Working Whilst Studying

There are all sorts of work that you can do whilst at university, in order to gain some spare money and to ensure that you don't have to budget to the last penny!

What sort of work is best? Well, part time work is what you will almost certainly need - if you think you can fit in a full time Monday to Friday job then either you have no lectures or you are not working hard enough and bunking off.

The obvious part time work includes that such as working in a pub or bar, and also working in shops or supermarkets moving your arm over a barcode scanner - not the most rewarding, perhaps, but at least it will give you some spare readies.

Don't forget about the university itself which may have many roles for students - for instance student bars and so on need to be staffed, and the pay rate at these where available can be more attractive than the minimum wage that may be on offer elsewhere.

What you need to ensure is that you keep a balance - whilst earning more money can seem attractive, remember that half the point of a degree is that you should be able to earn more money over the course of your lifetime compared to someone who does not have those letters after their name.

Therefore see work at university squarely as a means to an end to earn you some much needed cash, and therefore do not be overly tempted to grab all the hours you can and overtime to earn a few pounds to the detriment of your work and, arguably worse, your social life.

Sometimes it can be trial and error setting hours, so try a few ranges of shift patterns if possible until you work out what works best for you; you may need to be fairly flexible but try and establish a pattern if you can. This will also help you establish work patterns such as when you do your study, write your essays and so on.

By having a decent balance you should be able to strike a happy position whereby your work does not suffer and you earn a little spare cash on the side too to pay for those wild student parties.

Related Articles

Keeping Track of Job Applications
Getting a Good Job After University
Using your University Careers Service
Getting a Student Loan
Budgeting Tips for University Students

More Student University and Finance Articles