The accountant who drops off Deliveroo orders on his ride home. The teacher who sidelines as a nail artist. The art curator walking dogs in her lunchbreak.
These are just some of the thousands of Londoners who’ve taken up a side hustle to earn some extra cash amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the new alarming unemployment figures. According to a recent study, more than 10 million Brits are considering taking a second or even a third job to make ends meet, with Google searches for “side hustle” rocketing by 58 per cent over the last year. Last month, there were 26,000 side hustle searches in the UK alone.
So what’s it actually like to have one? For many, two jobs aren’t desirable – or even do-able- of course, but for others it’s become a smart way to monetise a hobby and earn a bit of extra pocket money on the side. Some say it allows them to flex a creative muscle that they don’t use in their day job, some say it stops them simply going to the pub, others say it just makes sense – they’d be walking their dog or riding their bike anyway, so they might as well make some extra cash from it.
From the PR strategist who’s babysitting to pay off her student loan to the marketing manager renting out her wardrobe to pay for nights out with friends, meet the hustlers.
The teacher who runs a nail salon in her garden
Naoise McGeer Letson, 37, living in Forest Gate
Day job: Secondary school art teacher
Extra earnings per month: £250-300
Naoise McGeer Letson
I started my nail studio after visiting a friend in Edinburgh who’d just opened one. It made me question the way I was living my life. I love teaching but it offers very little flexibility for parents, so I decided following my friend’s lead and opening my own salon so I can work from home in my evenings and at weekends.
Since then I’ve started running a little studio in my back garden, offering manicures and nail art on Wednesday evenings and Saturdays. The hours are long but I absolutely adore it — I love a chat and have a steady hand, and I’ve built up a local following from fellow mums in the area. Even some of my teacher colleagues come in as clients now.
Money was definitely not the deciding factor in opening my nail salon — my biggest motivation was the flexibility so I can be more present for my son — but I will admit that the extra income helps, especially in the current climate. I now earn enough extra money to enjoy a guilt-free night out with my mum friends every month, and my dream is to move towards a more even split between teaching and nails.
The accountant who rides for Deliveroo
Duncan Wilson, 29, living in North Greenwich
Side hustle: Deliveroo rider
Extra earnings per month: £200-300
Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures Ltd
I have a relatively sedentary existence working as an accountant so riding for Deliveroo is a great way of keeping fit. I started four years ago while studying at accounting college. I had a lot of time in my late afternoons and early evenings and had always loved cycling, so it struck me that I could be paid for a couple of hours of cycling rather than paying to do a spin class. I’m not good at staying in to save money, so if I can occupy myself I get a double benefit: I don’t spend any money on beer and I actually get paid at the same time.
Signing up was easy: I had to go to one of the Deliveroo centres to confirm I was who I said I was, then I bought my thermal backpack and was good to go. There’s no minimum hourly commitment so I tend to just log onto the rider app when I have a free evening and see if there are any orders I fancy accepting. There are ‘boosts’ for completing orders at busy times, so it feels a bit like a game, and cycling down roads I would never normally explore makes me excited for each shift. It’s been a great way to get to know the best food in different areas.
I’ve never felt unsafe, but I am 6ft 8, which helps. I once got a little suspicious when asked to deliver a single packet of gum to a guy two minutes away (I got paid almost as much as the gum costs), but most of the time I actually think the person answering the door is more apprehensive. I never ride in my work clothes but I do get some funny looks when I carry my Deliveroo bag off-shift, like this morning when I took it to the gym at Third Space. When I carry it in the lift up to my own flat, people always tell me delivery riders have to wait in the lobby.
Money was one of the factors in me signing up. I recently upped my hours to offset our increased mortgage costs, but for me the main financial benefit isn’t the income; it’s the money I’m saving on not being out drinking increasingly-expensive beer. For most people, I wouldn’t say it’s a super-profitable side hustle — only do it if you’re like me and you love cycling and are a sucker for gamification. Oh, and believe it or not, friends are always more interested in talking about Deliveroo than accounting.
The art curator who walks people’s dogs
Bella Bonner, 25, lives in Dalston
Day job: Art PR and gallery curator
Extra earnings per month: £300
Alina zum Hebel
I started dog-walking in September 2021, almost by accident. A friend asked me if I knew anyone who might be able to look after her dog for the occasional weekend, as she was struggling to find places she was able to take both her son and her puppy. I loved her dog and I didn’t know any dog walkers, so I offered to help. She started a WhatsApp group and asked me what I might like to be paid. I’d assumed it would be a favour rather than a paid role, but being a young professional in London I also needed the money. We agreed on a rate and my accidental doggy day-care business was born.
Now, most of the owners whose dogs I look after are also people I would consider friends, so it’s all really casual. I typically do evenings and weekends, but I do the odd weekday too as I work from home a lot and have my own dog already, so my routine remains the same. It’s really nice for my dog to have company too.
I really hadn’t thought about money at all in the beginning, I was just a dog-lover who wanted her dog to have more friends. Now, it is useful to have extra income and some months I can cover my bills or some rent. If I’m not feeling strapped for cash, I can put it towards a treat or save for holidays. The cost-of-living crisis certainly worries me, and having the option to up my dog-walking hours is reassuring, though at the moment I’m too busy in my day job.
Dog-walking fits into my life pretty seamlessly but it’s definitely not for everyone. People assume it’s easy but you do need experience with looking after a dog, and it’s important to think about insurance and the dog’s safety and happiness. Some also have allergies and health issues, so you need to be well-informed. A novice could find themselves a bit shocked or overwhelmed.
I now have so many clients that I have had to pass clients over to friends because I could barely keep up with demand. One of my best friends is using the extra money to save for a house, something that sadly is a pipe dream for many of us at the moment. Living in London is financially challenging for most people, and working in the creative industry can make it even more difficult. If I wasn’t so passionate about my art career I would probably consider dog-walking it full-time as the pay is great and it’s super fun.
The marketing exec who rents out her dresses
Kelly Anne McEwan, 29, lives in Clapham
Kelly Anne McEwan, right, earns more than £500 a month renting her dresses
Kelly Anne McEwan
Day job: Marketing manager for an estate agent
Extra earnings per month: From £500
I got into renting dresses as I had accumulated a lot of designer dresses from working in the fashion industry and they were simply gathering dust in my wardrobe. I had no plans to wearing them anytime soon and in the age of Instagram we don’t want to be pictured in the same item twice, so I thought I might as well list the dresses on clothing rental apps like HURR and By Rotation and see what happens. I now take dresses to the Post Office almost every other day and make at least £500 a month.
Over time I’ve developed a bit of a system to ensure that renting dresses doesn’t affect my day job. I steam the dresses before or after work and then take the dress to the Post Office during my lunch break. I’ve also invested in a handheld steamer, batches of mailing bags and a label printer to speed up the process.
It’s nice to have an additional revenue stream. It feels like a steady side hustle without having to create a product or think of anything too innovative. Now every time I buy a designer dress for an event, I list the item on the apps straight away — I’d recommend it to anyone if they’re not too precious about sharing their clothes. It’s like lending a dress to a friend — and you only need one designer dress to start. Rixo dresses around the £300 mark do particularly well.
Renting dresses also made me less worried about investing in designer fashion during the cost-of-living crisis, as the price of a designer dress is very quickly reduced by a few rentals. I’m happy to be investing in quality items and not fast fashion, and no longer have to feel guilty about those extra coffees and dinners out. Interestingly, the majority of my rentals are to people living in London, and side hustles are very common among my London friends. Young professionals often choose to move to London for the lifestyle and there’s no point living here if you feel financially guilty about enjoying yourself. Side hustles like mine prevent you from dipping too much into your salary.
The hospitality worker who sidelines as a TikTok influencer
Tommy Moore, 24, living in Streatham
Tommy Moore
Day job: Front of house staffer at a private members club
Extra earnings per month: £150-300
I’ve been doing impressions since I was 14, but it wasn’t until my friends encouraged me to join TikTok during lockdown that it started as a proper side hustle. My first video, an impression of Boris Johnson, had 70,000 views and since then I’ve been posting every single day. I’ll record between 10 and 20 videos in one go about once a week, then upload them one at a time during the week to stagger my content.
These days I’ve got more than 209,000 followers and have started being approached by the likes of Amazon and Clearpay to work on brand deals. Sometimes they offer me as much as £200 per video, and TikTok has also started paying me directly through its creator fund, so I earn about £70 a month through that too.
I would 100 per cent do my TikToking regardless of the money, but some extra cash is certainly a nice bonus — it’s allowed me to be more relaxed about going out for dinner or on holidays. It has other perks, too, like when I was in Spain with some friends recently and the barmen recognised me and offered us a few rounds of drinks on the house.
Most of my friends have more typical jobs than me so they think my influencing is cool, though they do make fun of me at 9pm every evening when my alarm goes off to remind me it’s time to upload a video.
The communications manager who babysits after work
Marisa Brand, 26, living in Kensal Rise
Marisa Brand
Day job: Communications account manager
Extra earnings per month: £400
I’ve had side hustles for as long as I can remember. Part of me likes being busy and the other part of me likes having extra income. Currently, I babysit roughly three nights a month, for between five and seven hours each evening, and I love it — it’s good money, kids are fun and I’ve developed good relationships with the parents, who are mostly American expats like me. It’s particularly nice because I don’t have any family in the UK.
I started by connecting with a couple of families through my neighbourhood Facebook group and another group for American expats. These families have then referred me to other families they know so I’ve built up a bit of a community. I currently tend babysit roughly three nights a month, for between five and seven hours each evening, and on a good month, I can make an extra £400.
When I started babysitting almost 15 years ago, it was simply to have extra pocket money. Now, I deposit any babysitting money I earn directly to my student loans. It saves me money, too, because having babysitting booked in stops me spending money on nights out with friends.
The retail exec who runs a sustainable clothes swap pop-up
Jess Brunt, 29, living in Peckham
Jess Brunt
Day job: Landlord Partnership Lead at retail marketplace Appear Here
Side hustle: Founder of sustainable fashion company Verte
Extra earnings per month: £0
My boyfriend and my sister both run their own businesses and I know I want to work for myself one day too, so starting a side hustle alongside my day job first felt like a good idea. I started my sustainable clothes swap business in 2019 – partly because I had a corporate job and felt like flexing more of a creative muscle; partly because I wanted to get more use out of the clothing I had and wasn’t wearing without impacting the planet. I didn’t start it to make money and at the moment I’m still reinvesting the money I make into improving my equipment and base stock, but I am certainly looking forward to the day when I might be able to pocket some of the income, especially given the cost-of-living crisis.
I run events every couple of months and tend to work an hour a week between each one, then an hour a day in the near run-up, managing social media and logistical arrangements. It’s definitely a constant pressure to keep it going and can feel a bit unachievable at times, but it’s a great way of testing a market or a concept without the risk of losing your regular income. It’s been a fun way of expressing my interests outside of work and I’ve found it really rewarding.
