Placement opportunities during PhD + side hustle ideas for extra income? (Incoming AI PhD scholar)

Hi everyone,

I'll be joining as a PhD scholar in the AI department soon, and I wanted to get some insights from current/former scholars here.

A few things I'm curious about:

1. Placements/internships during PhD – How common is it for PhD scholars (especially in AI/ML) to intern at companies during their program? Are there specific semesters or years when this is more feasible? Does the institute facilitate this or is it mostly self-driven?

2. Side income during PhD – For those who've managed to earn extra cash alongside their stipend, what worked for you? I'm thinking along the lines of:

a. Freelance ML/data science projects

b. Teaching/TA-ing extra courses

c. Consulting gigs

d. Content creation (technical blogs, YouTube, etc.)

e. Research collaborations with industry

3. Any restrictions? – Are there rules from the institute/advisor side about how much outside work is allowed while maintaining full-time PhD status?

Would really appreciate insights from anyone who's navigated this, especially in the AI/CS domain. Trying to plan ahead so I can make the most of my time here without compromising research output.

Thanks in advance!