Medicine degree + part time job?

Is it possible to maintain decent grades, have a social life and work part time all at once? Should I try looking for a job when I start uni next year or would I just end up having to quit anyway because of the workload?


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Private tuition? More money, less hours, more flexible...
Where are you headed anyways?

A couple of people in my year had part time jobs during the preclinical years. It is possible, but they said that the extra stress just wasn't worth the extra money. Now in the clinical years it would be impossible to keep up with your studies, work a part time job and still want to live.

Oh ok, no Asda shifts for me then I guess! Thanks for the insight😁


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Unfortunately probably not...although if you're desperate, then flexible work is definitely an option. Tutoring has already been mentioned; I run an online shop on Etsy in whatever spare time I can get which can bring in some money now and again. There are options

I know some people who worked in preclinicals. It very much depends on the type of job though. 'Regular' part-time student jobs don't usually fit in very well with medic life. I knew two girls who were promoters for clubs, one who did event catering on the weekend, and two guys who tutored schoolkids. Tutoring is definitely a good shout, problem is that it usually required commuting that is difficult to do without a car. Check out tutorhunt.com to advertise yourself if you want to go solo, or you could join an agency (what the two guys I knew did)

Thats a good idea, might try it☺️ do you tutor and if so, how did you advertise yourself?
I'm not too sure yet, I'm veering towards Edinburgh though😁 what about you?


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No I don't tutor lol. I'm in year 12 . But I have had tutors that were medical students. You can advertise on tuition sites (might be a registration fee) or on gumtree. Or... family/friends may want tuition.

Is it possible to maintain decent grades, have a social life and work part time all at once? Should I try looking for a job when I start uni next year or would I just end up having to quit anyway because of the workload?


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The ideal job would be flexible (you can pick and choose how much work you do, and can disappear for a month before exams without a problem), has a high hourly rate of pay (so you've more time to spend studying for the same amount of money), has little to no commuting time (eg, based where your medical school/uni is, or involves working on a laptop at home or in the library), is reasonably low stress, and has relevance to your medical studies.

Shifts at Asda would only hit a couple of those boxes (maybe commute, maybe low stress?). Ideally, you'd be looking to tick off three or four at least, if not all.

Unfortunately most of the 'ideal' jobs involve leveraging existing skills, qualifications, experience, and contacts, and therefore by definition are rarely available to school leavers. Most of the success stories I've heard of have been qualified nurses, HCAs, and pharmacists working bank shifts, or (as I'm hoping will be in my case for next year!) professionals freelancing for their old employer or other clients, for example consultancy, editing/proofreading, web design, and so on. If you can develop any skills or experiences in that direction, it's definitely a bonus.

Tutoring is quite fun, particularly if you pick it up in later years (this is what I did during my first degree). However, it is a logistical challenge, it can be quite emotionally draining, and it's actually quite a commitment - you can't just abandon a poor A-level/Highers student a few weeks before their mocks because you're getting stressed out. But on the plus side, once you build up a few students, you can re-use a lot of the same learning materials, and it's fantastic experience to have both for the CV and your teaching skills generally. If you're around in the summer, tutoring first-years who are doing their resits is a good call, as you won't have other stuff on.

One thing I'd recommend is to have a read of Merys Jones' blog, in which she details the day-to-day grind of working two jobs while studying medicine. It's a hard read, but an important one if you're considering this path: http://bloodystudents.blogspot.co.uk/

Thank you so much, that's incredibly helpful!!



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Thats a good idea, might try it☺️ do you tutor and if so, how did you advertise yourself?
I'm not too sure yet, I'm veering towards Edinburgh though😁 what about you?


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Come back to me next May to see if I've managed to hold down the job and pass first year

Edinburgh has around 20 contact hours per week for the first 3 years, so having a part time job is very much possible.

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