By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER EAST SIDE — Times may be tough but Upper East Side residents still need dog walkers and babysitters.
Hunter College has launched a new program called Hunter Helpers to match up neighbors looking for help with odd jobs with students looking to make a little cash in a tough job market.
About 250 students have signed up for the program since it's April launch and residents are posting between eight and 10 job listings a week. The type of jobs offered include tutoring and data entry, said Doug Jones, executive director of the school's external affairs program.
"A lot of college students I know are grabbing at everything they can get even if it's just babysitting," said junior Stella Milnes, 20, an english, creative writing and linguistics major at the school.
Milnes said she responded to the notices for Hunter Helpers rather than other fliers for odd jobs because it was being offered through the school.
"The kids need help," Jones said. "Here we are in one of the highest cost areas and we're a public institution and the economy is not doing well."
Both students and residents can go to the Hunter Helpers website to list available jobs and sign up for the work notifications.
Every job listing draws between six and 10 student responses, Jones said.
Although the school suggests that clients pay the students from $10 to $15 dollars per hour, actual pay rates have been between $15 and $20, he said.
Instead of babysitting, Milnes has been teaching an elderly Upper East Side man learn how to use his computer.
After just a few weeks going over basic e-mail and web browsing, her student has graduated to bigger projects.
"He wanted to start a blog on blogspot.com," Milnes said. "We're probably going to be working on that for the next couple of weeks."
