It’s never been easier to make money in the countryside – whether you like getting your hands dirty in the great outdoors or prefer a quiet room in the corner of your house, there’s a career in the sticks to suit you…

Home produce:

You can find a number of small producers dotted across the rural landscape, offering their homegrown produce for sale. There’s no reason why you can’t get in on the act too.

 

Try specialising at first – organic fruit and vegetables, jams and chutneys, free range eggs.  If the good life is for you, you may start to experiment with keeping pigs or sheep, making sausages, cheese or bread.

 

Craftwork:

If you have a creative streak, put it to good use by making items to sell at one of the many Farmers’ Markets around the country. People are always on the lookout for something new and edgy – whether you upcycle clothes, make funky lampshades, weave traditional blankets or make pictures from driftwood, you may just find a market for your wares.

Cleaning:

There are plenty of grand homes tucked away in the countryside which need tending to – dusting the myriad rooms or even managing country houses is a job in itself and which could be very lucrative. More casual work might involve cleaning homes in certain streets or areas – look to diversify by offering extra services such as cleaning windows, carpets or ovens.

Dog walking/sitting:

Believe it or not, there are plenty of people living in rural areas who need help looking after their pets.

 

Holidays season is obviously a key time, but help may be required because of ill health or because of busy work schedules. Some dog sitters also house-sit for owners when on vacation. Look out too for people wanting help riding horses or mucking out.

 

Outdoor catering:

If you’re a bit handy in the kitchen, then offering to fill freezers is a great way to use your talents. Everyone loves a home-made meal to come home to so freezer foods are the perfect standby. You could even branch out into offering gourmet takeaway or home delivery nights – you’d be surprised how grateful people are for having good quality warm food delivered to their door!

Garden maintenance:

Large gardens require maintenance, and a lot of it. It’s amazing how many people hanker after the country home with acres of lawn and flower-filled borders only to find that they haven’t got the time or the skills to keep their outdoor spaces looking pristine.

Whether it’s lawn care, weeding, cutting hedges or general garden maintenance, there’s a big demand in most rural areas.

Tutoring:

If you’re a former teacher or have a degree in a certain subject, tutoring is a great option. Sessions take place at home or in a village hall and can be one-on-one or group classes. Because most children would be at school during the day, this would be mainly evening or weekend work, although tap into the home schooling community or look at adult education too.

Web designer:

Thanks to the internet, working from home has got even easier. And with super fast fibre broadband being made available to rural communities, it’s also got even faster! Every business or service provider needs a website so if you’ve got the skills to build and host websites, you’re in the money. It’s just a matter of getting the word out…

Copywriter:

If you have a way with words then there are opportunities for copywriting.

Tap into local business networks to get your name out there or use platforms like LinkedIn to market your services. Even better if you can combine copywriting with blogging or social media expertise.

Holiday rentals:

The birth of AirBnB means that anyone can be a landlord these days and that’s good news if you have a few spare rooms lurking in your country pile! Even better if you have a separate wing with its own entrance and living area… the rest of us, however, can still make a tidy profit from letting out our spare rooms. Or for big bucks quick, consider letting out your whole house as accommodation when nearby events, such as Cheltenham Gold Cup, take place.