Working a part time job while at University can be difficult. It obviously helps if it is a job you enjoy. During my third year, I worked as a waitress at a hotel restaurant, which I loved. I worked mostly breakfast shifts, starting anywhere between 6 – 8:30am and finishing around midday. These were hours that fit perfectly with the rest of my schedule. Most of my classes happened in the afternoon, and then I had the evenings open for my sport commitments and any other social events. It certainly helped that my managers and supervisors were fantastic at accommodating for my class schedule. I was able to block specific days off as being unavailable due to classes, and I always emailed in advance of exam weeks to ask for less hours. My managers were great at working with me to get a schedule that worked well. Having understanding managers can make a big difference when working a part time job at University.

I also identified while I was at university that I was most productive when I was busy, and had to manage lots of different types of commitments. Having a rigid schedule, with obvious periods of time that I was available, meant that I took full advantage of my free time to get assignments done promptly. I avoided procrastinating on assignments, because I simply knew I did not have the time to do so. Personally, having a part time job at university actually made me much more efficient at getting my school work done.

There is also a lot of opportunities directly from the University for part time and ad hoc work. I have worked as both a Student Ambassador for open days as well as a Go Abroad Ambassador for the Go Abroad programme at the university. I really enjoy this work, as I am able to chat to other students and talk about my own experiences. My student ambassador work was irregular, and certainly didn’t provide a dependable income, but it was always a great supplement to my funds. One benefit of ambassador work, is that you have no obligation to work specific hours if you are not free, which means that it can easily work into your university schedule. I would definitely recommend looking into the Student Ambassador opportunities, as the work is super enjoyable and flexible.

If you are looking for some part time work, it can be difficult and applications can feel never-ending. I would recommend subscribing to the Student Newsletter email sent out by the University, as lots of opportunities are advertised through the newsletter. I even got a temporary job with the university through an advertisement on their Instagram page. Overall, my little piece of advice when applying to part time jobs is be persistent and something fitting will come along soon.