Students often lament about the lack of cash in their pocket when they are at college. Unless you are from a rich family, having enough money to pay for groceries, utilities or even rent can be a constant worry.

As a result, many students take on a part-time job. This could include working in the service sector. That would mean working in a bar, serving people in a restaurant or behind the counter of a fast-food outlet.

This is hardly inspiring work and can often leave the person drained by the end of the night. That could then result in being late for class the next day or missing the class altogether.

So why not try English tutoring instead?

If English is your first language — and even if it is not — you might find that you are the perfect candidate to help other students at college who need a little help with their English skills.

Many non-English speakers have an incredible lack of confidence in their English speaking and are desperately trying to find someone to help them improve their skills. But they just don’t know where to look.

This is where you come in.

Placing an ad either on the college noticeboards or online would be a great idea in getting you started as an English tutor. There are also many agents online that are always seeking good quality tutors for all their students.

Once you secure your first student, you need to find out what they need to learn. Usually, this is just helping them with conversational English. There are thousands of resources online that provide many free worksheets, exercises and even entire lesson plans.

For example, you want to do a lesson on the topic of ‘jobs’. Just search online using the terms ‘jobs English worksheet’ and you will find hundreds of sites offering help.

The great thing about doing this is that if you do a good job, your students will tell their friends. This could mean more private students for you or you could create group classes. It is best to not have more than six students in an English-speaking class.

As long as you are organised and keep a record of which classes you have every day, this could be a great little income for you while at college.

There are many organisational tools to help you maintain a professional standard at all times, such as Trello, Evernote and Google Calendar.

The great thing about being an English tutor is that you are really helping people. You are helping them to improve their English skills which are essential in the world today. You will get a great sense of satisfaction and achievement from doing this, much more than if you were flipping burgers at the local fast-food joint.

Plus, there is the fact that this is a much more useful work experience than working in the service sector. When you graduate, this could look great on your resume instead of saying that you had a part-time job in a bar. It would make you look more professional and as someone who started their own business.

English tutoring can be very rewarding. And you could provide a valuable service in your college community. Try it.

Guest Blogger: David Buckley is the owner of www.manwrites.com  He writes about learning and teaching English. David is happily married and in his free time enjoys creative writing.