Help me find a part-time job!!

September 18, 2008 1:05 PM

Part-time job ideas that are not minimum wage?

I am a full time business analyst and a part time singer-songwriter. I am looking for some funds to do my own release of an album (I will self-release it on CDBABY, Itunes, etc).

I am currently employed in a financial services company somewhere in wall street. In order to finance my album I got into some debt thinking that in time I will be able to pay it back thinking I had a stable position right there and then my company stock went down 90% wiping out most of 401k (which I wont even look again until a year) and my position all of a sudden is not as stable as I thought it was.

I am looking to work part-time in order pay off the debt I incurred while recording the album (about 15k), I was thinking of working in a retail store but I mostly have office experience and was wondering whether there are any other faster ways of getting this money.

If it helps to know some of my info I've been steadily employed in said company for 4 years, graduated from NYU in 2005, and for the most part I am good with people and learn fast......any ideas of what I could do to pay off my debt faster? I am very sorry to say that I am not even sure I will have a job in the next couple of months the way things are going. Please help

posted by The1andonly to work & money (19 comments total)

By the way anything above $15 an hour will probably do (but in this economy I guess that is asking for too much)
posted by The1andonly at 1:14 PM on September 18, 2008

A lot of waiters make decent money because of the tips.
posted by orange swan at 1:19 PM on September 18, 2008

Depending on what your degree is in, tutoring might be a good side gig.
posted by Nelsormensch at 1:25 PM on September 18, 2008

SAT Prep. The Princeton Review starts teachers at $20/hour, possibly more in New York.
posted by junkbox at 1:27 PM on September 18, 2008

Yes - you can tutor.
posted by Pants! at 1:39 PM on September 18, 2008

Waiters and bartenders can easily average $20 per hour over the course of a week, with more than 50% in cash.
posted by vito90 at 1:43 PM on September 18, 2008

Depending on the state/school district, subsitute teaching does not require a teaching degree (just a degree or some college) and generally pays better than retail. The information should be on your local school district's website. You don't specify whether you need to work evenings or can work days, but when I substitute taught it was on call, where if you can do it that day you call in, find an opening, take it and drive to the school for a day's work. Half days were also readily available.

If you're quick at learning, you might try waiting tables at a place that serves alcohol, then move into bartending. Both pay a lot more than retail, but have worse hours and worse crap to put up with.

If you do go the retail route, pick a place you shop at often or will shop at if you do Christmas gifts, because they usually offer employee discounts that can help make up for their meagerly wages.
posted by Polychrome at 1:48 PM on September 18, 2008

A busy Starbucks. Including tips, I know baristas that make close to $20/hr.
posted by blueplasticfish at 1:49 PM on September 18, 2008

If you're going to do retail in NYC, try to make it mom-and-pop. If only because seven bucks an hour cash beats out minimum wage (which corpo retail very often pays) by check.
posted by griphus at 1:50 PM on September 18, 2008

I'd probably do the SAT prep/tutor gig if I didn't want to wait tables.
posted by PFL at 2:27 PM on September 18, 2008

Screw SAT prep tutors...you say you work on Wall Street. Do you have any financial certifications, series tests, CFAs or anything on your resume? If so, you can make a hefty killing tutoring for those tests weeks before it is administered.

Also, how did you graduate NYU in 2005 and don't have those loans to worry about while you have time to worry about a smaller 15K loan? Maybe you should do what you did in college to get by. If you got a full ride or huge scholarship, maybe you should fall back on your major since someone invested enough money on you because they thought you were worth it.
posted by hal_c_on at 2:57 PM on September 18, 2008

You might check idealist.org (or heck, craigslist) for part-time bookkeeping jobs. I see listings all the time for nonprofits in need of someone to do a little Quickbooks-type basic accounting for 10 or 20 hours a week. I do the same thing in CT occasionally and charge $15/hr, so you ought to be able to get well about minimum wage in NYC.
posted by hippugeek at 3:34 PM on September 18, 2008

substitute teaching does not require a teaching degree

NYC:

There are three categories of substitutes:

1.

Persons holding valid certificates may substitute for any length of time in any area.

2.

Persons without certification but who are preparing to be certified may substitute for any length of time in any area.

3.

Persons without certification and who are not preparing to become certified are limited to a maximum of 40 days per year.
posted by HotPatatta at 4:34 PM on September 18, 2008

Even under the most liberal interpretation of "Bankers' Hours", I doubt the OP has the free time during the week to do substitute teaching...

"I am very sorry to say that I am not even sure I will have a job in the next couple of months the way things are going."

Have you considered looking for ways to cut your expenses? Or looking for a new job. Working another job may not make you as much money as you think... you'll be tempted to do other things to save time, more meals out, more cab rides, paying to have your laundry done instead of doing it yourself, etc.
posted by Jahaza at 5:46 PM on September 18, 2008

Could you do consulting on the side? When I started 12 years ago, I was making $35 an hour and I had very little experience. If it isn't a conflict with your job and you have some contacts, try letting people know you're available. Since you're not planning a career in independent consulting, you don't have to worry about sustainable fees.
posted by acoutu at 9:12 PM on September 18, 2008

If you do end up unemployed I highly recommend the overseas teaching english as a second language. they pay for your airfare and rent so you have little expenses , it looks good on a resume and you get the cultural benefits as well. South Korea is the best as far as pay and what-not.
posted by docmccoy at 10:48 PM on September 18, 2008

also, you do not need a teaching degree for the above, just a BA or BS and sometimes not even that. plus it can count towards a teaching degree in most cases.
posted by docmccoy at 10:50 PM on September 18, 2008

Do something you can do while doing other things. If (and only if!) they are within your skill-set, you might consider free-lance editing/proof-reading and translation. (I'm also aware that people with number-skills do bookkeeping in the same free-lance way, but I've no experience with it.)
posted by whatzit at 5:08 AM on September 19, 2008

Accounting. People's taxes. People receive like $100 / hr for that.
posted by salvia at 5:52 PM on September 19, 2008