As a graduate student, you can get a job while you’re in school to help cover your living expenses and even some of your college costs. A job can also help you gain experience and learn skills that can be beneficial in your career. Of course graduate school can be demanding, and you’ll need to balance your classes with work. But part-time jobs for graduate students can still make a lot of sense.
There are a variety of jobs for graduate students to choose from, both on and off campus. Read on for more information about finding a job while in graduate school.
Key Points
• Part-time jobs, internships, and fellowships offer valuable work experience and financial support for graduate students.
• Flexible job options include online, summer, and on-campus roles.
• Graduate assistant jobs, teaching assistant positions, and resident advisor roles provide tuition waivers and stipends.
• Graduate students can find online jobs that tap into their skills, such as web design or freelance writing and editing.
• Balancing work and studies is essential for managing graduate school demands.
When Should Graduate Students Apply for Jobs?
When graduate students should apply for jobs depends on the type of job they’re pursuing. For instance, if you’d like to apply for an internship or graduate assistantship, or for a resident advisor or teaching assistant position, you’ll likely need to start the process months in advance or even the semester before. Check with your school or department about the specific timing.
If you’re pursuing a job off-campus, such as a position in retail or at a restaurant, you can apply anytime you’re ready. You may want to wait until you have your class schedule so you can see when you’ll have free time to work.
Earning money while you’re in school can not only help you tackle the cost of your living expenses, it could also allow you to start paying some of your student debt, such as any interest that’s accruing on federal or private student loans while you’re in school.
What Are Some Jobs for Graduate Students?
The best jobs for graduate students offer a flexible work schedule so that you can stay on top of your coursework. There are job opportunities on and off campus. Some jobs allow you to get experience in your field of study; others offer the chance to earn good money. Here are some of your options.
Internships
With a college internship as a grad student, you gain hands-on experience, networking opportunities, and mentorship from professionals that can help you develop a range of skills in your field. For example, as a finance intern, you might do financial modeling, data analysis, create financial reports, and work on special projects.
Types of Internships
There are many different kinds of internships available, including:
• Research internship: Research interns assist professors with such tasks as conducting research for studies, gathering data, and working with other students and professors to write research reports.
• Paid internship: These internships, typically offered by companies, are common in fields like law, medicine, business, and engineering. Paid internships can help you expand your knowledge of the field and get real-world experience to put on your resume. How much these internships pay varies by company.
• Unpaid internship: Some businesses and organizations that have volunteer staff, including nonprofit charities, may have unpaid internships available. Students may be able to earn academic credits instead. Unpaid internships are legal under the Fair Labor Standards Act as long as the intern is the “primary beneficiary” of the internship. However, unpaid internships must meet specific state government criteria. Before taking an unpaid internship, you may want to consult your state’s labor guidelines.
• Partially paid internship: These are internships in which interns receive a stipend or compensation to help cover expenses of the internship, such as commuting costs, but they don’t get paid.
• Remote internship: Virtual internships may be available, especially for digital or IT jobs. Rather than going to an office to work, you can do the job from anyplace. This type of internship can offer more flexibility to grad students.
Part-Time Jobs for Graduate Students
In addition to internships, graduate students can also consider part-time jobs. These are some of the best part-time jobs for graduate students.
• Graduate assistant: A graduate assistantship is an academic job you apply for, and acceptance is based on faculty recommendations and academic excellence. Graduate assistants, who usually do research and handle administrative duties, typically receive a tuition waiver when they work for faculty members or school departments.
• Teaching assistant (TA): Teaching assistantships give you teaching experience and help pay for your education through a stipend or tuition discount. TAs typically help professors by doing such things as teaching classes, grading tests and papers, preparing lesson plans, and meeting with students.
• Tutor: Another option is to become a tutor to work with college students that need academic help. You might expand your services by tutoring high school students in specific subject areas or for tests like the SAT.
• On-campus assistant jobs: Many different types of assistant jobs may be available to graduate students on campus. These include library assistant, administrative assistant, IT support staff, admissions assistants, assistants who help with university events, and lab technician assistants. Check with the school’s HR department to learn about available opportunities and what the payment or stipend might be.
• Resident advisor (RA): Graduate students can serve as RAs who act as a resource and support system to students, make sure dorm policies are followed, and organize social events and activities. RAs typically receive free housing and meals as well as a stipend.
• Graduate fellowship: Graduate fellowships are merit-based programs and they tend to be competitive. Fellows receive financial support to focus on graduate research and training, such as stipends, a tuition waiver, and health insurance coverage. Fellowships can be offered by colleges; local, state, and federal agencies; and private foundations.
• Off-campus jobs: You may be able to find part-time off-campus jobs in the local community in retail, food service, delivery, or distribution. While these jobs may not have anything to do with your degree, they can give you a steady income. The pay varies by job type.
Summer Jobs for Graduate Students
Summer break is the perfect time to get a job as a grad student because you can work full-time for several months. You can earn money to put toward your degree, which could help with getting out of student loan debt.
Some good summer jobs for graduate students include:
• Camp counselor or instructor: If you like children, consider teaching at one of the many recreational summer camps for kids. There are day camps and sleep-away camps, so you’ll have different options to choose from.
• Event coordinator: If you’re staying at school for the summer, you can look for a position as an event coordinator for an on-campus summer program like Upward Bound, which prepares high school students from low-income families for college. You can also look for event coordinator positions at community centers and nonprofit organizations.
• Outdoor jobs: If you enjoy being outside, consider working as a lifeguard, landscaper, dog walker, or caddy at a golf club. You can also check with local, state, and national parks for available outdoor positions.
Online Jobs for Graduate Students
If you’re looking for a position that offers flexibility and the chance to work from home with your busy school schedule, one of the many online jobs for graduate students may be right for you. You can choose from a number of positions like the ones below.
• Social media manager: If you enjoy being on social media and you’re good at it, you could work as a social media manager for a business or company to help promote their services and engage with their customers.
• Online tutor: Sign up with one of the numerous online tutoring programs, such as Chegg, SolutionInn, Course Hero, and Transtutors, to work virtually with students.
• Virtual assistant: Virtual assistants do a variety of jobs for companies, including, clerical work, bookkeeping tasks, appointment scheduling, email correspondence, and data entry.
• Freelance writer or editor: This could be a good opportunity for a journalism or English grad student. As a freelancer, you can write and edit for different digital platforms. You might focus on SEO writing, technical writing, or copy editing.
• Graphic/web designer: Design students can consider a summer job as a graphic or web designer. You’ll need to know design software, typography, color theory, and have good graphic editing skills.
• Affiliate marketer: By becoming an affiliate marketer, graduate students can earn a commission by referring an online audience to certain products or services. When customers click on affiliate links and make a purchase, the affiliate marketer gets a fee or percentage of the profit.
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Paying for Grad School
Landing a paid internship or getting a part-time, online, or seasonal job while you’re in grad school is one way to help cover some of the costs of college.
Another way to pay for school is with financial aid. Explore your federal financial aid options first. Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to learn what financial aid you qualify for, including scholarships and grants, and federal student loans, including Direct PLUS federal loans (also called Grad PLUS loans). Direct PLUS loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2024 and before July 1, 2025 have a 9.08% federal student loan interest rate.
In addition, search for private scholarships and grants offered by your state and some organizations and businesses to see what kind of gift aid opportunities you can find.
Finally, you can supplement any remaining gap in your financial aid by taking out private student loans offered by banks, credit unions, and private lenders. The interest rates on these loans may be variable or fixed, and the rate you get depends on your credit history, income, and other factors. Our student loan payment calculator can help you determine how much you’ll pay on your loans over time.
You can refinance student loans in the future for a lower rate or better terms if you qualify for them. However, be aware that if you refinance federal student loans, you’ll lose access to federal benefits like income-driven repayment and student loan forgiveness programs.
The Takeaway
The best jobs for graduate students can help you pay for some of your college costs and give you valuable working experience that could help you find a full-time position after graduation. You could apply for an internship, fellowship, or apprenticeship in your field, or you could work as a resident advisor or teaching assistant. There are also online, summer, and part-time jobs grad students can explore.
Financial aid like scholarships and grants, and federal and private student loans can also help you pay for college. And you have the option to refinance student loans in the future for better rates and terms if it makes sense to do so.
Looking to lower your monthly student loan payment? Refinancing may be one way to do it — by extending your loan term, getting a lower interest rate than what you currently have, or both. (Please note that refinancing federal loans makes them ineligible for federal forgiveness and protections. Also, lengthening your loan term may mean paying more in interest over the life of the loan.) SoFi student loan refinancing offers flexible terms that fit your budget.
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