One man has shared how he made £500 in just two days in the week he moved to the UK - and how others could do the same.
Alexander, 35, moved from Sydney, Australia, to London in June 2024. As soon as he landed, the nutritionist and personal trainer wanted to make a little extra cash while continuing to establish and build his own business here. To do this, Alexander turned to the services marketplace Airtasker. This is an app and website that allows people to outsource their everyday tasks such as furniture assembly, CV writing, graphic design, gardening, and decorating.
Alexander told The Mirror: "Airtasker is pretty big in Australia, and I used to see how much money people would make on it, so when I got to the UK and realised they were here too, I thought I'd give it a go. "
In his first week in London, the 35-year-old set up his account and began pitching his services for listed jobs. It wasn't long before he secured two: helping a fellow Londoner move flats and assembling some furniture. These jobs both fell on his first weekend in the UK, so Alexander mooched across the city on a Saturday morning to help the move.
Alexander said: "It just involved moving some heavy items up and down stairs into removal trucks. It only took a few hours and overall was just a good workout. They were also really nice, so it was a good baptism into London." The first job paid Alexender £250 for the day's work and the second job - which also paid a day's rate of £250 - involved assembling a king-size bed and two bedside tables, which again only took a few hours.
To pick up jobs on Airtasker, you need to submit an offer for the listed job. Usually, this involves writing a message clarifying why you are best for the role. Alexander said he was always very quick to respond to the listings. He said: "My message was always short and sweet, because as I was a new Tasker I needed to be quick and available. Overall, I think be quick, be clear and be personal!"
Alexander received his overall £500 payment at the end of the weekend, which really helped him financially as he was able to cover some set-up costs. But he also said it was emotionally beneficial too, as he met some great new people and had a lot of fun. As he adjusts to his new life in the UK, Alexander says he will "absolutely" continue to use Airtasker, adding: "If not for the money also as a social exercise to meet people and discover new parts of the city."
As a personal trainer, Alexander is keen to take on some new clients in the city. Other Airtasker jobs he's keen on taking on include pick-up and delivery tasks, modelling or social media work, and removal assistance. However, he has now reduced the number of areas where he will pick up tasks as he's learnt just how long it takes to get across the capital.
"I'm still trying to find my feet overall, and it has been hard but a great transition all at the same time," Alexander said, "Everything changes when you relocate to a new city or country, and the hard part is trying to juggle everything all at once, but at the same time, there are so many fun experiences which makes it great.
“I would recommend anyone moving over to the UK to use Airtasker to not only make money quickly, but it helps you meet people in the community. The jobs I do have helped people who live on their own, and older people. The jobs I've taken on are only a few hours out of my day, and I have really enjoyed all the tasks."
So far, the amount of money earned by Alexander through Airtasker is not enough to be taxed under UK law. Under the rules, you can earn £1,000 in additional income each tax year alongside your regular job, this is known as your Trading Allowance. If you make more than this, then you will need to register yourself as self-employed and report your earnings to HMRC. Airtasker also charges a service fee of between 10% and 30% on jobs depending on the tasker's "tier" on the platform and the cost of the task.