Working and masters studying HELP PLEASE

Hey all,

I will be starting my masters soon and I have to give the hours I need to work. I can work Mondays and Tuesdays but my work also requires and extra day and I go in Wednesday 1 this month, once October and two times the next month. Do you think working three times a week and uni will be manageable + any tips from anyone?

I’m scared I’ll run behind

Reply 1

Cranfield University

Official Rep

Original post by Maryammiah1301

Hi @Maryammiah1301

There’s no reason to be scared, working while doing a masters is something lots of people I know have done (while achieving great grades!), there are just some things to bear in mind while you do that. These are what helped me while working/studying, and second-hand advice from friends – hopefully some of our experiences help you!

1) Check what is allowed.
A lot of universities have in their rules that full-time students can only work so many hours per week, but usually that is quite a lot. For example, Cranfield has a limit of 18 hours per week, but remember this is more than half of what is considered ‘full time’ (35 hours per week).
Visas will also restrict working hours, even if your university doesn’t. This restricts you to 20 hours per week, under the current rules.

2) Check what hours are needed for your course, your job, and if that will change over the year.
Universities all structure their courses differently, some will have several modules ongoing at the same time, some will have one module at a time, some will have ‘study periods’ for you to work on assignments or prep for exams without lectures, while others will expect you to attend lectures while doing the assignments. Understanding what your course will need is vital before you make work commitments that will clash.
You should also check if this is consistent throughout the academic year. Many courses will have group projects, theses, internships, placements, or even trips abroad. Make sure that you know how flexible you can be during each stage of the course.
You can also ask for assignment deadlines in advance, and when they will be handed out (not to be given the actual assignments ahead of time, but to know how to schedule your workload in #5).

3) Work out a schedule that accommodates your needs.
Plan out an ‘example’ week (or two), so that you know which days you can work before you speak to your boss. Ask yourself if you will have enough time in the evenings to work (e.g. if you have a longer commute to work, this may not be feasible if you are also expected to be in lectures from 9am-6pm). If you can only work weekends, or only Tuesdays and Thursdays, it is best to know exactly what your needs are before asking your manager how they can accommodate that. If you think you can work at most two evenings per week, then grey out all the evenings and discuss with your boss what they can work out – it’s ok to have some unknowns in this plan, you’ll work out a more detailed one later!
Make sure that you will have time to have enough time every day to eat, sleep, and have a little bit of free time, even if that is only 30 mins to get some fresh air. It seems obvious, but some people feel so stressed they agree to do a 6 hour shift after a day of 9-5 lectures, and end up burned out before Christmas.
I like to colour code this into lectures, study, self-care, and work. Having the colours allows me to see if I am giving too much time to one thing, or have an ‘unbalanced’ week (e.g. my only self-care/social time is on the weekend, meaning I’d have to go five days without a break… That’s unrealistic!).
Double check that you are not breaking any university/visa rules too!

4) Communicate your needs with your manager/boss.
Most students I know chose jobs with either flexible hours, for example delivering leaflets, or had evening/weekend work preferred (e.g. tutoring, working at a bar, cleaning offices). Many also worked at places that just needed some extra staff, for example amazon warehouses, and informed their boss they could only work weekends (for example).
It sounds like your job expects 3 days per week, maybe you can check in on if weekend working is an option for your third day? Or if your ‘third day’ could be broken up into three smaller chucks, so that you work Monday, Tuesday, 2 hours on Wednesday, 2 on Thursday, and 2 on Friday? This will depend on your class schedule really, so it’s difficult to answer.

5) Once you have a schedule agreed with your employer, create a detailed work/study schedule.
This is basically a more detailed plan than the one you made in #3, now that you KNOW when you will be working.
Block out when your lectures are, when you are working, and time you need to commute first. Next, look for some time each day for yourself, whether you prefer some time to read before bed, or a workout first thing in the morning, or an evening football game with friends.
From there, look at how much time you have each evening and think about lunches, dinners, and breakfasts. If you don’t have time to cook every day, set aside some time once or twice a week to meal prep. Make sure that you have ‘grab and go’ breakfasts available if you don’t have time in the mornings. Can you set aside a couple of hours on a Sunday to wash all of your clothes, clean whatever is needed, and cook for the next few days? If not, make sure you do a little bit each day, for example washing clothes on a Monday evening, cleaning the floors on a Tuesday morning, whatever is needed to keep your life organised while very busy.
Work out when and where you will study. Different people have different preferences here, so it’s up to you to see what works best. Some people prefer to arrive a bit earlier in the morning and study before classes start, others work through lunch, and others stay in the library in the evening. Depending on your class schedule, you may want to utilise breaks for this, or this could be your social/relaxing time! I usually spent a Saturday morning throwing on some laundry, and while that ran doing a bit of work. Once that finished, I put my clothes in the drier and spent the drying time cleaning my living spaces so that I kicked my weekend off feeling very productive, and felt less pressure when enjoying my Saturday evenings with friends!
For assignments, I set reminders ahead of due dates with milestones (e.g. ‘Finish introduction’ or ‘finalise draft #1’). I use a Microsoft calendar for this, as the reminders physically pop up, and I can colour-code as needed. If you’re falling behind, then you get advance warning and can hopefully adjust your schedule to catch up without having to pull and all-nighter right before the deadline (who does their best work at 5 am anyway?).

6) If you are struggling, speak up sooner rather than later.
Your lecturers/professors have seen many students before you do the same course, and it’s likely many had similar struggles. They also know what to prioritise on the course, and how to go about that. It’s easy for them to give advice (and in my experience, most are happy to!) before your assignments/exams, but it’s a lot harder to ‘fix’ a failed module.
I’ve had a few burnouts in my time as well, and it’s a hard lesson to learn but resting when you need to is so important. Ultimately, you can schedule rest (both physical and mental) or you can overwork yourself and your body will FORCE you to take a break, and it’s never at a convenient time. It’s also longer than the time you would have taken if you had rested properly in the first place. If you need time off from your job, speak to your manager early, rather than having to call in sick.

Best of luck with everything, with your job, masters, and career after that!
Ciara
3rd year Agrifood PhD student
Cranfield Student Ambassador