Earn money teaching English online

Students from all over the world are keen to learn English from native speakers. Over recent years the face of teaching English as a foreign language has changed and increasingly students are being taught online. In China there is a huge boom in this market as it provides a way for middle-income families to provide an education that was previously only available to the very wealthiest. Today we'll be talking about two companies that offer online english teaching jobs, VIPKid and DaDaABC. You might just find its the perfect job to fit around your schedule as a student. 

Teaching English online has so many perks.

•  You can work from the comfort of your own home (or wherever you may be in the world). This is awesome if you want to travel or your need to move house. 
• Both of these companies don't require you to lesson plan saving you vital time - so you are paid for the time you teach. 
• You have can have a set schedule which means a relatively regular paycheque - though some companies aren't super flexible about booking time off. 
• Continually hiring companies (there is a huge demand) so no need to wait to start. 
• Decent pay, both of the companies mentioned above pay pretty well around the $24 / £17 mark  - much higher than minimum wage that many students find themselves working for. 
• You can even pick up some mandarin for free through the lessons. 

There are some cons to teaching online. 

• The first is that for both of these companies most of the work is 6-10pm Beijing time, so depending on where in the world you could find yourself working some nice hours (in the UK thats in the morning) but in other places that could be dead in the middle of the night. But you might find this works for you allowing you to fit the work easily around a 9-5 job. 
• You are responsible for your own taxes (so don't forget to register for self-assessment if your in the UK) as you are not an employee but an independent contractor. 
• You do not get any benefits that you may have as a teaching employee due to being a contractor. 

Both VIPKid and DaDaABC require a bachelors degree and native english speakers. Though DaDa is much more flexible about these requirements and people have been hired who do not have either of these requirements if their English is sufficiently strong. VIPKid are much more interested in American accents. 

Have you tried working for either of these companies?

I’m taking part in the Money Making Madness Linky hosted by Charlotte Burns from Lotty Earns, Emma Bradley from Mum’s Savvy Savings, Emma Drew from EmmaDrew.Info and Lynn from Mrs Mummy Penny.

10 Common expenses to stop spending money on.

It's all to easy to find lots of little expenses slipping their way into your life. But when money is tight, and you want to make your budget go as far as possible it is worthwhile reassessing all your expenses. So many costs (that very quickly add up) can find their way into your budget and they are not really that essential - though sometimes we might see them more as 'needs' rather than 'wants'. These are 10 common expense that you should stop spending money on - and trust us your budget will thank you for it.  This list is especially aimed at you, millennials and students, who are finding things tight. You might just find eliminating these expenses help you bring that little extra leeway in the your budget you've been needing to achieve your financial goals.

1. Cable TV / Sky - It has become so commonplace to have to get crazy expensive TV packages (we're talking £50+ per month). By cutting out the cable you will find you have more time - it seriously does great things for friendships and relationships because as a society we have become far too addicted to spending time around a TV. You could see yourself saving £600+ a month with one simple change. If your not quite ready to give up all TV have a look at Freesat TVs or Amazon Prime (remember you can get 6 months free as a student) as some great budget friendly alternatives (we have a whole post on watching TV for free). 
2. Tumble Dryers - They're expensive to buy, and even more expensive to run (and lets not forget the cost it has on the environment). You will find your electricity bill significantly reduced when you stop using your tumble dryer. Over the past three years I have not used a tumble dryer once. Instead I make great use of drying racks (and if the weather is good our washing line). 
3. Haircuts - Going to the hairdressers is expensive. Whilst using discounts such as students discount can help mitigate the cost, they can eradicate it completely. You can pick up a hairdressing scissors kit found around the same price as a man's haircut, meaning you have made your money in on go. Though we must admit the task is quite a bit easier if you have someone else to help you cut your hair. Whilst we figure this tip is probably easier for guys, some girls may also find trimming their own hair a great alternative (and at home hair dying kits cost a fraction of a salon colouring treatment). 
4. Bottled water-  While there clearly are some countries in the world where bottled water is an essential, in most developed countries this simply is not the case. If you are buying bottled water for the convenience, then consider getting some reusable bottles, filling them up and storing them in the fridge is for you. If you are concerned about water quality then getting a water filter system will work out cheating in the long run rather than using bottled water and it reduces the use of unnecessary plastics (though you might want to asses whether you really need it). 
5. Gym membership - Whilst you might find the gym on campus is slightly cheaper than others, it is still an unnecessarily expensive way of getting fit. Outdoor gyms are popping up all over the place, they are free and have much of the traditional equipment, but instead of the fancy electronic versions in the gym they are outdoor friendly ones instead. These gyms are free to use, and you might even find some fun, free activities/classes being run there too. Another great option for working out for free it to grab yourself one of the hundreds of free fitness apps available - from walking to yoga you are sure to find something to suit your interests and abilities. 
6. Pharmaceuticals - I'm not saying don't my the medication you need, but next time you buy paracetamol do you really need to spend 10x as much on some fancy brand name version compared to the ultra cheap generic version (which are for all intents and purposes the same product). Sexual health products are also often available for free on university campuses and at sexual health clinics (because condoms can be expensive - though definitely cheaper than a kid). 
7. Tampons/Sanitary towels - In a woman lifetime she can spend a small fortune of feminine products (and make a significant contribution to a landfill). Menstrual cups are eco-friendly, reusable and for only £20 super economical. Some universities even offer free sanitary products, the uni Chris goes to offers free moon cups, towels and tampons every Wednesday so you need not ever go without. 
8. Stationery - I cannot count how much free stationary we have collected over the years. At careers fairs, at the library, at random stalls in town we are always sure to collect some freebies stationery to add to our stash. From pens, to highlighters to post-it notes we've collected it all. When your a full time student it really does add up. 
9. Printing - As a student printing can cost a small fortune, whilst getting refillable ink cartridges can really help save, there is an alternative that can be free. Many universities are starting to have printers with Aiwip which allows you to print for free and in return you have a small banner of adverts at the bottom of your work. 
10. Household utensils - At the end of the academic year you might wonder what your school does with all the stuff that is left behind. Often the items that are in good condition are given away for free at the students union. This is an awesome way to pick up a kitchens worth of goods for nothing. 

How could making these simple changes help you achieve your financial goals?

How to save money on a road trip

Summer is not long off now, like many students Chris and I are off on a road-trip for a post exam treat. This year we are off to Scotland and are super excited to visit as much as possible.

Planning this trip got us thinking about how easy it is for road trip expenses to spiral out of control. It also got us thinking about what we learnt from our road trip to the USA in 2015.

Make a plan (and stick to it)
Having a rough outline of your journey will help you in finding great accommodation deals. Whilst spontaneous trips are awesome, last minute flights, hotels and car hire can get quite pricey. So it definitely pays to plan.

It is also a good idea to plan out your time and think about what attractions you want to visit, this allows you to fit more into your time and take advantage of any discounts or coupons you can find.

Compare fly/driving to direct driving 
Depending on where you are going, fly/drive might be the only feasible option. But if you have the option of either it is worth figuring out if it works out cheaper, fuel can be pretty expensive so if you car is a bit of a gas guzzler you may well find flying and hiring a cheap (efficient car) the better option. Catching the train or coach for part of the longest leg of the journey and hiring a car at the other end can big bucks. MegaBus  have journeys from as little as £1 and they offer journey across Europe, the USA and Canada. Or you might want to consider interrailing as an alternative especially if you are traveling around Europe as multi-journey passes can work out pretty cheap per journey.

If your in Europe don't rule out the use of Ferries or the channel tunnel as great ways to road trip without breaking the bank. The tunnel is from £49 per car as a return, so depending on your destination and how many people are travelling it can quite easily be a cheaper option.

When hiring a car its super important to not just pick the cheapest car, but look at its fuel consumption and whether it is suited to your driving needs (i.e the kind of terrain or number of passengers).

When we went to the USA I (although I can't drive) was in charge of hiring a car $200 fro 3 weeks was a steal and it had unlimited miles - I was sold. It was a tiny automatic Nissan Micra and it was not suited to drive 5,000 miles through some crazy altitudes (we drove through Colorado).

If you don't get the right car your likely to find yourselves not wanting to spend as much time in it (and probably spending more money in the long run).

Pack for the road
Service station food is overpriced and just not that good. It is always worth while heading to a supermarket, and grabbing some easy food for on the go. When we were road-tripping through the USA we found ourselves snacking on trail mix, and tortilla wraps with cheese and ham.

Fresh fruits such as apples and bananas make perfect road trip snacks and don't make much rubbish.

If you are driving your own car consider taking a cool box with snacks all ready for on the road.

What are your favourite snacks for road trips?

Consider hostels and campsites
Whilst its a bit cold to be camping in the spring in Scotland (at least for us southern softies), camping makes a really great affordable accommodation option with many camp sites being around £20 per night (when you divide that by a few friends it quickly becomes super cheap).

Hostels are also a great alternative, whilst the cheapest options will always be the dorms, you can often get private rooms at prices much lower than traditional hotels. YHA and SYHA are great options for those staying in the UK, and similar programmes exist worldwide.

I recently saw these brilliant air mattresses for cars, that could make sleeping in your car a viable option. Just make sure to not rack up any parking fines like Chris once did.


What is your favourite thing about road trips? Are you planning on going on one soon? How do you save money on road trips?