Why do some students get a part time job while they study?

 

Money

 

Endsleigh (2015) found that 77% of students needed to work part-time to help fund their studies. 52% of these students had to work to help pay towards necessities such as food, accommodation and bills.

 

Skills

 

Having a part-time job, despite what the role is can already demonstrate transferable skills to future employers. These skills include:

 

• Time management (in balancing studies, work and a social life)

• Team work

• Commercial awareness (being aware of what is happening in your area of work - for example, issues in funding in the NHS).

• Initiative (make note of unexpected situations that happen during the job as employers will ask in interviews of examples of when you used your initiative)

 

All these skills together can show an excellent work ethic to employers. Some skills that you gain from part-time work may be different from the skills on your degree, so a part-time job can be very beneficial!

 

Volunteering can develop the same skills as a part-time/student job. The added benefit of volunteering is that it shows commitment to a cause, especially if it is relevant to the career area you are interested in. This kind of experience can be a way of getting a job in that area later down the line. Volunteering is sometimes the easiest or best way to gain relevant experience in a particular area, like clinical, health or counselling. Volunteering can be a one-off project or a weekly commitment. It allows you decide when you want to do it.

 

Examples of part-time jobs include at the University include:

 

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Not sure how to look for a part-time job? Click here.

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Volunteering and paid roles are advertised on MyCareerHub.