People who are reluctant to work full-time or people who want to earn an additional income indulge in part-time jobs. The jobs which demand less than 30 hours a week are considered part-time jobs. College students are often seen doing part-time jobs to add to their pockets. But how much do part-time jobs pay concerns most people? This article will try to answer this question by giving an estimation of How much do part-time jobs pay? It will also trace the pros and cons of doing part-time jobs.
When it comes to part-time jobs, the salary would certainly be comparatively low. But there exist different sorts of part-time jobs, some requiring skills while some don’t. The ones with fewer qualifications are required to pay less while those requiring higher qualifications pay a significant bounty.
Difference between part-time jobs and full-time jobs
Whenever you trail for jobs, the most common question asked is whether you want a part-time job or a full-time job. Though there persists an ambiguity as to what a full-time or a part-time job is, yet there is a thin line between the two. To make an informed choice, you need to know the difference between the two. Part-time jobs differ from full-time jobs in the following ways:
- Part-time workers offer fewer hours of labor, which are not more than 30 hours a week or in some cases even 15 hours a week, depending upon the traits of the job. While on the other hand, full-time jobs require 35-45 hours of work per week.
- In part-time jobs, more flexibility can be witnessed in comparison to full-time jobs. Part-time jobs offer alternatives of working on a weekday or weekend, a morning shift, or a night shift. While full-time jobs are assigned fixed working hours.
- Part-time jobs offer less salary than full-time jobs. Part-time workers are usually paid on an hourly basis while full-time workers can be paid both on an hourly or monthly basis.
- Full-time workers are paid more as compared to part-time workers and provide certain incentives which part-time jobs don’t.
- Full-time workers are loaded with more responsibilities as compared to part-time workers. The former is concerned with prospects while part-time workers aren’t hired for the long-term services.
How much do Part-time jobs pay in the US?
According to talent.com, on average a part-time job can yield $31,190 a year. This is for unskilled workers, for instance, college students, who want to supplement their pocket money. Entry-level workers can earn up to $25,350 a year while experienced workers can earn up to $50,237.
If we take into consideration the salaries paid to the part-time workers in different states of the United States of America, Alaska tops the list with an average salary of $34,320.
This is perhaps a decent amount of money for someone who wants to supplement their income.
The percentage of people in part-time jobs
According to the reports of the Labor Department, only 16.6% of the people in the US are part-timers. These part-time workers are mostly college students. According to the Georgetown Report of 2017, around 70% of full-time college students are doing part-time jobs. The higher percentage of college students in part-time jobs is credited to the higher living standards in the US. The students feel the urge to earn more to afford their expenses.
The part-time jobs are of different sorts, the one which employs unskilled workers and the one which employs skilled workers. The unskilled workers are often paid less as compared to the skilled workers.
Part-time jobs that pay well
There exists a common conception that part-time jobs do not pay well. However, if you have relevant skills, even part-time jobs can pay your bills. Here are some of the skilled part-time jobs which will serve your purpose well:
- Private tutoring: If you understand your subjects well, you can impart your knowledge to others. Tutoring serves a dual purpose. On one hand, it enhances your skills, on the other, it yields you more money. Everyone wants their child to excel in studies, and tutors are what they look for. Private tutoring is a good choice, it saves your time, earns money, and you are not governed by any authority.
- Librarian: If you are a bibliophile, the library is perhaps the best place for you to work at. You can go for becoming a part-time librarian, this requires a master’s degree. You can earn up to $25.65 per hour, which isn’t too less.
- Management Analysts: Management analysts just need to study a company’s strategies and operations and make recommendations to improve their efficiency. In addition to a bachelor’s degree, a few years of experience is also required to be eligible for this part-time job. It will pay you $29.71 per hour.
- Graphic Designer: Graphic designing is gaining a center stage recently, a freelance graphic designer can earn up to $25.45 per hour. So if you have an interest in creating visuals and designing images, this is the perfect part-time job for you.
- Web developer: With the world becoming more advanced in technology, web developers have become a desideratum. People who are allured by coding, art, and images are perfect for the job. One has to be versed with the art of web designing to develop websites for the companies. This can yield you $35.46 per hour and even more based upon the potential and skill of the individual.
- Translators: If you are well versed in more than one language and can easily translate and interpret from one language to the other, you are perfect for this job. This can yield you around $24.75 per hour and even more.
These were some of the highly paid part-time jobs. These require skills, potential, degrees, and interest. A person with fewer skills often lands up with less paid part-time jobs.
Part-time jobs for students
Most of the students are offered $7 to $9 per hour, but a skilled student might get more than $10. Here are some of the part-time jobs for students who want to supplement their pocket money:
- Tour Guides: If you know your campus well, you can give the newcomer’s campus tours. The American campuses are prominent for their vast size, architecture, and historical importance. Thus giving tours to the people who come to visit the campus is a great part-time job. You aren’t governed by any authority, you can do it whenever you want. And it can yield you a decent amount of money. The eligibility for this job is you being amiable and outgoing and being at least in the second year of your college.
- Library Monitor: If you like serenity and want to spend your free time in quiet places, a library monitor is a right choice for you. You will just have to maintain the silence and decorum of the library. This will provide you with some extra time for yourself and even some additional income.
- Restaurant Server: If you are into hospitality, being a restaurant server is the right part-time job for you. This can earn you $11 per hour and even more, depending upon whether you get a tip from a customer or not. So, if you are a friendly, outgoing person who loves to interact, this is the perfect job to add to your income.
- Babysitter: If you love spending time with kids, you can opt to babysit while playing with them. Babysitters earn up to $15 per hour. The hours of work may differ as per the choice of the age group of children.
There are many other jobs available for students. And with the Covid-19 pandemic shutting down everything, online part-time jobs with e-commerce companies have gained momentum. People opt more for online jobs
Online part-time jobs
Online part-time jobs have been alluring people recently as they are convenient and feasible at the time as grave as Covid 19 pandemic. Some of the online part-time jobs are as follows:
- Social media manager: Present world is considered the world of social media. If you are a social media addict who would like to post on other people’s behalf, you are for this job. You can manage the account of people who are willing to offer you the same. A social media manager can earn up to $1,000 a month.
- Blogging: If you have a love for writing on different issues, you can blog. Blogging offers you an income based on how many people viewed your article. If the turnout is good, it makes a nice bounty.
- Freelance writer: If you are a sporadic writer, then freelancing is the right thing for you. Freelance writers work as per their will and do earn a significant amount of money.
There is an ample number of online part-time jobs that offer a decent income. These were just a few of them.
Advantages of doing Part-time jobs
Part-time jobs are often criticized for paying less, however, it has their own set of pros which are as follows:
- Part-time jobs provide you with more time for yourself and even your family(not in the case of students). Some of the part-time jobs do pay well, thus those who want to spend more with the family can take up these jobs.
- For students, part-time jobs act as an additional income to cope up with their expenses
- Even part-time jobs facilitate you with work experience which can add to your resume.
- It helps you to develop useful skills that might come into use in the future.
- It aids you in building networks with people. These networks might be useful for you in the future.
- It provides you with a sense of time management as you learn how to juggle between studies/other work and your part-time job.
Disadvantages of doing Part-time jobs
Part-time jobs have the following disadvantages:
- The worst part of part-time jobs is they provide no job security. You can be fired at any time depending upon the requirement of the workers or the preference of full-time employees over part-time employees.
- For students, though part-time jobs pay a nice bounty, they can affect their studies as they’ll not be able to give more time to their studies.
- Part-time jobs do not offer any incentives or extra benefits like health insurance, paid holidays, sick leave, or any other.
- Part-time jobs can affect your health as you will be working for extra hours.
Conclusion
Hence, part-time jobs do pay a significant amount of salary depending on the factor if you are a skilled or unskilled worker. Some part-time jobs do pay high enough for one to cope up for a short term while others pay less and are opted for only if someone is in dire need of additional income. Part-time jobs are available in ample numbers in the US, one just has to make an informed choice. Some companies even prefer part-time workers over full-time workers as they are paid less.
The article endeavored to clarify the difference between part-time jobs and full-time jobs, the lines of which are often blurred. Thus we conclude that in the US there are part-time jobs that yield an average of $35,000 approx.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much can a student earn in the USA through part-time jobs?
A student can earn a decent amount of up to $9 per hour in the USA. If a student is skilled then he can earn even more.
Can a person having a US student Visa work part-time?
Yes, a person possessing a US student visa can work part-time for 20 hours during the full-time sessions of college and up to 35 hours during the break periods.
Is working part-time better than working full-time?
The answer to this depends solely on the will of the individual. Both part-time jobs and full-time jobs have their pros and cons. Part-time jobs offer additional income and time for yourself while full-time jobs provide you with a sense of security. Thus choosing any one of them depends on the perspective of the person and real-life experiences.
