When our editors went searching for top-rated side hustles representing every letter of the alphabet, we found high-paying jobs for accountants and cosmetologists, movers, lanscapers and “influencers.” And there were plenty of opportunities for those who wanted to rent or sell their assets too.
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Today we continue with top-rated side hustles from M-through-Z, with apologies for being unable to recommend any sites starting with the letters X or Y. (That’s mainly because our ratings look for a combination of good pay and attractive working conditions. And the sites we found near the end of the alphabet didn’t measure up.)
M-to-Z
However there were plenty of choices with all the other letters of the alphabet. Here we continue last-week’s promise of top-rated side hustles from A-to-Z, with the second half of the alphabet.
Managed by Q
Managed by Q offers two different types of flexible work options. One is to work for the site itself as a commercial office cleaner. Cleaners earn a bit more than minimum wage and get benefits, such as paid time off and a 401(k). The other is to join the site’s partner network, which helps you find plumbing, electrical, painting and security work. There’s no cost to sign up for the partner network, but if you get a job through Managed by Q, you’ll pay a 20% commission to the site.
Nesterly
Nesterly serves as a matchmaker between homeowners and renters. Unlike Airbnb, renters on this site are looking for long-term arrangements lasting at least a month or more. To make the home-sharing arrangement as safe as possible for both parties, Nesterly requires information about both homeowners and renters. This includes two personal references, criminal and sex-offender background checks, as well as an address history and a Social Security check. All that checking makes the site’s upfront fee — $95 to $195 — a bit stiff, but ongoing fees to hosts are a modest 2.5% of rents. And the host gets rent collection and continuing support in exchange.
Outdoorsy
If you happen to own a recreational vehicle, you can rent it out when you’re not using it through a site called Outdoorsy. RV-owners set their own rental rates and terms, determining whether to collect a security deposit, charge a cleaning fee and any other rules for renters. When your RV is booked, you pay the site a commission ranging between 20% and 25%. Outdoorsy collects all rental fees 14 days prior to the rental and remits the money to you within 24 hours after the rental has started. (Sign up with Outdoorsy here.)
PeerSpace
PeerSpace is one of several sites that specialize in renting out your home, office or garden by the hour for special events and photo shoots. The site allows you to specify what activities are acceptable in your space, the amount you charge per hour and whether you impose a cleaning fee. You can also specify the number of hours the space is available and charge a penalty fee (1.5 times the hourly rental) for events that go overtime. Like Airbnb, you need to communicate with the renter; figure out how to get them in and out; and work out other details of the deal. Peerspace takes 15% of your gross rental as a site fee.
Q Kids
Q Kids enlists freelancers to teach English language skills to Chinese kids, who are between the ages of 5 and 12. Each lesson requires 30 minutes and earns you between $8 and $10. The $10 rate includes bonuses for performance and attendance. Teachers are paid once a month — on the 15th — via direct deposit. Teachers are preferred, but anyone with a good personality and strong English language skills can apply. The lessons are all online, so you can work from anywhere. Lessons are prepared for you. You simply must be familiar with the prepared plan and the teaching software. The platform provides paid training at the $16 per hour base rate. Classes typically include one to four students.
Reedsy
Reedsy connects authors with professional book editors, writers and designers. Most of the authors using the site are planning to self-publish, so the quality of their manuscripts vary widely.
The attractive elements of Reedsy’s set up: Editors set their own rates and payment formula, determining when progress payments are required. Those payments are automatically collected by the site, which saves editors from dealing with collections. For that service, the site charges a 10% commission.
SkiptheDrive
SkipTheDrive is a curated job board that specializes in professional and technology-oriented careers. Most job listings are not original to this site. However, SkipTheDrive does a good job of categorizing and culling for telecommuting work. And, unlike FlexJobs and many other curated sites, it does not charge job seekers for access. You don’t even need to sign up to search for work, which means you also are less likely to get spammed than if you look for work at another free site, such as SnagAJob. That said, FlexJobs has far more listings and freelancers maintain the site’s modest fee is worth the cost. (You can sign up with FlexJobs here.)
Thinkific
Thinkific allows individuals to design and publish an online course. It can be anything from “How to Master Excel,” to “How to Improve Your Abs.” However, Thinkific doesn’t dictate how much you charge for your course, nor does it limit your ability to communicate directly with your clients. You have control over your clients, your marketing, your brand, your price. In fact, Thinkific often runs silently in the background of well-known teaching sites, such as HootSuite. The site charges a 10% commission or a monthly fee, whichever you prefer.
UrbanSitter
Urban Sitter is one of several services that connect babysitters with families that want to hire them. However, unlike most of the others, the babysitters and nannies pay nothing to post a profile here. Instead, parents pay at least $100 annually to use the site. Sitters say the site is picky about those who post profiles, as may be appropriate for a company that’s charging parents for access. Worker reviews of this site are overwhelmingly positive, but a number of sitters have complained about getting booted for what they believe were minor infractions.
Viator
Viator, a division of Trip Advisor, allows local tour guides to register at its site and advertise tours of their own making. You design the itinerary, determine when the tour is offered, set prices and determine how many people you can accommodate. The site does not hamper your imagination nor your ability to charge anything your heart desires. You pay nothing to sign up or list your tour. But Viator will take 20% commission when tourists book through the site.
Wonderschool
Wonderschool, helps you set up — or simply manage — your own daycare business.
The site will help you design a new program, leading you through the necessary licensing, certification, administration and marketing. If you have an existing program, the site can simply support it with monthly billing and scheduling services via the Wonderschool website and answering service. You don’t need prior experience to start, but the site wisely suggests that you get the necessary licenses and certifications to get going. The site charges a 10% commission for its services.
Zum
RideZum, which prefers the shorter moniker of Zum, was one of the original sites that enlisted freelancers to drive kids to and from school and activities. The site morphed dramatically in 2022. Zum now hires drivers as employees. And they drive buses — not their own cars. However, it remains a good option for people who want to drive kids for a living.
If you want to sign up to drive for the site, you’ll either call the site’s toll-free number, sign up online, or attend an in-person job fair. You will need to become a certified bus driver, if you are not already. However, Zum will train you for free.
The training takes 40 hours. And that is not paid time. That said, you’ll emerge from the training with a commercial driver’s license that qualifies you for well-paid work elsewhere too. So, it’s an investment of time that may be well worth your while.
If you’re hired, the site will pay you based on commercial driving experience. New drivers earn $26 per hour; drivers with seven or more years of experience, earn $33 per hour. The site will also ask you to work at least 5 hours a day — and will pay you for five hours a day, regardless of whether their are kids in your bus the whole time. The site also offers a full suite of employee benefits, including health insurance and a 401(k).
Updated 3/2/2023
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