money

Having your own blog or website is one of the best kept secrets of impressing a potential employer. STS founder, Owen, shows you how to set one up for yourself.I have been a website developer for over 12 years and I go through the process of setting up websites all the time. With this experience I have been able to learn the best methods and source the best prices out there.

Today setting up your online pad is as easy and as affordable as ever. If you follow my own dead easy simple steps you can be up and running easily within 30 minutes for less than £30.

I have gone through the steps below with many graduate friends, and they have all benefited from an employer’s raised eyebrows when applying for jobs. Most of the sites don’t even have much on them, the domain name or email address alone can be enough to impress.

Aside from actually landing a great job, setting up your own website will be the best thing you have done for a long time.

So here’s the key to the best kept secret most students and graduates have not even thought of…

4 basic steps to set up your website

The core ingredients you will need are a domain name (ie. myname.co.uk), an email address (easy to set up with your domain name registrar), a website host (someone who stores your website’s files on a server) and optionally a free platform calledWordPress (helps you manage your website without having to know any HTML etc).

Choosing and registering a domain name

As you probably know there are a range of domain name extensions available. The most common for the UK are .com and .co.uk. It’s your choice which you go for, assuming that the domain name you want is still available.

.com domain name

Cheapest Registrar: GoDaddy.comPrice: ~£7.35 per year
Notes: Select GBP from top right to pay in £

.co.uk domain name

Cheapest Registrar: 123-Reg.co.uk
Price: ~£2.99 per year
Notes: Minimum 2 years, exc. VAT
Setting up your personalised email address

The easiest way to create your email address under your new domain name is to do it with your registrar from step 1.

Once you login there will be an option to set up email addresses which you can then hook up with your usual email client (eg. Hotmail, GMail, Outlook).

There are loads of guides out there on doing this, so I’ll leave this to Google for now.
Website hosting

To upload content onto your domain name you will need a bit of server space (just like storing files on your computer). There are hundreds of web hosts out there now, and you could spend forever looking.

The host I go with for most of my websites isGoDaddy to keep things simple (and cheap!) but most domain registrars (such as 123-reg) now offer hosting too.

Top website host: GoDaddy

Price: From £2.99 per month

You will then just need to point your domain name to the server by setting the “Nameservers”, which will be provided by your web host. If you need any help in getting things sorted, never hesitate to get in touch with the hosts as their support teams are usually very good.
Installing WordPress

Technically your online presence is secured, but if anyone goes to www.yoursite.com there won’t be much to see! The quickest way to get something on the site is to install the incredibly popular and free piece of kit called WordPress.

If you have gone with GoDaddy they have a very simple system in place which allows you to install WordPress through them.

Otherwise it is a case of downloading WordPress, unzipping the files and uploading it to your server via a FTP client (I use FileZilla). Again, there’s loads of stuff on this process, WordPress Docs are a great start.

What’s next?

Once you’ve set up your site there’s a whole world of opportunities to grow your website and even make some money from it. In the coming weeks I will be working on guides teaching you how to apply themes to your WordPress site and how to go about monetising what you’re doing online. Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss out!

In the meantime, you could sign up for Affiliate Window, a popular affiliate network for promoting products and services for commission.

Perhaps more importantly, we will be looking on the best ways to get eyeballs (traffic) on your website by exploring search engine optimisation (SEO) and link building.

Websites = Employability

Pretty much every student and graduate now has an online presence of some sort. Whether it’s a Facebook or Twitter profile, an account on a forum or even just a humble free email address, you will have a whole network of footprints across the web.

But there’s nothing like having your own website and your own email address. It can be a bit of a novelty, but having your CV or portfolio at myownwebsite.com really makes you stand out from the crowd.

A website makes you easier to find and allows you to promote yourself.

Heck, put the actual website that you have set up on your CV itself! And of course you can also use me@yesiamthatgreat.com as your professional looking email address. No more blushing when spelling out hanna_babez_2k1@hotmail.com.

Registering a domain name, creating your own website and personalising your email address gives you an identity and explicitly demonstrates that you have certain skills which employers crave.

THE BEST ONLINE SURVEY WEBSITES

2014-11-20T03:09:00.001-08:00

The best paid online survey websites

By Jake Butler in Make Money

We all have a bit of time to kill every now and then, particularly over holiday breaks and in the evenings. Make sure you’re turning it into cash!

Close the YouTube cat videos down. Instead spend your spare time earning £100s a year filling out online surveys or testing products.

There are a growing number of research companies out there offering rewards for your opinions, however they’re not always as ‘legit’ as they make out.

With this in mind, we’ve created a run-down of the trusted survey sites, personally tested by out users and us. We reveal how much you can realistically make from each site and share some helpful tips to maximise your profit.

Legit online survey websites

Each site has a limited number of surveys each month for each person. If you want to earn serious rewards it’s worth signing up to as many as possible.

Pinecone Research

£3 per survey, invite only.

Who are they? Pinecone are an exclusive survey and product testing company who are invite only.

Rewards: £3 per completed survey, free products to test and keep.

Amount per survey: £3.

Min. reward threshold: £3.

Our review:

Pinecone is the Holy Grail of survey sites and invites are rare so it’s well worth signing up while we have some invites on offer. The payout is huge and surveys don’t take too long to complete. You sometimes get sent products to test and keep too!

Note: There’s no guarantee that they will be open to new registrations at any one time, but we try to arrange a limited number for our readers each month. Check the link below. If we don’t, join our newsletter for updates.

Sign up to Pinecone »
Toluna

Test, keep products and earn vouchers.

Who are they? A trusted opinion website working on behalf of leading companies. They want to know what you think about certain products, services and issues. In return, you get rewarded!

Rewards: Free products, Amazon vouchers and prize draws.

Amount per survey: 3,000 – 6,000 points (80,000 points gets you a £15 voucher).

Min. reward threshold: 500 for prizes, 80,000 for vouchers.

Our review:

You won’t be sent products to test all the time, but we have received a couple over the space of a few months. So it’s worth signing up just to get freebies

You can also answer surveys on the site to earn yourself points which equal vouchers. Each survey takes around 15 minutes to complete, so it’ll take around 4 hours overall to earn a voucher.

Sign up to Toluna »
Swagbucks

Very popular with students, thanks to a wide variety of ways to earn rewards.

Who are they? Swagbucks are a reliable survey site who also offer rewards for playing games and watching videos.

Rewards: Cash, vouchers and prize draws.

Amount per survey: 70 points (40p).

Min. reward threshold: 1 point.

Our review:

We love Swagbucks, and we hear positive reviews from our followers about them too. We’ve found that completing surveys and polls every day provides the best return for your time, however you can also complete a much wider range of offers to bump up your earnings.

Surveys take around 10 minutes to complete, meaning you can earn around £2.40 an hour. Swagbucks also offers users the ability to complete surveys from multiple providers and give consolation points when you don’t qualify for a survey.

Sign up to Swagbucks »
Vivatic

Frequent surveys.

Who are they? Vivatic is a site that allows you to earn money from not only surveys but a number of other jobs such as writing reviews & data entry.

Rewards: Cash.

Amount per survey: ~£1.

Min. reward threshold: £20

Our review:

Vivatic is a great survey site. Surveys take about 15 mins to complete so it could take you a little while to reach the threshold but the good news is that there’s plenty more extra money making opportunities that they have so well worth a sign up.

Sign up to Vivatic »
MySurvey

Make £3-5 per hour.

Who are they? A popular consumer panel who are always looking for new members to participate in market research studies for rewards.

Rewards: PayPal payments, Amazon and high-street vouchers.

Amount per survey: Around 100 points.

Min. reward threshold: 345 points (£3).

Our review:

Another one worth signing up for. We got lots of surveys sent from these guys, and they tend to match your profile and interests as a consumer.

The average survey takes about 15 minutes to complete, and gives you 100 points. So you could earn around £3-£5/hour.

Register below and wait for them to send you some surveys!

Sign up to MySurvey »
Ipsos

Make £10+ a month.

Who are they? One of the largest (and best paying) survey-based market research companies around, working with trusted brands and research companies worldwide.

Rewards: High-street and Amazon Vouchers, plus prize draws for all members.

Amount per survey: ~£1.

Min. reward threshold: £10.

Our review:

A well-trusted panel. They send you surveys every week to answer by email. The reward threshold is relatively low, and most people will be able to cash out in under 10 surveys.

Sign up to Ipsos »
Valued Opinions

£10 voucher per hour.

Who are they? Valued Opinions are part of a larger market research group. They send out online surveys to members whose profiles match broad demographics and requirements.

Rewards: Vouchers (inc. Amazon, M&S, Sainsbury’s, John Lewis).

Amount per survey: £1 – £5.

Min. reward threshold: £10.

Our review:

First off, signing up with Valued Opinions automatically enters you into a prize draw for an iPad. From there, they use your profile to send you relevant surveys to complete.

The surveys are usually quite interesting, and can take anything from 10-30 minutes each, so within just one hour you could bag yourself a £10 voucher.

Sign up to Valued Opinions »
Global Test Market

Earn £100 per year.

Who are they? This is a well know US survey site but they pay out cheques in £s.

Rewards: Cash, vouchers and prize draws.

Amount per survey: ~£1.20.

Min. reward threshold: 1000 points ($50/£32).

Our review:

Surveys take around 15 minutes each so you could be earning £4.80 an hour. Be aware that cheques do take a while to arrive in the post, and we’d recommend not wasting your time with the ‘prize draw’ surveys (unless you’re feeling very lucky).

Sign up to Global Test Market »
Survey Bods

£3 upon sign up and profile completion.

Who are they? SurveyBods work with top companies that want your opinion.

Rewards: Cash and vouchers.

Amount per survey: 50p – £3.00

Min. reward threshold: £25

Our review:

The surveys usually take around 10 minutes and are pretty easy to complete. You have to be as honest as possible as they have a “strike system”. 3 bad surveys and you’re out (we like to see it as a challenge).

They’re a trusted site and well worth joining through our link for a £3 bonus when signing up. Make sure you complete your profile too. Plus their site is a lot more snazzy than a lot of the others…

Sign up to Survey Bods »
Opinion Outpost

One of the lowest payout thresholds.

Who are they? Opinion Outpost have shot up in popularity due to fast payouts and fun surveys.

Rewards: Cash and Amazon Vouchers.

Amount per survey: 50p

Min. reward threshold: £2.50

Our review:

You only need to complete 5 surveys to be due a payout and they take around 10-15 minutes each.

Sign up to Opinion Outpost »
iPoll

Mobile compatibility & multiple payout opportunities.

Who are they? iPoll used to be called Survey Heads and are a US based company.

Rewards: Cash, vouchers & magazine subscriptions.

Amount per survey: 40p – £1.70

Min. reward threshold: £20

Our review:

It will take you around 15 minutes to complete a survey but the range of rewards are decent.

The only downside is that the amount of surveys tends to be quite low.

Sign up to iPoll »
The OpinionPanel Community

Students get £10 just for signing up.

Who are they? They are the UK’s largest research panel for students & grads. They offer interesting surveys and online focus groups for big brands and universities, with their research often reaching the media spotlight!

Rewards: Amazon and high-street, Bonusbond vouchers.

Amount per survey: £1-2 per survey, £30 – £70 for online focus groups.

Min. reward threshold: £25 for Students only. £1 for others.

Our review:

The OpinionPanel Community are a trusted site and their surveys take around 10 minutes to complete.

There is also mobile compatibility so you can complete surveys on the go.

Sign up to The OpinionPanel Community »
Hiving

Good referral scheme.

Who are they? They run surveys on behalf of leading brands.

Rewards: Cash.

Amount per survey: ~50p

Min. reward threshold: £4

Our review:

Hiving reward you around 50 points per minute when completing surveys and you can withdraw as soon as you reach 4000 points (£4).

They also reward users for referring friends and give you points even if you are declined for a survey.

Sign up to Hiving »
PanelBase

Earn £3 just for signing up!

Who are they? PanelBase aren’t your average survey site. They don’t inundate you with surveys, but the ones they do send are very well paid and relevant to you!

Rewards: Cash, vouchers and prize draws.

Amount per survey: 50p – £10 (avg. ~£1.50).

Min. reward threshold: £10.

Our review:

£3 just for signing up to a site is a bit of a no-brainer… The surveys pay out higher than the industry average too which gives you the opportunity to earn some good dough!

However they do select their survey respondents very carefully so you may be sent slightly less opportunities than other sites. Just make sure you fully complete your profile to give yourself the best chance.

Sign up to PanelBase »
MindMover

Interesting surveys on consumer products

Who are they? Mindmover allow you to share your opinions on everything from food to public transport.

Rewards: Cash.

Amount per survey: 50p – £1.50.

Min. reward threshold: £20.

Our review:

MindMover is a decent option but it can take a while to build up the points as surveys are sometime few and far between.

It takes around 15 minutes to complete each survey.

Sign up to MindMover »
YouGov

Earn 50p per survey.

Who are they? This is a little different to others, focusing more on social issues and general interest topics. YouGov polls include topics such as politics, public affairs and commercial products. Great if you have big opinions!

Rewards: Cash and prize draws.

Amount per survey: 50p – £3.00.

Min. reward threshold: £50.

Our review:

YouGov is one of the more interesting sites to sign up to because of the kinds of surveys they conduct. Most are on current issues that are in the news and they encourage you to express your views.

Surveys can take up to 30 minutes but are not always that frequent. We received one or two a fortnight, so it can take a few months to hit the threshold. However, you get £1 just for joining and if you get your friends to sign up too you can quickly get lots more points and cash!

Sign up to YouGov »
Springboard

Quick, easy surveys with cash rewards.

Who are they? Springboard are a very simple survey site and their research covers all sorts of areas.

Rewards: Cash and prize draws.

Amount per survey: 25p – 75p.

Min. reward threshold: £25.

Our review:

Springboard isn’t one of the best sites if you are looking for money quickly. You get around 25p-75p per survey and we receive around 4 surveys a month, at most.

When you consider that the payment threshold is £25 it could take you while to reach your first payout. However, for the minimal amount of effort it’s worth giving them a go.

Sign up to SpringBoard »
New Vista Live

Earn £100 per year.

Who are they? A leading marketing research company who have chosen to conduct surveys online rather than traditional cold-calling and so on.

Rewards: Cash and prize draws.

Amount per survey: Around £1 a survey.

Min. reward threshold: £50.

Our review:

NewVista offers users cash for completing surveys where 1 point = £1. For some, it can take a while to reach the £50 threshold but the surveys usually take just 15 minutes (so ~£4/hour) and they pay well.

Make sure you answer questions honestly as NewVista are known for chucking in a few red herrings to make sure you’re actually thinking rather than speeding through.

Sign up to New Vista »

Remember that we’re on your side, we do not promote scam/spam sites. If you have any problems with any of these survey sites then make sure you let us know.

Tips for maximising your online survey profit

Rather than just leaving you with a list of online survey sites we wanted to make sure that you get the most out of all of them.

Here’s a few ways to make sure you get the maximum rewards or profit from each site.

Sign up to them all

It’s a good idea to sign up to as many as possible. This means that you will always have surveys to answer instead of waiting for one or two to come along every month.

There is no harm in signing up to loads and you can always unsubscribe if you don’t like the service that one of them are providing.

Set up an alias email

You don’t have to do this but we would recommend setting up a separate email for all of your survey site accounts. That way you can log in each day and easily see the surveys on offer (without it clogging up your personal inbox).

You should also check your emails regularly as some surveys are only open for a day (sometimes less).

Be honest

Try and be honest when filling in these online paid surveys as sometimes you can be penalised for contradicting yourself or giving inadequate responses. Also, don’t try to second guess the system by saying that you are a wealthy businessman or woman to get more surveys. It won’t work!

Watch out for scams and fake sites

A number of sites (we won’t call anyone out) advertise dodgy survey sites to students so make sure you avoid them. The ones to watch out for are generally the ones that sound too good to be true!

It’s also worth noting that you aren’t guaranteed to receive products from the product testing site as users are chosen at random so if anyone promises this you should be very wary.

Put it this way, there are 1000s of users on each survey site, do you really think that they can afford to send out 1000s of free Playstations for people to test?

Cash in when you reach the limit

Unless you are looking to build up a big amount and aiming for one of the top rewards for which you have time for, then it’s best to cash in early with these paid survey sites.

Also be aware that some sites will have restrictions on when you can spend the points and how long they are valid for.

Don’t ever pay to join

All of the paid survey sites listed above are free to apply for. You shouldn’t get sucked into paying for a subscription to any online survey websites, whatever they promise you.

The sites listed on this page have been tried and tested and are genuine. If you are already a member of any of these survey sites or any that aren’t listed then please do let us know what you think of them!

40 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE AND OFFLINE

2014-11-18T06:41:00.002-08:00

No-risk matched betting
Hands down the quickest way to make a lot of money (well, without breaking the law). Lots of students have genuinely made £100s from this technique. It’s completely legal, risk free, tax free, and anyone can do it.

It works by taking advantage of free bets regularly offered by betting sites (such as PaddyPower.com) through ‘matching’ them at the betting exchange Betfair.com. Matched betting eliminates the risk (you are betting both for and against a certain outcome).
This leaves you being able to squeeze out the free bet, which can be as much as £200! Multiply this by how many betting sites there are and you can quite easily come away with a profit of a few hundred pounds.
Owen walks you through how to make your first £15 profit (using a real life example) in this gem of a guide to matched betting. If you know of any better way to make £30/hr sitting at home, please let us know!
Online surveys
An increasingly popular way for students to make money is to fill out online surveys in their spare time. Research companies are always recruiting new members to answer surveys and test new products.
For a few minutes of form filling, you can make a couple of quid which is paid as cash or in rewards. You can make up to £3 for some surveys!
A few good ones to try are: Toluna, Pinecone, Vivatic, MySurvey, Valued Opinions, SurveyBods, Global Test Market, Hiving, The OpinionPanel, PanelBase, Harris Poll, iPoll, YouGov, New Vista.
Also sign up for Swagbucks.com which rewards you for surveys as well as simply surfing the web, watching videos and playing games.
Update: See our new full guide to the best paid online surveys!
Paid for searching the web
Interested in earning cash for doing what you already do online? This has to be one of the easiest methods of making money online without really any effort or change in your behavior.
This innovative idea by Qmee.com rewards you for searching in Google, Bing or Yahoo. You just install a simple add-on to your browser and when you conduct a search there may be a few sponsored results alongside your normal search.

Each Qmee result has a cash reward attached – if you are interested in it simply click on it and collect your reward.
The best thing is there is no minimum to cashout – our first one was just 72p wired to our Paypal account. You also have the option to donate it to charity.
Sign up now for free and start earning from your own searches! Click here to start.
Social Investment Networks
The historically hard-to-break world of investing in stock markets and currencies has been cracked wide open. Today there is no need to be a fat cat or fund the yachts of Wolf of Wall Street style stock brokers. You can do it all yourself with the help of free online market trading platforms.
Having spent many hours researching this new opportunity, I’ve been experimenting with eToro.com which has over 4 million users worldwide. It was recently featured in the BBC 2 documentary “Traders Millions by the Minute” and the Financial Times.

One of the best things on eToro is the CopyTrader feature. This lets you literally see, follow and copy the investments of other top performing traders. There’s also lots of training material and videos to help you out, and it’s free to create an account and use.
Start trading with a reasonable deposit and learn the ropes slowly. I think $200 is a good amount to get the most out of the learning curve by trying out a few different markets. If nothing else you’ll learn a great deal about various investments and industries.
So far I’m up 28% on my initial deposit of $200, but of course it can be volatile and you can lose money, so don’t throw your life savings into it!
Mobile phone recycling
See how much you can get for your old mobile phone using our in-house mobile phone price comparison tool! Maybe ask your parents if they have any lying around too.
You can get some good money and help the environment by recycling mobile phones with certain companies listed on the comparison tool. Most phones are shipped off to Asia to be dismantled and we know of at least one student who received a £120 cheque in return.
‘Get Paid To’ sites
Similar to making money from online surveys, GPT sites reward you in cash and vouchers for completing various offers or activities online.
The most popular sites today are Toluna, Swagbucks.com, InboxPounds and PaidOffers.
Exciting update! We’ll soon be launching our own GPT service for our readers. Invites will be limited and UK only, please join our mailing list if you’re interested in hearing once it’s live:
The ‘Disney Vault’ secret
To keep demand high across generations, Disney Studios carefully restrict the supply of some home release classics. They are locked away in the ‘vault’ for 8-10 years before being released for a short unspecified time.
Buy them in this window at normal retail price and you can turn a nice profit when they go off sale for another decade or so.
For example, in 2011 you could buy Beauty and the Beast on Blu-ray 3D for just £24.99. In just a couple of years it’s now on Amazon for a staggering £74.99!
Importantly, not all Disney releases are subject to the vault and only the true most popular classics will maintain such demand.
Right now there are just 2 titles out of the vault which I would recommend snapping up. They are Bambi Diamond Edition Blu-ray for just £13.50 and Cinderella Diamond Edition Blu-ray for £14.
Start your own website
If you’ve ever seen the film “The Social Network” then you’ve most likely had your brain spinning as to what website you can start-up to make you billions.
And of course there are lots of stories out there about successful students who have started a site while at university, or even bought a domain name and later sold it for 1000s.
In fact, Save the Student is one such example of a website started at university by Owen Burek in his first year, which has since grown into a full-time and successful enterprise.
Read Owen’s 4-step guide to setting up a website if you’re interested in finding out more. It’s really not that difficult to get started and there are plenty of opportunities to make money online.
Write and publish a Kindle eBook
If students are good at anything, it’s researching and writing. With the Amazon Kindle store, anyone can publish an eBook and make money.
And the Kindle app is now available on almost any device (laptops, iPads, smartphones and yes, Kindles) so your global market is huge!
List your book for £1.49 – £6.99 and you earn 70% of the sale. Considering Amazon is the ultimate selling machine (and remember people are looking to spend), that is a fantastic deal.

The key to success with eBooks is to create value, and write non-fiction. Simply bundling information you have researched and complied on a common problem (eg. ‘secrets’ to finding a job) and then presenting it in an easy to digest format (an eBook) justifies someone spending a few quid on it.
Another big tip is to have a great cover designed so it stands out, and once your book is live on the Kindle store (approval takes less than 48 hours) it’s really important to get some reviews so it shows up higher in results. Encourage readers to leave an honest review at the end of your book.
The best thing about this lucrative idea is that once you’ve invested the time (say 20 hours), you’ll earn a passive income for years to come! For a step-by-step guide to publishing and earning with eBooks, see “How to write a nonfiction eBook in 21 days“.
Affiliate marketing
If you’ve got a good presence on social media or perhaps you even have a blog or website, you can start bringing in money immediately by promoting all sorts of companies, products, services and offers online.

Sign up to an affiliate network such as Affiliate Window, check their offers blog or browse the merchant listings to find something you think your friends would be interested in, grab your affiliate link and share it. If someone buys (can be within up to 90 days) using your link you’ll make a nice commission.
To take it a step further, set up a website (read our guide) or a topical Facebook page and invite all your friends to join it and post your affiliate offers on there.
Review music for money
If you love music, make it your business by reviewing unsigned bands and artists for cash. I know… we couldn’t believe it either.
It can take a while to build up your reputation but some users of the site have said that they have earned £40 a month. This may not sound like much but if it’s something you enjoy then it shouldn’t be hard work and is another thing for your CV. Money you earn will be in $US but anyone can sign up and review.
To get started, head over to Slicethepie now or read our quick guide for more info.
Competitions
Entering competitions of course comes with no guarantees, but there is a growing community of so-called ‘compers’ in the UK consistently making up to £50,000 a year through all sorts of competitions.
Types of competitions available to enter range from simple registration forms and Facebook page liking to answering questions correctly over the phone to being a TV game show contestant. Imagine you made it onto Deal or No Deal instead of just watching it!
Start by entering our very own monthly student competition (Like our Facebook page to see when our next one is)!

Then head to our active competitions page to enter other free competitions that we have found. Just note that some of these sites may send you spam so use an alias email address and opt-out of as many of the offers as possible.
For loads more tips on achieving success and making money from competitions, read our guide to entering competitions.
Claim tax back
Many students work part-time or during the summer months, and others will be on placements or paid internships. More often than not, if you are a student working during the year, you will be overpaying income tax.
Why? Simply because few students reach the personal tax-free income allowance each year but are put on an emergency basic tax-code by their employers meaning tax is being paid when it shouldn’t be.

Use our student tax-back service to help you reclaim any tax you should not have paid. Just enter your details in the calculator here to work out what you may be owed. Otherwise for more information read our guide on claiming tax back here.
Get cashback when shopping

I earned this much in 2 years

This is not only a way to make money but also to save money as a student. If you look at it in a different way then you are making money with every purchase you would have made anyway, whether it be 10% or 0.5% cashback.
There are a number of cashback sites out there which pay you the commission they otherwise would have earned.
We recommend signing up with both Top Cashback and Quidco.com which are free and offer the best selection of retailers and exclusives.
A part-time job
A part-time job is the obvious first choice, opted for by most students looking to supplement their student loan. It provides a pretty steady flow of income and can enable you to gain valuable work experience.
However, depending on where you live, jobs are not always easy to find. Check local classifieds, our student job search, student job websites and your university careers service for vacancies.
It’s also worth signing up with the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, a free service which will match you with both part-time jobs or graduate opportunities.
Read our guide to finding a part-time job whilst studying for more tips.
Gigs on Fiverr
Fiverr is now the world’s largest marketplace for people to make money selling small services (known as ‘gigs’).
What you offer could be absolutely anything, from writing and translating, social media posting, playing pranks and teaching to creating music, voiceovers and short video clips for people all around the world!
The default price is $5 (hence Fiverr..), but you can attach extra services to gigs for more money. Whilst it might not seem like much, it can quickly add up and there are plenty of examples of people making a really good living from the site. The key is to get a system in place which minimises the time spent on each gig.
But there is another way to profit even more from Fiverr for potentially far less work. How? By simply reselling gigs elsewhere. For example, find a decent logo designer then reply to jobs on Elance or even local classifieds. A $5 spend can easily become $50+, and it’s repeatable!
If you’re not interested in selling at all there’s SO much good stuff you can get done for yourself. Have a browse and get inspired!
Sell second-hand course books
One great way to make money is to buy other students’ text books at the end of the year, and then sell them just after freshers’ week – when the new intake of students know that they need them!
You can either advertise on campus or list them online very easily on Amazon.co.uk Books Trade-In (just bear in mind they take a commission on books sold).
For more tips on selling items online click here.
Become an Amazon ‘Mechanical Turk’
Don’t ask us what this means, all we know is that it’s an easy way to make fast cash from your sofa. The concept is based on ‘internet crowd-sourcing’ where businesses advertise specific, scalable tasks they need completing quickly.

There are a variety of tasks (known as HITS), but most commonly they involve mindless data entry or form filling. You are rewarded in cash (though $USD) for the work you do, and you can choose for what and when you work. Give it a go [Update: Currently US signups only, try ClickWorker].
Buy and sell domain names
A domain name is just a website address (eg. ‘savethestudent.org’ or ‘mysite.co.uk’) and there are lots of extensions (.com, .net, .co.uk etc).
They cost as little as £1.99 to register with 123-reg.co.uk or GoDaddy.com yet premium domain names can fetch £1,000s if not millions when sold on. In 2007 VacationRentals.com went for a cool $35m!
Now you’re probably not going to come across anything like that, but you can still turn a quick profit with a bit of searching. The trick is to find available domain names which have some commercial value, snap them up and then list them for sale on a site like DomainLore.
Be an extra
Do you fancy yourself as a budding young actor or just that person that walks past in the background shot of an episode of Eastenders? It could be you if you apply to be an extra.
The pay isn’t bad either – £60-80 a day on average, and you hardly have to do anything!
You can apply at Be On Screen for a number of opportunities or 2020 casting is another agency (just know they take a cut from your earnings).
Sell all your old CDs, games and movies
If you are looking to make a very quick buck, then selling your old bits and bobs that are cluttering up your room is a good idea.
The best thing about it is that you can rip all the songs and films onto your laptop or external hard drive before selling them. This means that you are only really selling the plastic and artwork!
You can earn anything from 10p to £20 per item, and the earnings can really add up if you have a large collection. Whilst you’re at it, see if your parents have any ‘clutter’ they’d be happy to see the back of.
You can also sell almost anything for free on Amazon Trade-In or Preloved and sites like MusicMagpie will pay you instantly for sending in unwanted items.
For more tips and places to sell check out our guide on selling DVDs, CDs and games.
Sell on your education!
Become a tutor to local GCSE or A-level students (find out more about tutoring here). There are now a few online tutor sites too, so you can go also global without too much hassle.
You may feel as if you aren’t qualified to be a tutor, but seeing as you are at university you will most likely have the qualifications to tutor for GCSE or even A-Level. Some parents may feel that their child will react better to a younger tutor, and it can be great experience, so why not give it a go?
You can advertise on SchoolsTrader or sign up with Bright Young Things & UK Tutors. You can expect to earn around £10 an hour. However, make sure you don’t have to do too much tutoring around your exams!
Sell your photos
If you think you’ve got a good shot and a little creativity, try uploading your photographs for free to stock websites. A good starting point is Fotolia or istockphoto.
Make more money selling photo subjects that people are demanding, and there’s a great resource to find this out here. It might be a good idea to test them out in print first yourself (get free photo prints here).
Rent out your car parking space
Some student accommodation comes with a drive or garage. If you aren’t using your parking space and you live in a busy area then you might be in luck. There are plenty of people that may work in the city centre and are fed up of paying through the roof for daily parking.
Advertise your space on Gumtree, Parklet or Just Park.
Or, check out our full guide to renting out your parking space.
Work as a charity collector
Ok so this job takes a certain kind of person, as you’ll have to take a lot of rejection and be persistent.
But if you are bubbly, personable and reckon you could sell ice to an Eskimo then this could actually be a great student money making idea. You get paid commission on new sign ups (typically around £20).
Have a look at Wesser as well as charity websites like Oxfam.
Babysitting
Advertise your services locally. It’s a classic money-maker, and for good reason. You get paid (well) to watch TV and not very much else!
Be warned that you will need a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check to look after small children, even though some parents may not ask for one. If you are wondering what to charge, then look at local ads but you can expect to be paid over £6 hour even if you aren’t trained in child care. It really is easy money (unless you get stuck with the child from hell!).
Become a freelance interviewer
Do you want to excel in an HR career? Do you love asking questions? Believe it or not a company will actually trust you to carry out interviews for them and pay you for your time. It couldn’t be simpler.
You could make £185 a week plus have your travelling costs covered. The downside is that you will have to commit to 20 hours at least a week so make sure that you have the time. Apply at NatCen.
Mystery shopping
Becoming a mystery shopper is easier than you think. You can get paid to spend money in shops, usually in the form of a voucher for the shop in question.
For more info on where to apply check out our guide to becoming a mystery shopper.
Dog walking
Dog walking may sound trivial but it’s big business. Just think that as a student you’re likely to have free time during the day when others are out at work and worried about their pets at home.
You could make around £7 a dog for a 1 hour walk, and it’s also a great way to keep fit. Advertise your services locally with fliers or on classified websites such as Gumtree.
Rent out your house for filming
Directors for TV and film are always on the hunt for houses to film in. For instance, a scene for Coronation Street was recently filmed in the student house one of the Save the Student editors used to live in!
Not only can you make good money but it’s crazy seeing your own place on TV. Start out by looking at film-locations.co.uk.
Rent out your body
Ok, ok – this isn’t what you think. “Renting out your body” can go as far as you want it to go. For example we reported on a story a while back about students who are turning to lap dancing to make a quick buck.
If you are comfortable taking off your kit for a more acceptable cause then why not try life modelling. Sit there in the buff while budding artists capture your every curve (or pokey bits) in frightening detail! Try this website especially designed for these kind of jobs RAM.
You could also get involved in clinical drug trials. If this scares you a little then you can find more information here about what’s involved.
Warning: Do not do anything you are not comfortable with, no matter how desperate you are for money! There has been an unhealthy rise in student prostitution in recent years – do not fall victim to it!
Freelance work
Perhaps you enjoy writing, managing Facebook pages or doing a little bit of graphic design in your spare time. There are so many freelance jobs out there that require simple skills or just time that someone else might not have.
And the best things about freelancing is that you can work for clients in the UK and around the world with just an internet connection from home, to your own hours whilst developing valuable skills.
A great place to start is with the leading freelance site Elance.com. Or try using our student job search to find freelance jobs.
Busking
If you can sing or dance then this is your time to shine baby! Did you know that Justin Bieber started off busking? That’s right, with a little work you can be as annoying as him.
There are really no tips for this except choose a good spot with high footfall, make sure you are good and play your heart out. Some buskers in the past have been known to make upwards of £20 hour.
Sell clothes on eBay
Everyone’s best friend when it comes to getting rid of junk is eBay. Online auctions are a sure-fire way to turn that sleeveless jacket (which came in and out of fashion in a week) into hard cash.
Some eBay sellers look at trends and try to predict what will be big ahead of the market. If you are good and don’t mind taking a risk then you can buy early in bulk and sell on when the craze hits.
For lots more tips on selling on eBay read this guide.
Sell your stories and videos
If you have an interesting story then you could try selling it to the papers. It could be anything from sleeping with a professional footballer to getting caught in a clothes horse!
One of the Save the Student team was unfortunate enough to have a pigeon fly through and smash their window at university and sold the story to The Sun for a tidy £50.
You could also film your mates at all times and send it into You’ve Been Framed to net yourself £250 and a few seconds of fame.
Sign up for psychology experiments
These are the things you may get to your student e-mail inbox from your university or careers service every now and then. They aren’t dangerous and usually don’t require too much effort or time. They tend to compensate you quite well (around £10/hour), and they may even interest you!
It’s worth bearing in mind that these are different from the medical or body experiments/horror stories that you hear about. There will (hopefully) be no strange probes involved!
YouTube videos
According to recent stats we now watch more videos on YouTube than searches on Google. And with the recently introduced YouTube Partner Program you can now profit from making and uploading videos. You will receive a percentage of the advertising revenue collected per 1,000 views.
Depending on how successful you are (virality, subscriber base and topic) you can make a lot of money, and there are plenty of stories every week of more and more YouTubers making it their career.
For more tips read our guide to making money from YouTube.
Network marketing
Also known as Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), this is a business model that allows you to generate ongoing income in two ways: by making a commission selling products and by recruiting other members who go on to sell. The later allows you to make money from the sales made by those you have recruited.
Importantly, this is not a pyramid scheme (they are illegal) because there is an end goal which involves a customer buying a product or service of value.
It’s also not a ‘get rich quick’ scheme. You will have to work I’m afraid! However with the growth of social media, network marketing is becoming easier and lots of people are now making a decent living from it.
This is a serious way of making good money on your own terms and it’s well worth reading up on it. I recommend getting “The Business of the 21st Century” by Robert Kiyosaki.
Source property for wealthy investors
We all know how much money there is in property, but on the surface (with house prices as high as they are) you might be thinking this market is off-limits.
Truth is, lots of people make a great deal of cash simply sourcing suitable properties for wealthy investors who simply have no time.
The trick is to find properties below market value (BMV) by avoiding estate agents and instead flyering your area with your contact details offering to buy houses. Then approach investors with a no-brainer offer to pass on the details of cut-price property in exchange for a % of the sale value.
Most cities will have monthly networking events for landlords and property investors. Track these down, sign up, put on your best suit and go along with lots of business cards. Or you could start on LinkedIn or even Twitter to build some initial contacts.
As you might imagine, this isn’t necessarily a quick way to make money but once you’ve got a few investors in your phone book it can prove to be very lucrative in the long run. If you’re interested, I recommend reading this book.
Advertise your other skills
What can you do well where others struggle? Fix bikes, computers, write articles, create websites, make cupcakes or fresh lemonade?!
The key is to be creative and think outside the box. A writer at Save the Student actually made small models out of beer cans and wire and sold them to other students. Great idea with big profits!

There are many other creative ways to make money as a student. With any luck you’ll be on the road to making millions! Please feel free to share your own ideas by leaving a comment below.

OPPORTUNITIES IN GHANA

Make money from YouTube videos

Remember that viral video you laughed at yesterday while chowing down on your doughnuts? That video could have earned the maker more than £100,000.

How to make money from YouTube videos

How much money can you make?

What can you realistically expect?

How does it work?

What do you need to get started?

How to make your videos the bestest?

How do you make more?

What are other people reading?

6 steps to successfully working from home

Find the right job

Don’t get conned

Crank up the willpower

Avoid loneliness

Don’t do too many hours

Become self-motivated

And finally…

Student to Millionaire: The ultimate guide

So you fancy being a millionaire? There probably isn’t a student alive who hasn’t thought what it would be like to have a bottomless bank balance.

What’s on this page?

What makes a millionaire?

As a student

Set goals!

Sort out your spending habits

Hone in on your money skills

Start earning

Start saving

As a graduate

Get a job

Start a business

Take advantage of tax-free ISAs

Before you’re 30

Get on the property ladder

Invest in stock markets using index-trackers

Get to grips with your pension

Before retirement

Set an income goal

Diversify your interests

Write a Will

Fast tracks to becoming a millionaire (legally)

Try these for size:

4 fool-proof student business ventures

4 student money making ventures

Start a club night

Start a student discount card/app for your area

Start an agency

Start blogging

What are other people reading?

UK Millionaires: Where and what they studied

We always hear stories of uni dropouts that become millionaires but what about actual UK graduates?

Rowan Atkinson

Christopher Nolan

J K Rowling

Sacha Baron Cohen

Sir Terry Leahy

Chris Tarrant

David Gill

E L James

Sir Chris Hoy

You?

FOUR (4) STEPS TO YOUR OWN WEBSITE (AND A JOB)

4 basic steps to set up your website

Choosing and registering a domain name

.com domain name

.co.uk domain name

Setting up your personalised email address

Website hosting

Installing WordPress

What’s next?

Websites = Employability

THE BEST ONLINE SURVEY WEBSITES

The best paid online survey websites

Legit online survey websites

Pinecone Research

Toluna

Swagbucks

Vivatic

MySurvey