Working whilst doing uni
How do you lot deal with it? I am in sixth form and I would really want to when I start uni. What is it like for you?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
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Original post by Anonymous
How do you lot deal with it? I am in sixth form and I would really want to when I start uni. What is it like for you?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
It's definitely possible to work and succeed at your academics. Unis advise no more than 12 hours per week though. I worked on a Saturday and full time in the holidays throughout first and second and managed really well, the only thing I struggled with was not being able to go out on a Friday as I left for work at 7:30am Saturday.
Generally my mindset was that it wasn't possible for me to focus 9-5 every single day for the entire university year on academics (some people might disagree with me on that though) so if I wasn't working I'd be procrastinating anyway. Definitely helps if you enjoy your job though, as it's almost a welcome break from note writing!
Original post by Anonymous
How do you lot deal with it? I am in sixth form and I would really want to when I start uni. What is it like for you?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
Hi Anonymous,
I worked part time every year through my studies as a student ambassador. I have thoroughly enjoyed this role and couldn't imagine my university experience without it. The benefit of this was the flexibility it offered as you were able to sign up to work if you were available but there was no pressure to sign up to work an event if you did not want to/ were too busy to. This offered me a great amount of flexibility in terms of my studies as if I had lots of deadlines I would opt to avoid working around these, allowing me to prioritise my studies. Personally I tried to work no more than 15 hours a week however I know students who have succeeded when working significantly more hours.
I hope this helps!
Millie- Student Rep
Original post by Anonymous
How do you lot deal with it? I am in sixth form and I would really want to when I start uni. What is it like for you?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
I work for the Students Union as the contract is zero hours which means that we pick and chose shifts we work around our studies so if you have a deadline looming then you can chose not to work that week. The uni say you shouldn't work more than 12-15 hours per week but with my course I often work 20+ per week as i have very few contact hours for my degree and the shifts suit me, whilst they're unsociable hours to the job as you work their club nights so often have shifts 9pm-3am it does have its benefits that you get free entry when not working and save money on not going out every night like your friends do.
Original post by Anonymous
How do you lot deal with it? I am in sixth form and I would really want to when I start uni. What is it like for you?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
Hi
I’ve worked during uni for nearly 2 years. I would say overall it was manageable and quite rewarding because you feel productive (alongside getting paid)
In first year I was able to work easily during term time and managed to have enough time for uni work eg seminar work and coursework.
In second year I did find that I had less time so this put a lot of pressure on me. It was quite hard to juggle everything at first but after a few weeks I organised myself properly and had set hours and days I was going to dedicate to uni work.
I would say it is really important to have a flexible job that is aware you are a student so you can get time off if needed and allow you to be able to prioritise your studies
Hope this helps
Devina
Original post by Cookie0799
It's definitely possible to work and succeed at your academics. Unis advise no more than 12 hours per week though. I worked on a Saturday and full time in the holidays throughout first and second and managed really well, the only thing I struggled with was not being able to go out on a Friday as I left for work at 7:30am Saturday.
Generally my mindset was that it wasn't possible for me to focus 9-5 every single day for the entire university year on academics (some people might disagree with me on that though) so if I wasn't working I'd be procrastinating anyway. Definitely helps if you enjoy your job though, as it's almost a welcome break from note writing!
Generally my mindset was that it wasn't possible for me to focus 9-5 every single day for the entire university year on academics (some people might disagree with me on that though) so if I wasn't working I'd be procrastinating anyway. Definitely helps if you enjoy your job though, as it's almost a welcome break from note writing!
what hours was your degree like? how did you manage it e.g travels etc?
Original post by Uni of Hull Students
Hi Anonymous,
I worked part time every year through my studies as a student ambassador. I have thoroughly enjoyed this role and couldn't imagine my university experience without it. The benefit of this was the flexibility it offered as you were able to sign up to work if you were available but there was no pressure to sign up to work an event if you did not want to/ were too busy to. This offered me a great amount of flexibility in terms of my studies as if I had lots of deadlines I would opt to avoid working around these, allowing me to prioritise my studies. Personally I tried to work no more than 15 hours a week however I know students who have succeeded when working significantly more hours.
I hope this helps!
Millie- Student Rep
I worked part time every year through my studies as a student ambassador. I have thoroughly enjoyed this role and couldn't imagine my university experience without it. The benefit of this was the flexibility it offered as you were able to sign up to work if you were available but there was no pressure to sign up to work an event if you did not want to/ were too busy to. This offered me a great amount of flexibility in terms of my studies as if I had lots of deadlines I would opt to avoid working around these, allowing me to prioritise my studies. Personally I tried to work no more than 15 hours a week however I know students who have succeeded when working significantly more hours.
I hope this helps!
Millie- Student Rep
Do all jobs have flexibility? Also what was your degree/work schedule like?
Original post by Anonymous
I work for the Students Union as the contract is zero hours which means that we pick and chose shifts we work around our studies so if you have a deadline looming then you can chose not to work that week. The uni say you shouldn't work more than 12-15 hours per week but with my course I often work 20+ per week as i have very few contact hours for my degree and the shifts suit me, whilst they're unsociable hours to the job as you work their club nights so often have shifts 9pm-3am it does have its benefits that you get free entry when not working and save money on not going out every night like your friends do.
Is it worth it?
Original post by UniofGreenwich
Hi
I’ve worked during uni for nearly 2 years. I would say overall it was manageable and quite rewarding because you feel productive (alongside getting paid)
In first year I was able to work easily during term time and managed to have enough time for uni work eg seminar work and coursework.
In second year I did find that I had less time so this put a lot of pressure on me. It was quite hard to juggle everything at first but after a few weeks I organised myself properly and had set hours and days I was going to dedicate to uni work.
I would say it is really important to have a flexible job that is aware you are a student so you can get time off if needed and allow you to be able to prioritise your studies
Hope this helps
Devina
I’ve worked during uni for nearly 2 years. I would say overall it was manageable and quite rewarding because you feel productive (alongside getting paid)
In first year I was able to work easily during term time and managed to have enough time for uni work eg seminar work and coursework.
In second year I did find that I had less time so this put a lot of pressure on me. It was quite hard to juggle everything at first but after a few weeks I organised myself properly and had set hours and days I was going to dedicate to uni work.
I would say it is really important to have a flexible job that is aware you are a student so you can get time off if needed and allow you to be able to prioritise your studies
Hope this helps
Devina
how do you ensure you get a flexible job? what kind of jobs allow that?
Original post by Anonymous
what hours was your degree like? how did you manage it e.g travels etc?
In first year I had around 20 hours per week I think but less independent study. Second year was more like 12-16 and independent study. All In term time I probably worked something like 25-30 hours per week and didn’t study over holidays because I chose to work.
It was fine to manage but as I say it made my social life a bit of a mare as I could never go out on Fridays. I was on a permanent contract and had 3 Saturdays holiday a year (plus some from working bank holidays) so I saved those for summertime to go travelling. It was definitely restrictive as I had to be at home every Saturday. Definitely would recommend the flexible work with your su the others mentioned!
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by Anonymous
how do you ensure you get a flexible job? what kind of jobs allow that?
Hi
For me personally, the student ambassador job is one of the most flexible jobs just because they cap your hours and let you juggle uni easily. I would recommend you to find out if your uni does paid work in September and check on the website to make sure you are fully aware of when they are recruiting
A call centre job may also be potentially flexible as it’s casual work and you can choose when you want to work (there is a minimum amount of shifts though). These can be hard to get but you would need to research and see if there is any market research jobs that are recruiting
A retail job could also be flexible if you agree your hours with your manager, but it may be hard to get time off on short notice. However, if you worked only on weekends then you wouldn’t really have this issue.
Let me know if you need more info
Hope this helps
Original post by Anonymous
How do you lot deal with it? I am in sixth form and I would really want to when I start uni. What is it like for you?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
Hi,
Personally, I have taken a job as a student ambassador with the university. It has been very manageable for myself as I've been able to fix it around my studies. Also, I am able to do it online when it suits me so this increases the flexibility. You can also get a job in the town not associated with the uni which might also work and be relatively flexible however, I do find that jobs with the uni tend to work best for students.
Hope this helps!
From,
Amina
Original post by Anonymous
How do you lot deal with it? I am in sixth form and I would really want to when I start uni. What is it like for you?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
Hi!
It is definitely possible but try to opt for jobs with either a 0 hour contract or maybe max 16 hour contract (and one which is definitely flexible). It is really important to let your employer know that you are a student and that their might be times where you need flexibility due to assignments/exams etc. But it is definitely doable and I highly recommend it! What I did was I got a part time job at the Uni as a student ambassador which is a flexible 0 hour contract (I really recommend working for your Uni as they will be the employers which are the most understanding about your student commitments). I also have a 0 hour contract job at home which I can work whenever I am back for reading weeks etc. If you keep on top of your studies and you prioritise your time correctly then having a job and studying will be completely fine and a really good thing to do as it is nice to have more financial freedom at Uni. But overall, I recommend going for a job which is as flexible as possible, or one with really understanding employers
Also, if the job has contracted hours, they will ask you for your availability so obviously just tell them the truth about what time during each week you are available and what commitments you need to work around.I hope this helps!
Erin - Official Student Rep
Hi @Anonymous
I’m a student ambassador at Lancaster uni and I’ve found this job to be good because it’s quite flexible around your studies, as in my experience I’ve told them when I am free to work so it doesn’t conflict with any work. Lancaster unis also good because they have a job site for other temporary roles and often there are things offered where they need people for a day or a few hours for different things so you can do these and fit around your studies. I have found other temporary roles on here to top up my money for example graduation assistants so I’ve found this to be a good way to work due to the flexibility. There’s also internships on this site and graduate jobs so it’s definitely helpful ! So I would say if you want to fit a job in see if there are things like these available and if you manage your time right I’m sure it’s possible. I had more time in first year so maybe it’s good to work as much as possible then ?
Student ambassador Holly at Lancaster Uni
Hope this helps
I’m a student ambassador at Lancaster uni and I’ve found this job to be good because it’s quite flexible around your studies, as in my experience I’ve told them when I am free to work so it doesn’t conflict with any work. Lancaster unis also good because they have a job site for other temporary roles and often there are things offered where they need people for a day or a few hours for different things so you can do these and fit around your studies. I have found other temporary roles on here to top up my money for example graduation assistants so I’ve found this to be a good way to work due to the flexibility. There’s also internships on this site and graduate jobs so it’s definitely helpful ! So I would say if you want to fit a job in see if there are things like these available and if you manage your time right I’m sure it’s possible. I had more time in first year so maybe it’s good to work as much as possible then ?
Student ambassador Holly at Lancaster Uni
Hope this helps
I am working this summer holiday on a full time job but during uni ,especially if you are on a challenging course, it’s best not to work.
Original post by Anonymous
Is it worth it?
From my perspective its worth it because it allows me to get through my studies without compromising too much on my spending habits, it also provides structure to my days and as your working with other students its a fun/crazy environment and everyone has a laugh.
All the hours I work are of my choosing as I could work as little or as much as I like, I just chose to work lots but as most shifts are only 3-4 hours so I mostly work once a day to provide routine, exercise and switch off from my studies for a bit with the pay check being an added benefit.
Original post by Anonymous
Do all jobs have flexibility? Also what was your degree/work schedule like?
Hello again,
Unfortunately not all jobs have flexibility however most employers of students will understand you have other priorities and may accommodate your shift pattern around you university work (however do be careful as my friend ended up working 35 hours a week due to staff members leaving and the company she worked for having to make up for this). Personally my degree schedule really varied each year but I had Thursdays and Fridays off in my final year so would often work around Friday/Saturday days.
If you have anymore questions relating to balancing student life with work and study then please feel free to contact me directly via this link.
Thanks,
Millie
Original post by Anonymous
How do you lot deal with it? I am in sixth form and I would really want to when I start uni. What is it like for you?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
Hi,
I applied for loads of casual ambassador jobs at the uni, for example working on open days and working in the university call center. I found these jobs manageable as I could pick my shifts so if I had a lot of coursework I wouldn't do any shifts that month. However when I was free I could pick up more shifts. I did the most shifts in summer. Also I applied to a lot of different ones so if one of the jobs didn't have many shifts I could work a different one. I would recommend seeing if your uni offers student jobs as these are a great way to earn money but also prioritize your studies.
Zaira
lol at all the paid uni affiliates trying to subtly advertise their uni
Original post by Anonymous
How do you lot deal with it? I am in sixth form and I would really want to when I start uni. What is it like for you?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
I want the reality of it, how hard is it?
So, I did some shift work in first and second year, then got a 10 hour per week job in final year (much to the horror of some of my lecturers - a lot of my friends dropped their jobs in final year to focus). I luckily worked in an office on campus so it was really easy to get from work to class, and my boss was good at letting me go 5-10 minutes early so I'd be there on time.
I have to say, you do need to be good at managing your time. I'd occasionally do overtime then have to go straight to a seminar, which meant that I'd have to have all of the seminar prep the day before. It also helped that I didn't sleep a lot except at weekends, lol. But I had a really good social life and was on the committee of a society, too - it all depends on your course and how well you can manage your time. I graduated with almost exactly the same grade and mark (0.4% apart) as one of my coursemates, who did 0 part-time or summer work during their whole degree, so it really depends on you as a person.
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