Sadly, the OU isn’t free, and that means many of us that are hooked on the love of learning are restricted on the courses we can take because we don’t have the funds. Happily, there are some painless and easy ways to make a little extra cash to cover your course costs, and they don’t include putting yourself forward for any dubious medical experiments! Just read on to find out what they are.

Tighten their belts

Many students find the money for the course fees at the OU by tightening their belts and making savings in their day to day lives. In particular being stricter with food and entertainment budgets can help to save quite a decent amount, and as you will be spending a lot of time studying you are unlikely to notice the restriction quite so much.

Alternatively, some students may even be prepared to downsize the place in which they are living for the duration of the course. Especially, if they know that gaining their qualification will lead to an advancement in their career later on, and so they will be able to upgrade their home in the future.

Increase work hours when not studying

Smart students often learn to use their time in the most effective way possible, not just for studying and writing essays but also for bringing in as much money as possible.

Of course, for this to work alongside all that university work, you will need to find ways of maximizing your income over a short space of time. Luckily, you can check out posts like how to make 200 dollars in one day for more ideas on this topic. Many of which can be fitted in easily around study and other commitments.

Don’t forget to consider seasonal work in the time when you don’t have any assignments or exams to study for either. In fact, employers like Amazon and Royal Mail regularly take on seasonal employees and pay decent money in their busiest period during the year. Something that makes these types of role perfect for smart students that want to raise cash to pay for their studies, but still have enough time and effort to do well on their assignments.

Ask for sponsorship from their employer

Now, not all employers will go to this, but if you can swing it, it’s a great way to cover the cost of your course, and not having to do any extra work either. The key here is to minimize the personal benefits when you make your pitch and maximize the positives that you completing an OU course will have for your employer.

Such benefits may include being more up to date with governmental policy in your area of expertise, understanding how better to manage people, and even being more motivated and happier at work. Something that may help your employer to retain your services for a longer time.

Of course, not all employers will go for this, but you’ll never know unless you try so it’s well worth bringing it up in your next review. After all, there is no smarter way to pay for your studies that to do nothing more than you are doing now!