Edinburgh applicants chat thread and FAQ *read the first post*

I see that sarcasm is lost on you. I gave you the answer you were looking for the first time - there was just no need for your bizarre rant. Now, please either discuss the university of Edinburgh in this thread (so that it remains on topic), or go elsewhere

Can I get some bursary or sholarship by this university, because of my parents low income like in st andrews university? P.S my course is physics and I am EU student(from Lithuania).

How easy is it to find work in Edinburgh, like part time or weekends? Is it a good idea to do so? I don't want a job if it's going to make me really, really struggle academically. It's just I'm not really good with money so I'd prefer to have a little surplus just in case.

I work at WHSmith now, and I was going to try to get a transfer. Last year, though, when people tried to get transfers no one actually got a job, so, if Edinburgh retail jobs are like golddust, I was wondering whether it would be worthwhile emailing/writing now?

WHSmith are pretty thin on the ground in Edinburgh - there's one in the station, one at Cameron Toll and one at the airport. Possibly not the most practical solution. In terms of finding work, a lot of people will say it's "easy". The reality is it's just as hard as a lot of other places. In terms of retail jobs, they do exist. The problem for students from further away is being tied down to a contract. A lot of companies won't be very understanding of the fact that you might fancy a trip home one weekend or want to go away for a few weeks during holidays. Starting out this early is probably ... a bit early. I'd investigate the possibilities of a transfer first.

WHSmith are pretty thin on the ground in Edinburgh - there's one in the station, one at Cameron Toll and one at the airport. Possibly not the most practical solution. In terms of finding work, a lot of people will say it's "easy". The reality is it's just as hard as a lot of other places. In terms of retail jobs, they do exist. The problem for students from further away is being tied down to a contract. A lot of companies won't be very understanding of the fact that you might fancy a trip home one weekend or want to go away for a few weeks during holidays. Starting out this early is probably ... a bit early. I'd investigate the possibilities of a transfer first.

I'll be starting Biochemistry this year. I 'm as well interested in jobs, but again a bit anxious it'll interfere with my studies. What kind of jobs do usually students take? I know we can work like 20 hours a week, but what can we do in that time? Also, what are the salaries? Thanx

Depends how much you intend to study and how much you actually need to study. Working has never posed a problem for me, but I'm a lazy student. Students generally work in service (bars, restaurants, cafes), retail and tourism. Don't expect to earn anything significantly above minimum wage which is £5.80/hour. Like I said earlier though, an awful lot of jobs will tie you up in a contract so you need to be comfortable at the restrictions that brings.

Ah that's OK. Jews cope fine with work. Thank you very much.

So do a lot of non-Jews My point though, is that if you have a contract then it's a contract for a normal employee - if you have to work every Thursday night and Saturday morning in a shop, for example, then you're unlikely to be allowed to go home for the entire summer. Just so you know

Ah I didn't plan to go home during summers . Anyways, one last question: can I change that contract to a usual 40 hours/week job during summer , from 20hours/week during my studies?

I have worked for just 8 hours a week on £6.25 and it has suited me fine. There are jobs out there that are flexible, you just have to find them!

I've never had a constant contract type job whilst in Edinburgh, mainly due to the restrictions in place as I need to have a fairly flexible timetable because I've been heavily involved in several societies which takes up a lot of my time. Instead I've had numerous "one off" or casual jobs where I can just yes/no the hours they offer me. I work in either waitressing/bar work or in swimming pools as I'm a qualified lifeguard and swimming teacher.... obviously if you have experience (I'd worked in a hotel for 2 and a half years before uni) its much easier to find something. I've found the Easter break to be good for getting set work for a 3/4 week period and then I've had jobs where they wanted waiting on staff for a couple of weekends in a row or something, which is better for me rather than committing myself to set hours every weekend for the next however long. The University careers service are a good place to start, then once you've done a couple of jobs people just get your number and call you to work for them again without you actually applying As has been said for bar work etc don't really expect much more than the minimum wage.

I haven't worked very much at all in 4th year as I just don't have the time and I wasn't here in 3rd year, but 1st and 2nd year were fine to do uni work to a good level as well as do society stuff/have a life

Are the one off jobs difficult to get? I think I'd prefer that to anything else, to be honest. I'd been told Edinburgh is really good at helping students find casual work - is that true? What sort of stuff do you end up doing?

Sorry for all the questions

It's just important to understand that getting a job in a student city does not mean an employer will have any understanding for the fact that you're a student.