How to find a part time job AND stay on top of your studies

Finding that perfect balance between studying and working at a part time job can be tough, but we’re here to help you.

Whatever the reason you’re thinking about taking on a part time job, keep reading to find out how you can get one that will allow you to stay on top of your workload for your undergraduate degree, as well as tips and tricks to help you source out employment.

What’s It Like Having A Part Time Job At Uni?

For many students, having a job whilst at university isn’t a choice, it’s simply something they need to do to help fund their rent and pay for basic necessities, if their student loan doesn’t cover it.

For others, it can help them out with funding their lifestyle whether it’s having more money to spend on going out, taking trips home, buying nice things or even treating yourself to takeaways or meals out. After all, it’s your money, so you’re able to spend it on what you like.

In fact, one study found that 66% of students in the UK had a part-time job whilst at university.

A part time job for sure has its benefits aside from financial funding, such as you’ll meet new people within the student community and possibly make some great friends. You may even find that working and staying busy improves your wellbeing if you have a lot of free time at university.

Having a part time job can also improve your career prospects when you graduate because you have work experience and skills, not to mention, you may also boost your network and contacts for when you graduate by working part-time.

For international students, a part-time job can also help with their language skills.

Some students may even have full-time jobs too during term time (we’re not talking about over summer), it’s crazy how they have the time, but with the cost of living crisis, it’s a reality for some.

Tips To Securing A Job

Trying to manage your time whilst studying at university is difficult already with academic and social commitments, but when a job comes into play too, it can easily become overwhelming.

With the stress from your academic workload, you don’t want to overwork yourself and become burnout.

You should try to ensure you can manage both your uni timetable and work schedule when taking on a job – time management is the key!

Here’s our 5 tips on securing a job and managing your time between studying and working whilst at university.

1. Think About Your Funds

Before applying for part time jobs, you should think about your money situation and whether or not you really need one. Is it going to be worthwhile?

Like we said earlier, you can take on a job just to boost your funds rather than the fact your student loan doesn’t cover your rent, but it might not be worth being less flexible with university work if you can afford to get by.

A job is a big commitment after all, and most places unless you’re on a temporary contract, are looking for you to stay there for quite some time.

2. Find The Right Job For You

If you’re desperate for a job, then you’ll most likely take anything you can get. However, you should try to find the right job for you.

Such as, if you don’t think that working in hospitality working late nights is going to be good for your sleeping schedule and thus studying, you should apply for another industry like retail instead.

Don’t just apply willy nilly to whatever job post you see, you should check locations for starters, as well as the shift pattern and the hours required.

There may even be part-time work which relates to your degree, and will help build your work experience for when you finish the course.

There’s also jobs that are only required temporarily like during the Christmas period which might be beneficial for you, as you’ll get some extra funding without having to commit to working through busy uni periods.

3. Plan Your Schedule

An important part tip about managing your time between a job and university, is having a schedule.

First things first, you should write down when your university lectures or seminars are on a weekly basis, when you have assignments due or exams coming up, and then take this into account when talking to employers about your availability at interviews.

You don’t want to start your job and find out they’re expecting you to work through the week when you’re meant to be at uni, so plan your time well. You should aim to work at weekends if you’re able to.

On average, students normally work around 15-30 hours a week, but some universities suggest that full-time students should only work between 12–15 hours per week. You should explore your schedule and think about how many hours or shifts you’d physically be able to do.

4. Prioritise Your Tasks

The last thing you want to do is forget what’s most important, don’t prioritise your part time job over university.

Your degree and education must come first, remember the goals you’re working towards.

So, don’t agree to shifts you can’t do or that would interfere with your university schedule or stop you from studying for a certain task or exam. Think about your most important things to do and then work down your list.

Chances are, when you talk to your manager about university tasks that are coming up, they will understand and take this into account when scheduling you or expecting things of you.

However, don’t just expect them to know about any concerns or things coming up if you haven’t let them know – communicate with your employer!

5. Allow Time To Yourself

When it comes to how to manage a part time job at university, the most vital thing is ensuring that you still have some time to yourself.

It’s all well and good managing when you’re going to study and when you’re going to work, but have you countered in when you’ll have some time to just chill and do things you enjoy? Not to mention, have you allowed time to get a good nights sleep?

If you haven’t, then you need to. Without doing this you’ll easily become overworked and stressed out which will have a negative impact on not only your mental health but possibly your academic performance.

You should aim to get around 8 hours sleep every night too.

How To Find A Part Time Job

If you’re on the search for a student job whilst at university then there’s SO many places you can find one whether it’s online or by asking around on campus. Although, don’t expect to just get a job straight away, it takes time and effort to secure one.

Here’s a few ways you can source out part-time employment:

• Apply for jobs online with sites like Indeed, TotalJobs, Student Jobs.
• Apply directly through your university for on campus jobs.
• Go to university job fairs.
• Networking, simply ask through word of mouth.
• Check social media sites, companies may share a job alert online on Facebook or Twitter.
• Seek out freelance job opportunities on LinkedIn.
• Hand in your CV to places in person.

Remember, if you’re struggling with money at university, there is places you can go for help and support. Most universities will have money advisors to help you out so always speak to someone if you do find yourself stressed out due to your financial situation. You can also check out Student Mind’s financial resources here.

A part time job isn’t always the answer, especially if your university course suggests against working and studying.

You may even be entitled to bursaries or grants at your university so its worth checking the criteria before diving straight into finding a job.

There we have it, go secure that part time job! We wish you well with the next academic year and sourcing out employment, we believe in you.

Do take on board though, earning money might be important but your university degree is your priority.

If you’re still searching for your ideal student accommodation, you should really head over to our property page.

You should read our blog on: 8 Things To Do To Improve Your Mental Health At Uni next.