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If you’re lucky enough to have your parents fork out your tuition fees as well as your living expenses, then you’re in an extremely good position so don’t abuse it!
For those considering a part-time job to get through the extra costs which seem synonymous with university life (midnight snacks, books, the odd night out), here are a few things I would consider before apply for that 20-hour shift at the student bar.
1) How demanding is your course?
Have you heard horror stories of medical students working until ungodly hours and not showering for days? On the other end of the spectrum, do you sometimes wonder where your older relative/friend at uni finds the time to constantly update their Facebook and Twitter?
All degrees are challenging, and some would argue that they are all equally as challenging. This is not true at all. You need to consider how much spare time you’ll have before committing to a part-time job, otherwise you may be cutting things a bit fine when exam season comes along. Even if you’ve done the maths and definitely have enough hours in a day to fit it all in, bear in mind that studying and working at the same time can be physically and mentally exhausting so don’t try do too much if you don’t have to.
A good indication of how much spare time you’ll have is the course’s number of contact hours. If this is not publicly listed on the website, email the university’s course administrator.
2) What kind of job is it?
As a general principle, if there are 2 jobs available and one only requires your manual labor whereas the other requires you to use your brain, always choose the latter.
A wise person once said to me, “to give you worthwhile work experience is stuffing money down your pocket”.
Many students think, “a job is purely there for me to make money in order to survive university”. This is true in the short term. In the long term, we’re living in a world where you can’t swing a bag without hitting at least 15 unemployed graduates. If you have the opportunity, you should really be thinking about enhancing your CV whilst at university.
3) Do you actually need a job?
Sit down and put together a budget. Do you actually need to work? Or is this simply to supplement your beer allowance?
Don’t forget, a student job is still a real job. At the end of the day, you can’t just turn up expect to be paid for doing nothing. If you’re not going to put in 100%, don’t bother doing it at all because you may be simply edging your employer to write you a poor reference. If you don’t really need a job for the money, think about doing an internship or volunteering at a charity instead.
For help finding a student job, your university’s careers service should be able to offer some advice. Gumtree, Craigslist also have lots available. If all else fails, try this link: http://bit.ly/z6uH97
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Student Jobs: Striking the Right Balance
Vickie Chiu
Updated Mar 06, 2016Save
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If you’re lucky enough to have your parents fork out your tuition fees as well as your living expenses, then you’re in an extremely good position so don’t abuse it!
For those considering a part-time job to get through the extra costs which seem synonymous with university life (midnight snacks, books, the odd night out), here are a few things I would consider before apply for that 20-hour shift at the student bar.
1) How demanding is your course?
Have you heard horror stories of medical students working until ungodly hours and not showering for days? On the other end of the spectrum, do you sometimes wonder where your older relative/friend at uni finds the time to constantly update their Facebook and Twitter?
All degrees are challenging, and some would argue that they are all equally as challenging. This is not true at all. You need to consider how much spare time you’ll have before committing to a part-time job, otherwise you may be cutting things a bit fine when exam season comes along. Even if you’ve done the maths and definitely have enough hours in a day to fit it all in, bear in mind that studying and working at the same time can be physically and mentally exhausting so don’t try do too much if you don’t have to.
A good indication of how much spare time you’ll have is the course’s number of contact hours. If this is not publicly listed on the website, email the university’s course administrator.
2) What kind of job is it?
As a general principle, if there are 2 jobs available and one only requires your manual labor whereas the other requires you to use your brain, always choose the latter.
A wise person once said to me, “to give you worthwhile work experience is stuffing money down your pocket”.
Many students think, “a job is purely there for me to make money in order to survive university”. This is true in the short term. In the long term, we’re living in a world where you can’t swing a bag without hitting at least 15 unemployed graduates. If you have the opportunity, you should really be thinking about enhancing your CV whilst at university.
3) Do you actually need a job?
Sit down and put together a budget. Do you actually need to work? Or is this simply to supplement your beer allowance?
Don’t forget, a student job is still a real job. At the end of the day, you can’t just turn up expect to be paid for doing nothing. If you’re not going to put in 100%, don’t bother doing it at all because you may be simply edging your employer to write you a poor reference. If you don’t really need a job for the money, think about doing an internship or volunteering at a charity instead.
For help finding a student job, your university’s careers service should be able to offer some advice. Gumtree, Craigslist also have lots available. If all else fails, try this link: http://bit.ly/z6uH97
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