‘I earn £3k a month as a tasker’
Lina Bombova,
24, from London, signed up to TaskRabbit – a site pairing freelancers with locals who need jobs doing – in 2015.
“When I was made redundant from my bar job, I signed up to the TaskRabbit site. At first, I did a few hours a week alongside my degree in Criminology and Psychology, doing cleaning and admin for £11 an hour. Then, when I finished university last year, I increased my hours and rate – now I make £28 an hour for admin and cleaning, and £31 for deep-cleaning.
“Since lockdown, I’m doing a lot of tasks from home, and I’ve been hired for cleaning jobs when nobody else is present in the house. For safety, I always wear a mask and gloves and wash my clothes every day too.
“It’s a really easy system. I accept a job on the app, head to the location and get paid via the app afterwards. Often, people want me to deliver documents or pick things up, like dry-cleaning or DHL and UPS packages they don’t have time to collect. I’ve been asked to deliver 1,000 fliers through letterboxes all over west
London to raise awareness about a green initiative, and to pick up a limited-edition whiskey bottle from a distillery in London, too, for example.
“Over Christmas last year, a woman hired me for a day to wrap her godchildren’s presents – she had 15! I didn’t have much experience, but she showed me how to do it, which meant I could take on more bookings – I wrapped everything from pencils and small toys to huge stuffed bears. I’ve also helped out at corporate events, baby showers, christenings and birthdays, making cocktails – because I have a bartending qualification – and helping decorate the space.
“The more skills you have, the better. My ex-boyfriend worked in construction and would often hang mirrors and pictures, earning around £50 an hour.
“Because around 90 per cent of the people I work for are strangers – although some request me again if they’re happy with my services – people often ask about the safety element. TaskRabbit has a Trust and Safety team you can contact if there are any issues and if I’m ever unsure about somebody’s messages, I simply decline the job. After each task, you’re also given the chance to give clients a ‘thumbs up’ or a ‘thumbs down’ and if you choose the latter, you won’t be matched with them again.
“My earnings vary, depending on how many jobs I do, but I normally take home between £2,000 and £3,000 a month. I also get tips, usually around £5 – but I’ve been given as much as £60 before!
“The money and flexibility is so good that I’m reluctant to pursue a career in criminology and psychology, as I know I’ll be paid less than I’m earning now.
“I feel very lucky and grateful I managed to save some money before this pandemic happened so I don’t have to worry as much about my bills – but I can’t wait to get back to normal and be a fully operational Tasker again!”