12 Ways to Make Money as a Dietetics Student
As a dietetics student, making money can be challenging, especially when you’re already balancing schoolwork, volunteer hours, and extracurricular activities. However, there are several ways that you can earn extra income while still focusing on your studies. Here are some of the best ways to make money as a dietetics student, while also gaining experience in the field.
1. Become a Virtual Assistant for a Dietitian.
Many dietitians and nutritionists have their own private practices, and they often need help managing their day-to-day tasks. As a virtual assistant, you can help with tasks such as scheduling appointments, responding to emails, and managing social media accounts. This is a great way to earn extra income while also gaining valuable experience in the field.
Sometimes these positions will start off as a volunteer position, but if you’re providing consistent and valuable work for a dietitian, you should be paid for your work. Opportunities for Virtual Assistant positions are often posted in some of the dietitian specific Facebook groups.
This is one of of favorite ways for dietetic interns and dietetic students to make money since it is flexible, it improves your business skills and you get to network with a dietitian that can serve as a potential preceptor or a reference in the future.
To learn more about being a virtual assistant you can also join the Virtual Assistants for Dietitian Facebook group.
2. Create social media content for Brands or Dietitians.
While similar to a Virtual Assistant, a Social Media Manager focuses solely on content development, creation and engagement. Brands may hire someone to edit videos or to create content such as recipes. If you’re already active on social media platforms, you’ll be able to leverage your following to show your success in this area.
Abbey Sharp is one of our favorite media dietitians and has a ton of free and paid resources on working with brands on her website.
3. Work as a Diet Tech in the hospital or long-term care setting.
A diet tech position provides experience in both clinical and the foodservice. It provides invaluable experience in healthcare and direct patient care. While these jobs are not always glamorous, they make a dietetic intern standout during the application process. As an added bonus, working as a diet tech also increases your likelihood of securing a clinical preceptor at the site. This is a fabulous way to network and make connections that will help you secure preceptors.
4. Provide meal preparation services for clients.
Before you dive into providing meal preparation services, you’ll need to look into your state and local food cottage laws. Some states allow you to prepare food items for sale at home, while others prohibit this. If it’s a viable option in your area, you can create a nice side business by grocery shopping and cooking for clients if this is an area of interest for you.
5. Teach group fitness classes or work as a personal trainer.
Gaining a certification as a personal trainer can not only provide additional income as a dietetics student, but is also shows that you’re capable of passing a board exam. Personal trainer work is a great fit for a dietetic student because the work can be part-time, flexible and often pays well per hour. It is also a skill that can be integrated into your future nutrition business.
Many of our KBDI graduates have also continued to work as personal trainers on the side as they complete their supervised practice hours.
5. Work as a Camp Counselor or Kitchen Manager for a summer camp.
Working as a camp counselor can provide excellent experience related to nutrition and food service. Companies such as Kandle Dining Services hire dietetics students to provide meal preparation and help with things like allergies and general nutrition education.
You can also find opportunities with local non-profits and organizations that provide nutrition education in the garden and outdoor setting. Check out one of our intern’s experience with a Houston based non-profit
7. Tutoring in science or nutrition courses is a great option for dietetics student.
Tutoring is another great way to earn money as a dietetics student. You can offer your services to other students who may be struggling with their coursework. You can also offer your services to high school students who are interested in pursuing a career in nutrition or dietetics. Tutoring is a fabulous way to keep relevant science and nutrition information fresh in your mind too. In fact the best way to learn something is to teach it!
8. Assist with research as a lab or research assistant.
Universities are always conducting a lot of research. Working as a research assistant in nutrition or another field will provide invaluable experience related to research design, following protocols, scientific writing and more. Even if the research isn’t directly related to nutrition, it’s a great opportunity to build your resume and experience in a science related field.
9. Work with your Campus Athletic Department, University Dining or Nutrition Counseling services.
Some universities employee students over the summer and school year to help with the athletic fueling station for collegiate athletes.
University Dining provides excellent experience in food service and with a background in nutrition and dietetics, you might get to help out with other projects such as recipe analysis.
It is also worthwhile checking to see if your university offers nutrition and health peer counseling. Sometimes these positions are paid and sometimes they are volunteer based.
10. Clinical opportunities such as a medical interpreter or medical scribe provide hands-on experience for dietetic students.
If you are fluent in another language, working as a medical interpreter in the clinical or hospital setting is a great way to gain direct patient care experience. You’ll need to become certified as a medical interpreter first, but sometimes hospitals will provide this training onsite if you pass a proficiency exam at the time of employment.
Medical scribes are utilized in busy hospital settings like the emergency room. You follow a physician around and do all of their charting for them. It’s a very high paced job and requires a high degree of accuracy and ability to multi-task. It is a great way to gain clinical experience and a professional recommendation from someone in the healthcare field.
11. Health Coach for an App or Coaching Company.
Some of our past interns have found employment with companies that provide health coaching. Health coaches can provide general nutrition recommendations and primarily focus on positive encouragement and behavior change. While these positions can be hard to secure because there is a lot of competition for remote jobs, it’s a great option for a flexible position. Often times these positions require evening and weekend availability.
12. Flexible/Gig Jobs are perfect for dietetic students.
Flexible jobs that allow you to flex your schedule based on your school/internship workload are highly recommended for dietetic students and interns. Some of our past intern’s favorite ways to earn money have been:
- Dog walking with Rover or independently advertising
- Housesitting
- Babysitting (date nights, summer nanny position or weekends)
- Grocery Delivery
- Drive for a Rideshare App
- Serving or Bartending with ability to pick up or drop shifts
In conclusion, there are many ways to make money as a dietetics student. By using your knowledge, skills, and experience, you can earn extra income while still focusing on your studies and preparing for your career in the field. Whether you choose to focus on a nutrition related field or another part-time position, there are plenty of opportunities available to you.