Part-Time Job Opportunities for Students in Quezon City (Yeah, Like, Maybe Don’t Die)
so like, i was scrolling instagram last night and saw this post from some random guy named juan who’s like a ‘part-time hero’ or whatever. he’s working for a food delivery app in quezon city and basically survives on igt. i froze. like, ‘wait, is he actually not dying of hunger? because i am.’ anyway, quezon city is this labyrinth of malls and traffic and honestly, if you’re lowkey posting on insta about surviving here, you’re either a genius or about to cry into a bag of balut chips.
so, if you’re a student here-like, actual quezon city student, not someone who just pretends to be scared of the rti-you’re probably either holding your sanity together at a cyber cafe or trying to sell your textbooks on facebook. but get this: there are actually jobs out there that don’t require you to beg for tips. i asked some people at a local coffee shop (the one where the barista is a dalmatian, no really, i swear) and they all had horror stories or tips from their 5am shifts. like, i’ll tell you: if you want to work in quezon city, you gotta be okay with chaos. like, real chaos. it’s not ‘am i gonna get ghosted or do i need to waffle my schedule?’ it’s ‘am i gonna be laid off because the manager had a midlife crisis and quit at 3pm?’-but also, good! you’ll learn how to not die.
ok, but here’s the data part, i guess? because i’m supposed to be a responsible sinner or something. quezon city’s cost of living is… wild. rent is like $200-300 a month for a tiny room that smells like old wet socks. that’s not even including the bus fare to work, which is basically a lottery. i mean, quezon city’s economy is built on so much nothing. there’s this data table floating around on some clueless college forum that says the average part-time job pays like 15k a month. wait, is that php? is that correct? i don’t know. i asked a dsa librarian and she just stared at me like i was suggesting they build a third airport. but like, if you’re budget student, 15k sounds like winning the lottery. or a free meal. either way. buy it. take it.
but here’s the kicker: quezon city’s safety is… debatable. some people swear by the malls, others say avoid anything after 10pm. i told a friend about this and they replied with a voice message saying, ‘you’re a fool. quezon city is basically a zoo at night. i once saw a guy selling balatac in a alleyway and it was fine, but then again, i was too scared to ask.’ megaman vs. reality, i guess. either way, if you’re working here, you gotta pick-your-battles. like, ‘do i work at that mall where people scream about their home countries or do i work at that gas station where the guy who sells 7-Eleven slushies is also a part-time basketball coach?’ you get the idea.
now, the weather here is… let’s just say it’s humid. like, your skin’s basically a wet sponge and your hair’s a foil ball. if you’re from a place where it’s springtime right now, quezon city is like… a tropical take on a sweaty sock drawer. but hey, at least it’s not raining constant monsoons like manila. though, if you’re a digital nomad or whatever, you should maybe avoid the north parts of quezon city during typhoon season. or just go to palawan. i don’t know. i haven’t left the city since 2019. neighbors? they’re like… loud, but not in a evil way. more like my left neighbor is playing mariachi music at 3am, and my right neighbor is microwaving soup and judging my life choices. it’s peaceful, kinda.
and the location? quezon city is this gigantic nón place. it’s got everything. if you need a specific latte art, you’ll find it. if you need a place to hate, there’s a adjectives list long enough to make you doubt your life choices. just ask taco bell. they’ve got like, three locations here and idk how they keep making money. i asked one manager and he said, ‘we just tie our own knots with the sauce packets.’ it’s wild. if you’re looking for jobs here, start with the malls. they’re like… job central. or go to the redemptorist seminary, which is notorious for hiring students to change diapers. it’s a thing. i don’t know how to explain it. it’s just, like, once you work there, you’re stuck with a certificate that says you never actually changed a diaper.
i saw this on a reddit thread (quezon city parttimejobs) where someone wrote, ‘my job here is to clean toilets at a 7-Eleven. i get 10k a month. i also cry into condiment packets.’ classic. another post said, ‘if you work in quezon city, just learn how to say ‘yes’ in tagoil. you’ll use it more than english.’ i tried that once and the guy just laughed and said, ‘no, you can’t speak tagalog? come back when you can.’ but then again, he was probably just messing with me. or maybe i suffered from a lack of smaller words.
i also embedded this map because why not.
honestly, quezon city is like a giant puzzle. you start in one block, end up in another, and suddenly you’re delivering food to someone who thinks their mango is actually a durian.
so what jobs are out there? i asked a disillusioned consultant i saw crying outside a taiwanese crepe stand. she said, ‘you either drive for a failed startup or become a ghost hunter. yes, quezon city has a ghost hunting industry. it’s here. some hippie group rents out EMF detectors for 5k a ghost. it’s lucrative, but also you need a permit. i don’t know. maybe avoid that. unless you want to argue with a jeepney driver about the bansao spirits.
here’s the deal: if you’re a student in quezon city looking for part-time jobs, you gotta network. like, literally. ask everyone. that barista with the dalmatian? he knows everything. that hardware store clerk? he’s on bots foruretlying about freelance photography gigs. also, don’t trust the wifi. it’ll probably betray you. or, better yet, go to a local coffee shop and offer to do social media for them in exchange for cash. it’s a win-win. or lose-lose. who knows.
here are some links. maybe they help. maybe they’re cursed. who knows. tripadvisor quezon city part time jobs-which is probably a fake listing. yelp stuff food delivery apps in quezon city-just don’t accept any jobs from people wearing benchmark jerseys. and reddit quezon city jobs and gigs-they’re like a digital trash can. you’ll find everything from legit work to ‘i need someone to hang out with me while i practice stand-up comedy.’
and that’s it. if you’re still reading this, you’re either brave or desperate. quezon city is a place where part-time jobs are as common as tarnished silver coins. you’ll either find gold or end up working at a karaoke bar. either way, i hope you don’t hate it too much.
p.s. i stole this whole story from a busker who was singing in spanish about ‘part-time gods.’ he had a boombox and a bottle of soju. take him seriously.
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