‘I earn up to £5,000 a month extra with my handyman side hustle - it’s easy’

A father of two from Chingford is earning up to £5,000 a month on top of his salary from his handyman side hustle.

Radu Lazar, 37, who was “curious” and looking for better-paid work, came across the Airtasker app in 2019 through a friend who used the local services marketplace as a handyman.

Initially offering transport and removal services, Mr Lazar has since expanded his skills to take on jobs such as furniture assembly and painting.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mr Lazar said: “I like that I’ve been able to learn new skills and meet new people every day, which keeps the work interesting.”

While Mr Lazar currently works full-time for a Transport, Removal, and Recycling company, he continues to use Airtasker for extra income.

At one point, he worked full-time on the app, completing up to three tasks a day, reaching Platinum level for two months, and earning over £4,000 a month.

His monthly income from Airtasker now varies, ranging from £500 to as much as £5,000 depending on the number of tasks he takes on, allowing him to use the extra money for expenses, bills, or holiday savings.

Mr Lazar said: “My earnings with Airtasker since I started are somewhere around £70,000 to £80,000. Of course, from this, I have to deduct the costs, but on the plus side, it is an additional income.”

Mr Lazar added that he finds it “easy” and “straightforward” to find a job and book them in based on his schedule, and he enjoys taking on “any kind” of task now.

He said: “For me, enjoyment is when I see the customer smile and be relieved from the stress that they probably had because of the upcoming job.”

The desire to start a "side hustle" is growing increasingly common among Britons. New research commissioned by Candle Shack found that around 45 percent of the population is looking to monetise their skills.

And with this year’s UK Savings Week unveiling a startling 14 million people have less than £100 to fall back on, it’s clear why so many are turning to extra income streams.

Duncan Maclean, co-founder and CEO at Candle Shack, said the situation may be improving, however, he noted that some factors are steering people to pick up extra work.

He said: “High inflation and the increased cost of living are still causing people to feel the pinch, and many are looking to new ways to bring in additional income.”

Since the pandemic, Mr Maclean said that his own company has seen a “significant rise” in people turning to candle making as a secondary source of income.

He added that some see it as a ‘second job’, with the new ease of setting up an e-commerce business “removing previously held barriers”.