A MUM-OF-FIVE has bagged herself £2,000 in just two years, all from the comfort of a sofa.

Sian Parsons from Cardiff told The Sun how she earned hundreds just by filling out online surveys.

Sian Parsons has made thousands of pounds by filling out online surveys

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Sian Parsons has made thousands of pounds by filling out online surveysCredit: SIAN PARSONS

The 64-year-old former teacher is now semi-retired, working part-time as a teaching assistant in primary schools.

But in between work duties, caring for her parents and seeing her children, Amanda, 38, Daniel, 35, Elizabeth, 32, Fran, 30 and George, 24, and her grandchildren she hustles online completing surveys.

Companies, charities and the Government regularly run surveys to do market research, asking you questions and paying for your time.

Sian started filling out surveys around two years ago and has made £2,000 in cash and vouchers since.

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She says: “I started quite small but because I’m very reliable and I’ve always got plenty to say they started using me quite a lot.

“So if there are big ones going on they’ll get in touch.”

In January, Sian says she did two Zoom chats and got paid while on holiday in Lanzarote.

“I got £350 in vouchers for Lovetoshop which I used as gift cards for the kids.”

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Sian is always keen to try any survey, and has even done one about football, despite having no knowledge on the subject.

She’s currently half way through another with Lloyd’s Bank, which will see her earn £400 in total when it’s finished.

She’s done them with AirBnb and even Welsh Water, which paid her £170 for her time.

She says anyone considering taking up the side hustle to try it, so long as you meet the criteria.

“You don’t have to worry if you don’t know much about a topic,” she says. “It doesn’t really matter, just go for it.

“You have to know how to use a computer though. Some of the online stuff I get a bit ‘oh no what am I doing now’.

“So you have to have some tech knowledge and if not, then someone around you that does.”

It pays to be consistent and reliable

Sian started off carrying out online surveys through recruiters, but now regularly finds them via her Facebook feed.

She claims because she’s reliable, regularly signs up to them, and is so chatty companies see her as a worthwhile participant.

“I get requests via email as well as Facebook,” she says.

“As you respond to them on Facebook you get other ones popping up.

“You have to get a bit of a reputation, they need to know you are going to do a good job – that takes time,” she says.

“Also be chatty in the calls. I presume they give feedback to the facilitators who then pass that on.”

How online surveys work

Marketing companies use online surveys to get insights into consumers’ habits.

The Government, charities and banks use them to find out information about the population too.

Their format can vary, but they usually consist of a list of questions focused on a particular topic.

In return for filling out a survey, you can be offered anything from money, to vouchers and credits.

All you have to do is sign up on the company’s website and wait for any survey alerts to come into your inbox.

Alternatively, like Sian, you can keep an eye out on Facebook for any adverts.

After you’ve signed up and the survey request has come through, you just have to answer all the questions, either via a Zoom video, or online and the survey site will add the cash, or any other reward, to your account.

There are dozens of survey sites to pick from, and they all offer something different.

For example, i-Say lets you earn points worth between five and £250 which can then be redeemed for Amazon vouchers.

Meanwhile, Curious Cat is a handy free surveys app which you can download on Google Play or the App Store, if you’ve got an iPhone.

There are even surveys which involve you heading out of your home.

For example, Sian was once asked to visit John Lewis and Curry’s to assess their customer service.

She just had to take photos of TVs and ask a number of questions to staff and rate their responses.

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She then had to relay the information to the market research company via an online Zoom chat.

Remember though, these types of surveys can take up a bit more of your time.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk

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