Ghar baithe-baithe paise kamaye—you must have received a shady SMS or WhatsApp message advertising sus jobs using this tagline. But, what if I tell you there is actually a way to do this while keeping your izzat papad intact?
I’m not joking. Two phrases: paid internship, work from home.
If you are a young student looking to earn some pocket money on the side and gain some professional experience, please stick around till the very end. Because, in this blog, we will do a roundup of five sectors that have paid internships for students, such as:
- Content writing
- Documentation
- Digital marketing
- Research
- Teaching
Content Writing
Be it turning in a college essay or texting a crush, you can’t escape writing. It only makes sense that you work on this skill. So, why not apply to a paid internship that makes you write? Content writing involves writing blog posts, landing pages for websites etc. But it includes any form of content that requires planning, writing and editing.
Websites such as Kool Kanya and Feminism In India pay their writers to write around specific issues.
Documentation
Paid internships for students involving documentation would mean that your job is to create, catalogue, store and retrieve documents. Think: preserving electronic files and databases, as and when required. If you are great at communication, sign up for a paid internship that will involve maintaining daily records and furnishing weekly/monthly reports.
For instance, look at edtech internships involving documentation by the likes of Pratham.
Digital Marketing
If you’re a Gen Z or a millennial, chances are you have grown up with smartphones and live a major part of your life on the Internet. If so, you already know that popular creators who make reels earn more money (by plugging brands) than some so-called professionals. A digital marketing internship will mean using the Internet to promote products and services.
Look up opportunities on the social media handles of Buzzfeed India for such opportunities.
Research
Paid internships for students involving research can be of any kind. It can be purely academic or something lighter. No matter what kind of research you do, it will involve poring through the Internet and burying your head in thick books so be prepared. But for those with an aptitude for research, such a task can be quite enjoyable along with the right amount of challenging.
Depending on the kind of research you want to do (legal, medical, consumer-based), you will have to Google firms which require help with research on those fronts.
Teaching
You must have seen videos of teachers saying rude or funny things in class going viral. That’s because online classes are booming nowadays. A lot of coaching classes and tuition centres, and even individual students need teachers who can help them beyond the classroom setting. So, look for such a paid internship. If you are academically inclined, go for this.
Approaching parents in your neighbourhood to see if their children need concentrated help with certain subjects which are your strong suits, is one way to go about this.
What are some other paid internship streams you can think of?