Students who nibble at the work in odd hours are generally not very successful. There is no guarantee of employment when you have completed the course. It will be up to you to find the work and you will have to write literally dozens of letters before you get your first commission. But perseverance will pay off in the end, if you are a capable indexer. There is a demand for good indexers, particularly those familiar with specialised subjects, and those who work with a computer.
Many indexers work part-time and regard their fee as a supplement to the main household income.
In fact, until you become really well established this is how you will work. The current minimum rate of pay recommended by the Society of Indexers is 14.00 an hour. The first tutorial is designed to help you find out whether indexing suits you. I cannot really judge at this stage whether you have the necessary aptitude, although it is occasionally obvious that a student is not suited to the work. The ability to index does seem to call for some rather odd qualities of mind - a tendency to sort things into order, make lists and keep records seems to be common to many indexers.