Extra Money in Switzerland: 13 Ideas for Side Gigs

Turning your free time into pocket money or freelance income can be difficult at first. But there are many activities which can potentially earn money. Some may tie into hobbies you already have. Some have high income potential, while others may not be worth investing too much time into. Here, moneyland.ch provides a list of ideas to get you started down the path to earning extra money.

1. Babysitting and pet sitting

Babysitting is the perfect side gig for social types. Switzerland is full of parents who are happy to have their kids well cared for while they get some time off. If you like kids and are ready to take a little responsibility, consider signing up with a babysitting agency (Care, Liliput, Babysitting24) or posting ads in your local Migros. If you love animals, pet sitting for busy pet owners lets you spend time with animals and earn income.

2. Tutoring

The Swiss market for coaching and tutoring is thriving. If you are able to give homework assistance, coursework help, and leisure courses (languages, programming, dance, martial arts, yoga, Pilates, music, art, crafts), converting that ability into income is not difficult. There are numerous web portals (like Knows, Superprof and Tutor24) and classifieds platforms (Anibis, Tutti, Migros bulletin boards) which help you connect with prospective students. Make sure to be honest in your communications with potential clients with regards to your knowledge and teaching abilities so that they know what to expect. Once things pick up, getting EDUQUA certification can help improve your teaching skills and the fees you can charge.

3. Programming and IT support

If you have strong programming or advanced web design skills, chances are you already understand that the demand for these services is high. But even if your IT skills are more basic (networking, configuration, basic web design) you can find people who are willing to pay for these services. In this best case, you can land yourself regular customers who require ongoing IT support. Jobs can be found both on regular job platforms (Indeed, Jobscout24) and freelance job portals (Upwork, Jem, Freelancer-Schweiz). But even classifieds in local supermarkets or newspapers could land you jobs in your immediate vicinity.

4. Renting out your stuff

Most of us own something that spends most of its time just sitting there. Try writing a list of all the items you own which are in good condition and offer them up for rent. Ad boards and classified sites work well. Swiss sharing economy portals like 2EM and Gomore (cars, vans), Mycamper (motorhomes, caravans), and Sharely (tools, equipment, electronics, costumes, boats, bicycles, etc.) provide a simple way to turn your liabilities into assets by renting them out to people who need them.

5. Mystery shopping

If you enjoy going out shopping and have an eye for detail, try mixing a little business with pleasure by signing up as a mystery shopper. A number of market research agencies in Switzerland (Ipsos, Smart Concept, and more) offer mystery shopping assignments for pay. If your schedule is relatively flexible, this side gig could provide an interesting experience.

6. Writing and editing

Can you write engaging texts and do you have an aptitude for learning and understanding many different topics? The Internet provides a goldmine (okay, a copper mine) of income-earning opportunities. The same applies to editing other people’s texts. Freelancing portals (like Freelancermap and Upwork) are good places to find one-off and ongoing writing projects. If you write fiction for fun, portals like Inkitt, Tapas (app) and Wattpad let you publicize your work, build a following, and in the best case get paid once you have enough readers.

7. Translating

For those fluent in more than one language, translation provides another avenue to earn income. While being able to translate to or from Swiss languages is a definite plus in Switzerland, there is no need to limit yourself. Freelance translation jobs for a myriad of languages can be found online, and can be done from anywhere. The freelance portals mentioned above are a good place to start. Advertising your skills on local ad portals in the countries of your target languages is also recommended.

8. House cleaning and gardening

If you already spend most of your time sitting around, hands-on work might appeal to you more than jobs that require even more sitting around. If you enjoy gardening, why not turn your hobby into a job by caring for other people’s gardens? If cleaning someone’s home or office for money is something you are willing to do, signing up with agencies like Batmaid and Helpling is easy and takes the hard work of finding jobs and handling administration off of your hands. Specialized ad sites like Homeservice24 and Rentarentner (for retired individuals) are also good places to advertise your services and connect with potential customers. You can also advertise directly on local billboards and online classifieds sites.

9. Selling stuff online

It’s been said that one person’s junk is another’s treasure. Switzerland is a great place to pick up second-hand goods for a song (or for free). If you have some amount of storage space and a lot of patience, you can find buyers for the most unlikely items. Portals like Tutti and Anibis are free of charge for ordinary sellers and provide good exposure to the Swiss market. If you use Facebook, consider posting on classified groups and (for unusual items) special interest groups. If you find items which you believe have a high potential value and you are willing to invest money, international platforms like eBay and Amazon can give you a broader reach in exchange for a fee.

10. Driving

If you regularly drive the same route, why not let other people ride with you for a small fare. Carpooling platforms like Blablacar make connecting with people who need rides and are willing to help cover costs easy. While this is not directly freelance income, the money you save on driving expenses is just as good as income if you would make the trip anyway. If you have a professional passenger transporter license, or are willing to get one, you can freelance with ride-hailing services like Bolt, Uber, or Vertt in your free time to earn extra income.

11. Stock photography

If you have a smartphone with a halfway decent built-in camera in your pocket and a bit of an eye for photography, you have a means of earning extra money as you go about your day. Online stock photo retailers like Shutterstock, I-Stock, Getty Images, and Mipic are a good place to start. Brand-focused photography services like Studionow and Foap are the next level. You may not sell a single photo, or you may land a bestseller and make a couple francs. With today’s need for content being so big and varied, it is worth a try.

12. Video publishing

Like stock photography, video production is a hit and miss when it comes to earning money. If you enjoy video production and have a good social media network, it is worth a shot. Simple tutorials covering anything from arts and crafts to animal care, construction or programming tend to attract decent numbers of viewers (and provide a springboard for eventual paid product placements). Earning income with the advertisement-based models used by conventional streaming services like Youtube requires large numbers of viewers, which makes it difficult to earn a significant amount of money. But platforms like Twitch (gaming) and Patreon are introducing new concepts which allow for higher income generation from lower numbers of viewers.

13. Art and graphic design

If you enjoy art or graphic design, there is a chance that you can make money off your work. Sales-commission-based online art-on-demand portals (Etsy, Society6) are a good first stop to get feedback and connect with potential customers thanks to their relative anonymity and international reach. Stock photography platforms are another option because many of them also let you upload stock art. If you enjoy graphic design and have solid examples of your work, try applying for graphic design gigs on freelance portals.

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