Earning money as a student
How to earn legally and without scams while you study, where to start in Spain, where the line between a side job and a business lies and what to do if you want to earn from your own project.
Updated: 2026-10-06
Where to start: realistic expectations
For a student, what is realistic is part-time jobs, seasonal work, private lessons, freelancing with your skills and competition prizes. There is no “easy fast money”: treat any offer of “earn a lot, quickly” with extra suspicion.
Earning should not get in the way of your main goal. Scholarships usually require passing your subjects and sometimes limit what you can combine them with, so check your programme's rules.
The law in Spain: from what age you can work
| Age | What is allowed |
|---|---|
| Under 16 | You cannot work (exception: taking part in public performances with the labour authority's permission) |
| 16–17 | You may work with the permission of your parents, guardians or whoever has charge of you; no night work, no overtime and none of the jobs the occupational-safety law restricts for minors |
| From 18 | Full capacity to work |
This is a short summary of article 6 of the Workers' Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores). For your own case, ask the labour inspectorate or an adviser.
Ways a student can earn
| Option | What to know |
|---|---|
| Employment: seasonal work, hospitality, camp and activity leader | A contract; the employer pays social-security contributions. Leaders often need a course and sometimes a minimum age: check in your region |
| Private lessons (clases particulares) | There is demand for Spanish, English, Russian and maths. Regular income must be declared: ask the Tax Agency |
| Freelancing with your skills | Translation between Russian, Spanish and English, design, video, websites, social media. Continuous activity usually requires registering as an autónomo |
| Competitions, olympiads and cash prizes | Not a salary, but real prizes. See the catalogue: the “Prize” and “Competition” types |
| Paid internships | Universities offer academic internships at companies, some paid; check the terms at your university |
| European Solidarity Corps | Not a salary: housing, food, travel and pocket money for volunteering from age 18 |
| Your own project or startup | There are seed grants and accelerators for ideas and first steps. See the catalogue by tag and by the “Programme” and “Competition” types |
If you want to earn from your own project
Example: a service like GrantCompass. These are ideas, not guarantees, and each has a cost in trust.
- A subscription or payment from schools, academies and counsellors who guide many applicants (B2B).
- Paid application review by a real mentor: you sell time and expertise, not access to information.
- Partnerships with exam-prep centres and language schools, honestly labelled as an “affiliate link”.
- Grants and competitions for the project itself: see the programmes for young founders in the catalogue.
Do not take money from funders for a better position without clearly marking it “advertising”. Ranking must stay honest, or you lose the trust the service stands on. Never sell user data.
Taxes and paperwork, briefly
- If income is regular and you work for yourself, you normally register as an autónomo (with the tax agency and social security). According to Spain's Social Security, new autónomos in 2023–2025 could pay a flat €80 a month for the first 12 months; from 2026 the amount is set each year by the budget law, so check the current figure on the Social Security website.
- Income tax (IRPF) depends on the amount and source of income. The threshold for having to file changes: check it on the Tax Agency website.
- Garantía Juvenil helps young people find work or training; registration is free.
- Before taking a job, check your scholarship rules: there may be limits or incompatibility with other income.
How to avoid scams
- An employer does not charge you to hire you, for “training” beforehand or for a “starter kit”.
- Never receive other people's money in your account to pass on “for a percentage”: it is a scheme that uses you as a go-between.
- Be wary of “quick income courses” and promises of guaranteed profit.
- The contract and payment terms must be in writing. Keep the messages and payslips.