Student visas don’t forbid you to generate passive income outside of school related opportunities. You only have to know where to look for proper F1 student visa work to generate legal passive income abroad. Here are some ways you can start earning money.
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It’s no secret that PhD students and postdocs are paid a meager salary, sometimes not even as much as the local living wage. While a fraction of graduate students have probably always pursued side income to supplement their stipends/salaries, e.g., through part-time jobs, moonlighting, or odd jobs, only in recent years has it become easy to make money online or make money from home. Enter the ‘side hustle.’ The term exploded in popularity during the Great Recession along with the ‘gig economy.’ The flexibility of modern side hustles has made it possible for students and postdocs to fit their income-generating activities around their busy research schedules.
This article details why a graduate student or postdoc would want to side hustle, whether it’s allowed by their university/institution, examples of real side hustles held by PhDs, how to best manage the side income, and advice from PhDs with successful side hustles.
The motivations for having a side hustle during your PhD training are to make up for the deficiencies in what the university provides: money (primarily) and career-advancing experiences.
Increase Income
Pursuing your PhD during graduate school or gaining additional training as a postdoc is supposed to be your full-time (or more) pursuit. Research is life, right? Unfortunately, the positions don’t pay anywhere near as well as a regular full-time job.
The best case scenario for a PhD student or postdoc is that you will be paid enough to support yourself without making extreme lifestyle sacrifices, i.e., living in a van. However, there are plenty of programs and universities that do not even meet that low bar for a single person with no dependents. For a graduate student or postdoc with a dependent spouse (e.g., of an international trainee) or children, the low stipend or salary is almost certainly inadequate.
Graduate students almost always turn first to cutting their living expenses to be able to live within their means. They know that they are supposed to devote the lion’s share of their weekly energy to their coursework, research, and teaching. But when their backs are against the wall, some make money on the side to avoid going (further) into debt.
Career-Advancing Experiences
Some graduate students and postdocs are motivated to side hustle not by lack of income but rather lack of practical career preparation.
What careers does a PhD or postdoc prepare you for? These days, the vast majority of PhDs are not hired into tenure-track faculty positions. (Time to stop calling the jobs most PhDs get “alternative”, right?) Some universities have acknowledged this and put in place programming to help PhDs transition out of academia (my alma mater, Duke University, and in particular the Pratt School of Engineering, is innovating in this area), while others are still catching up.
Of course, PhDs have plenty of transferable skills that can be put to use in a wide variety of careers, but landing a job is still challenging.
Further reading:How My PhD Prepared Me for Entrepreneurship
A judiciously chosen side hustle (or even volunteer work) can help a PhD build out her resumé/CV and network to stand out from the other PhD applicants. A side hustle can teach you new skills, give you an opportunity to demonstrate the skills you already possess, and introduce you to professionals who can further your career journey.
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While some academics may take the view that side hustling distracts from classes, teaching, research, etc., for some people a side hustle is the main factor that enables them to stay in their graduate programs or postdoc positions. They side hustle because they want to keep doing PhD-level research; otherwise, they can just leave and earn more money elsewhere! If conceived and managed properly, a side hustle is not a distraction from the student or postdoc’s training but rather an enhancement of it.
If you think about graduate school or your postdoc as similar to any other type of job, usually the only stipulations regarding your side hustle are that: 1) it does not interfere with your primary job and 2) it does not present a conflict of interest. That logic is helpful for thinking through whether a side hustle is allowed, but the universities sometimes add layers of complexity.
Further reading:Can a Graduate Student Have a Side Hustle?
Side Hustle Permissibility by Position Type: International, Fellow, Employee, Etc.
There may be explicit bans on making money on the side or it may be frowned upon. The income and experience gained from a side hustle is not worth getting kicked out of your graduate program or postdoc position.
International trainees
The F-1 and J-1 visas generally only permit employment directly in your capacity as a graduate student or postdoc. Sometimes, you can seek permission for other employment ventures, such as Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 visa holders. A side hustle that you work on simultaneously with your research will likely not comply with these rules, so it’s a no-go.
Fellowship Recipients (Graduate or Postdoc)
Check the terms of your fellowship funding supplied by your university, employer, or funding agency. There may be a stipulation that no outside income is allowed as the fellowship is designed to support you completely and require your complete dedication. If you choose to pursue a side income against the terms of your fellowship, proceed with extreme caution and recognize the downside is potentially losing your primary funding. In other cases, outside income is not mentioned by the fellowship terms or is even explicitly allowed.
Research and Teaching Assistants
This is the category of graduate students most likely to be able to get away with a side hustle or be explicitly allowed because your responsibilities are generally time-limited to 20 hours per week (officially). Of course, beyond that, you are responsible for your dissertation work, so side hustling might conflict with that important pursuit. If you are in a contract with your university, check its terms. If outside income is not allowed, proceed with caution as you might lose your assistantship. You might, however, find a provision that allows outside income, perhaps up to a certain number of hours per week.
Postdoc Employees
A postdoc employee has a regular job, albeit a demanding one. Your desire to side hustle at that point in your training is more likely motivated by career advancement rather than income. Again, check your contract, but a side hustle may very well be permissible as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work. If you are working in your field, though, it could be a good idea to seek your advisor’s permission in advance.
What Does Your Advisor Think?
The person with the most important opinion on your side hustle–after you–is your advisor. Allowed, disallowed, frowned upon… The status of side hustling in the eyes of your university, department, or funding agency is less important than its status to your advisor. If your advisor is an unforgiving taskmaster who expects his myopic view of the supremacy of research to be adopted by his trainees, a side hustle is a very risky endeavor. However, if your advisor is a reasonable and kind person who respects work-life balance, it may be better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission if your side hustle is discovered and viewed negatively.
The Bottom Line: The Spirit of the Law
The spirit of the law when it comes to side hustling during graduate school or your postdoc is that it should not distract from your training. (This sentiment does not apply to visa holders; the letter of the law is most important in that case.) Financial and career stress itself can easily distract from training, so it may be a matter of choosing the lesser of two ‘evils.’
Prohibitions against outside income make sense when the income comes from a part-time job with fixed hours (meaning that you wouldn’t be able to stay late in lab if necessary) or if it takes so much time overall that you can’t complete your work healthily. But I don’t find prohibitions against outside work that doesn’t interfere with the student or postdoc’s primary ‘job’ any more logical than prohibitions against having a family or a hobby (assuming no conflict of interest).
Ultimately, rules or no rules and advisor’s opinion aside, you are the only person who gets to decide whether to pursue a side hustle. You are the one who will manage it and make sure that it enhances your PhD training instead of detracting from it.
I break side hustles for PhDs into four categories: ones that advance your career, ones that you enjoy, ones that pay well (enough), and passive income. A side hustle that pays well and advances your career is ideal. If you can’t achieve that, doing something you enjoy is obviously preferable to doing something that you dislike or feel neutral toward that simply pays some bills. Passive income is outside of this ranked order as it doesn’t involve trading time directly for money.
By the way, if you are looking for a way to increase your income that your advisor would be totally on board with, try applying for a fellowship. I’ve created a guide to applying for and winning fellowships that includes a list of broad, portable fellowships that pay full stipends/salaries.
Further reading:How to Find, Apply for, and Win a Fellowship During Your PhD or Postdoc
PhD Side Hustles that Advance Your Career
There’s no better type of side hustle than one that pays you and helps you along in your career. Through this type of side hustle, you put your current skills to use, learn new skills, expand your network, and/or explore a possible career path. Often, this sort of side hustle is related to your current field of research or uses skills you’ve honed during your PhD. You might even be able to start working for a potential future employer while you’re still in training.
Examples of PhD side hustles that advance your career are:
- Consulting
- Teaching (Derek)
- Zoo and aquarium evaluation (Kathayoon)
- Design (Mark)
- Data science (Edward)
- Writing
- Freelance writing (Derek)
- Freelance academic writing (Vicki)
- Journalism
- Editing
- Freelance scientific paper editing (Julie and Amy)
- Freelance scientific paper editing (Jenni)
- Thesis/dissertation editing
- Internships
- Scientific research summer internship (Alice)
- Engineering summer internship (David)
- Professional fellowships
- Science policy fellow (Emily)
- Analysis
- Research analyst for investor relations (Adam)
- Teaching
- Adjunct
- Online professor (Kathayoon)
PhD Side Hustles that You Enjoy
Sometimes an enjoyable hobby can be monetized or you can find meaning and delight in a side hustle. This kind of side hustle is one you would likely spend some time doing even if you weren’t being paid and can be particularly revitalizing during the long slog of your PhD or postdoc.
Examples of PhD side hustles that you might enjoy are:
- Monetized hobby
- Art
- Crafts
- YouTube (Shannon)
- Singing (Meggan)
- Non-academic teaching
- Piano (Kathayoon)
- Fitness classes (Anonymous)
- Resident advising
- Resident advising for graduate students (David)
- Resident advising for a fraternity (Adrian)
PhD Side Hustles that Pay the Bills
If the only purpose a side hustle fulfills is bringing in some money, it’s done its job. Sometimes these pursuits are necessary for survival, but you shouldn’t spend any more time on them than absolutely necessary.
Examples of PhD side hustles that (likely) simply bring in income are:
- Tutoring
- Retail
- Food service
- Uber/Lyft
- Childcare
PhD Passive Income
Passive income has become a bit of a buzzword in recent years. Ostensibly, passive income occurs after you make some kind of investment that then pays a residual.
Making a monetary investment in a rental property or dividend-paying stock is a classic example of passive income. The former is definitely a possible income source for a PhD who owns her own home.
Further reading:Should I Buy a Home During Grad School?
If you don’t have money up front, you can “invest” your time and talent into a product that people will buy over time. The classic example of that type is an author who is paid a royalty with each book sale.
The current fad incarnation of passive investing is a promise that you can “make money while you sleep!” through online business, generally selling previously created digital products. (I do this in my business.) However, almost no online business runs for long without input of time and labor. The upside for a graduate student or postdoc, however, is that the large time investment needed up front to generate passive income and the maintenance over the long term can generally be performed on your own schedule and under the radar.
Examples of PhD side hustles that are passive income:
- Writing (i.e., published author)
- Patent holder (licensed)
- Digital products
- Flash cards and ebook (Alex)
- Courses
- Investing for current income
- Landlording
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Figuring out how to make money and settling into a groove of earning a side income can be exciting. It can even be more gratifying at times than your research as research is basically a series of failures punctuated by occasional successes. In those weeks and month when nothing is going right in your research, being able to turn to an activity with a known outcome ($$!) can be a welcome relief. However, you should not forget why you are pursuing the side hustle in the first place: to finish your PhD and pursue a certain career. (Of course, your side hustle may spur you to leave your program, but only do so after serious reflection! It shouldn’t be about the side hustle per se but a carefully considered evolution of your career plans.)
To that end, there are a few strategies you can use to make sure your side hustle complements and does not compete with your primary role:
1) Track Your Time
Set weekly limits for yourself on the amount of time you will spend on your role as a graduate student or postdoc vs. on your side hustle. If your time spent side hustling creeps too high or your time spent on research dips too low, you know you need to readjust. Expect your weekly time goals to change throughout the seasons of your PhD training.
2) Set Geographic and/or Temporal Boundaries
It’s best if you conduct your side hustle in a different location than your primary PhD workspace; for example, you could work from home on your side hustle and never in your office or on campus. An alternative to geographic boundaries is temporal boundaries, such as never working on your side hustle during daytime working hours. The exact boundaries you set will depend heavily on the nature of both your PhD work and your side hustle.
3) Choose a Flexible Side Hustle
An ideal side hustle for a PhD is one that can be accomplished from anywhere at any time and ramped up or down depending on how busy you are with your research. This is not realistic for all side hustles, but the more axes of flexibility yours has the better it will complement your primary job.
4) Keep Your Side Hustle Quiet (If Possible)
An internship or professional fellowship that requires time away from your graduate program or postdoc obviously can’t be kept secret, but many other side hustles can fly under the radar of your advisor and department if you want them to. The seriousness of the possible repercussions or how “frowned upon” side hustling is should dictate how open you are about your pursuit. Keep in mind that a side hustle in your current field of research may very well get back to your advisor as communities are quite small, so in that case it may be better to be completely above board.
Most side hustles are independent contractor or self-employment positions, which means that you become an entrepreneur (or solopreneur) of a kind. There are some common best practices in self-employment you should put in place from the start of your side hustle.
Further reading:
1) Use a Separate Business Checking Account
Separating your personal transactions from your business transactions at the account level will help you keep track of exactly how much money you are earning after expenses and what is deductible on your tax return. You can make periodic transfers from your business account to your personal account to pay yourself.
2) Set Aside Money for Tax Payments (Quarterly or Annually)
Your PhD side hustle generates (potentially) taxable income, subject not only to income tax but also in many cases self-employment tax. Add your marginal tax brackets at the federal, state, and local levels together with the FICA tax you must pay, and set aside that fraction of each of your side hustle paychecks to ultimately pay the extra tax. If you earn enough in your side hustle compared to your primary job, you eventually will need to start paying quarterly estimated tax. Fellowship recipients who don’t have automatic tax withholding are already familiar with this process. Even if you aren’t required to pay quarterly, expect a larger year-end tax bill.
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Further reading:The Complete Guide to Quarterly Estimated Tax for Fellowship Recipients
3) Give your Earnings a Job
The best way to ensure you don’t blow your side income is to assign it a job to be completed as soon as it hits your personal account. You could pay a specific bill or two with your side income or only allow yourself certain indulgences from your side income. For example, Jenni saved her side hustle earnings for travel.
“Honestly, it kept me sane to have other things going on… [They] helped me to finish my dissertation more quickly because I was more focused on the time I had, instead of having lots of unstructured time to work.” – Kathayoon
“I’d encourage graduate students to pursue a lot of different opportunities while in school, even ones that are at a slant from what they usually do. It’s easy to get tunnel vision as a grad student, but if you open yourself up, you can develop really useful skills while reinvigorating your academic work.” – Derek
“I definitely recommend finding something in grad school that’s unrelated to the work you do, monetized or not, so that if all your experiments fail one week, you still have something meaningful to throw yourself into.” – Shannon
“This experience was critical for my transition out of graduate school. I ended up getting a full-time offer at the same company after maybe 2 months of hourly work and have been there for almost 2 years now. The best part was that I had an opportunity to try out my job before starting full-time. How else do you know if you want to launch a career in a certain field?” – Adam
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With the help of Education Opportunities in America, below we have answers to some of your top questions related to admissions, work-study, visas, and employment. Please gather as much information as needed to get started on the process of studying in the US. If you would like to pursue a work-study program inside the United States, you may find more information on what Education Opportunities in America has to offer.
Answers to Your Admissions Questions
- Is there a deadline to apply for work-study?
- This will vary depending on your school. Most schools have start dates from five weeks to three months. Usually, applications are accepted and processed throughout the year, and schools will quickly notify the applicants of the status of their applications.
- I need an acceptance letter in order to get my bank account statement. May I send my application packet in without a financial document and send the bank statement in after I receive acceptance?
- This varies, but most schools may process your application without the financial documents. However, because your school cannot issue your I-20 without the required financial documents, you will need to submit your financial documentation as soon as you receive it. If you need the acceptance letter before you can get the financial documents, you will need to include a note to the school explaining this fact in your application packet. The school will then be able to process your application without the financial information.
- May the bank statement be in my name, or does it have to be in a sponsor's name?
- The bank statement may be either from your bank account or a sponsor’s. If you would prefer, it may also be a combination of the two bank statements. If you use a sponsor's bank statement, your sponsor will also need to write a letter to the school stating the following: 'I am the sponsor for [your name] and I intend to provide him/her with financial assistance during his/her first year at the [name of school] up to the amount of $_____.”
- What should I do if my bank statement reflects a currency other than US dollars?
- If you cannot obtain a bank statement that shows your funds in U.S. dollars, you may get the conversion from the internet. You’ll need to print the page showing the conversion and include it with your bank statement. http://www.currency-exchange.co.uk/Currency-Converter.htm
- May I have multiple sponsors?
- Yes, you may have as many sponsors as you need, as long as you and your sponsors can explain to the visa officials why they are willing to fund your education in the US.
- The schools in my home country are taught in English. Why do I need to submit English Proficiency Documents?
- In order to be accredited, schools need to have physical documentation for each student's file. Unless you are from a country where the first language is English, such as Canada, Australia, or the UK, you will need to submit physical proof of proficiency.
- Is the GRE or GMAT score required for admission to US schools?
- Some schools do not require applicants to take the GRE or GMAT, so you’ll need to check the application requirements for your school. However, even if it is not required, you may want to still consider taking the GMAT or GRE exam. With GMAT or GRE scores in your application, US visa officers will likely view you as a more serious student when you apply for your visa.
- If I am still in my final semester of undergraduate study, may I apply to a graduate program now?
- Some schools may still process your application before you officially graduate. You will need to send your current transcripts along with the other required application materials and include a letter stating that you will send your final transcripts as soon as you have received them from your school. The school may send you a “conditional” acceptance, which means that you may be accepted for admission once they have received those final documents of graduation.
Answers to Your Work-Study Questions
- What is Curricular Practical Training (CPT)?
- Curricular Practical Training (CPT) refers to employment which is an integral part of an established curriculum, such as the paid internship employment that students engage in while in a graduate school work-study program. CPT is designed to give students practical experience in the workplace to supplement their work in the classroom.
- What is Optional Practical Training (OPT)?
- Optional Practical Training (OPT) allows international students to work in the US for up to one year after they graduate from their Master’s program. OPT is designed to help students gain practical experience in their field after graduation.
- May I participate in both CPT and OPT?
- If you work for more than one year of full-time CPT, then you may not be allowed to do the one year of OPT. However, international students are able to participate in both CPT and OPT, but not at the same time.
- May I work in CPT for the entire time I’m in my Master’s program?
- This varies depending on your school. Some schools do allow you to engage in CPT for as long as you are enrolled in your Master’s program, no matter how long you are enrolled. However, if you do choose to work full time for more than a year in CPT, you may not be eligible for the additional year of OPT after you graduate, so it is important that you check in with your school to find out their requirements.
- How can I go to school and work at the same time?
- Most courses in a CPT program will be offered in the evenings and/or on weekends. This will allow you to work during the week.
- May I take online courses?
- Yes. Many schools offer online courses in their Master’s degree programs, and it is legal for international students to take one online course and two on-site classes per semester. However, you cannot enroll in only online courses; at least two out of three of your courses must be in-person.
- Are credits transferrable between schools?
- Possibly. Your university may give credit for some courses you’ve already taken at another school, if the other school is accredited and if the content of the course is roughly the same as one of the courses offered by your program. The Registrar at the school will make this decision when you arrive for registration.
- May I transfer to a different university?
- You are free to transfer to another university if you choose to do so, although your school may have certain limitations or requirements. You can find these in your school’s policy statements or catalogs.
Answers to Your VISA Questions
In order for your spouse and/or children to accompany you, your university must issue a separate I-20 form. Your family may apply for an F-2 (dependent) visa. You will need to provide your university with the following information for each family member (including your spouse):
- full name
- date of birth
- country of birth
- country of citizenship
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Answers to Your Employment Questions
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- Will my university find an internship job for me?
- No, your university will not secure employment for students. If you sign up for an internship class, your school’s CPT Employment Counselor will help you find and apply for internships. The counselor may help you by assisting with writing your resume, introducing you to companies that are looking for employees, and showing you how to search for employment online, in newspapers, at job fairs, and through other placement services. However, it is still your responsibility to obtain your internship.
- What is the likelihood that I will find internship employment?
- New internship positions open up on a regular basis. The type of internship you obtain and how long it takes you to obtain it will depend on your skills, your experience, your English ability, and your personal ambition.
- How long does it take to find an internship?
- Most students find employment within the first two months at the campus, but it may take longer to find a suitable position, depending on your skills and English language ability. Legally, you cannot start an internship until you have 1) enrolled and paid for school, 2) started classes and 3) obtained the Social Security number. On average, getting the social security number takes about two to four weeks.
- May I arrange my internship before I arrive in the US?
- It is very difficult for students to arrange for a job prior to arriving in the US because employers almost always want to interview the candidates personally. However, your university likely has contacts with companies that will hire students for a temporary entry level job, so they may be employed as soon as possible. At some schools, the entry level job may be pre-arranged. This means that you can search for a more suitable job while working in the entry level position, and still fulfill the requirement of being in an internship.
- What kind of employment should I expect to find initially?
- Initially, most students will be asked to accept an 'entry level' position that pays minimum wage. These jobs are mostly in the service or sales industry. These entry level jobs must be an 'integral' part of the program or course. You will likely find that these initial jobs are generally below the skill and wage level of jobs for which you are actually qualified, but you are free to change employers once you have become accustomed to the American workplace and feel you are ready to apply for and accept a position which is more satisfying and which pays a higher salary. Usually, only a two week advance notice will need to be given to the current employer in order to leave for a different job.
- How much will I earn in an internship job?
- Some entry level jobs will pay approximately $7.00 to $9.00 per hour, but more highly skilled positions may pay $10 or more per hour. Students are allowed to work up to 40 hours per week. Depending on the job, you may also have the option of overtime. The type of job you have will depend on the school curriculum, as well as your work experience, background, skills, English ability, and personal ambition.
- What kind of work will I do?
- The work you do will depend on the school curriculum, as well as your background, previous work experience, bachelor degree, skills, English ability and personal 'drive.'
- Do I need to have an internship in a field related to my major or is any field acceptable?
- Your internship must be related to your field of study. A job that is related to concepts and principles that you may be learning in any of your classes is acceptable.
- How many hours may I expect to work each week?
- You may work up to regular full time employee hours (40 hours/week), with the same benefits as are granted to all other employees. Part-time employment is also available.
- How soon after my arrival may I begin CPT employment?
- You may apply for a Social Security number 10 days after your arrival. Immediately after you arrive, you are allowed to begin working with a career specialist at the campus who will help you locate and identify possible employers, and and teach you how to apply for employment in the U.S. Most students obtain employment in the first month, though it may take longer.
- Do I have to work overtime? May I keep the overtime bonus?
- This depends on your company. Some companies want the interns to work overtime, while others do not have overtime available. However, you may keep all overtime income that you may earn.
- What happens if I don't find employment?
- Because there are many entry level jobs available, it is highly unlikely that you won’t be able to find find some type of employment. However, it may take up to several months to be placed in the entry level job. The more work experience you have, and the better your English skills, along with the more positions you apply for, the quicker you will obtain a position.
- Do I have to have a social security card and a work permit?
- Yes, you will need a social security card before you are legally able to start working. To obtain a Social Security card, you will need a job offer letter from a prospective employer, which you will receive once you’ve been hired for a job. You’ll need to take this letter to your university for a signature on your original I-20 form where CPT is authorized. This signed I-20 serves as your “work permit.” Next, you’ll need to take both the job offer letter and the signed I-20 to the Social Security office where you will apply for a Social Security Number.
- Will I have to pay taxes?
- Your employer will hold back funds from your monthly earnings to cover any taxes that you might owe. After April 15th of each year you will likely find that you get a refund for some of this withheld amount.
- May I start work before I start to attend classes in order for me to save more money and add it to my current savings?
- No. You must be registered and attending your first semester classes, be in the US for at least ten days, and obtain a Social Security number before you may legally start working. This process may take two to four weeks. However, at most schools, you may start looking for employment as soon as you are registered for classes.
- Is is possible to convert my work authorization into a full time work permit upon completion of the Master's program?
- It is possible to convert an internship into a full time job, but this will depend on whether or not the company you work for during the internship is willing to sponsor you for an H1-b.
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