About UK university students part-time job

I maxed around 10 hours a week, found this was perfectly doable on top of uni work load

Hello!

How many hours a week do UK university students work on average?
Also, what's the average hourly pay?

Hope this isn't too weird of a question.
Thank you very much!

Hello @niktsu,

The University of Liverpool recommends no more than 15 hours of work per week.

The hourly pay will vary depending where you decide to work!

Antonia
University of Liverpool - Student Ambassador

Hi @nitktsu
These questions are hard to answer because each job is different etc. But I’m happy to share my advice from working at uni.
It really depends on course demands whether part time jobs can fit around studies. Many people have less contact hours in first year so this is a good time to start getting a job. Many students also work temporary contacts eg work over summer or in the holidays when they have long breaks. I’ve enjoyed being an ambassador because of the flexibility around my studies so maybe have a look at roles like this at the university and see what jobs the universities offer.
Hope this helps give you some advice !
Lancaster university student ambassador Holly

Hello!

How many hours a week do UK university students work on average?
Also, what's the average hourly pay?

Hope this isn't too weird of a question.
Thank you very much!

Thanks for your reply! It's good to know what universities actually recommend.

I think it varies a lot but based on what other people do on my course do I would guess half of them have a job and probably do 12 hours per week based on x2 6 hour shifts and earn ~£8.50 per hour. If you want to know what is feasible for yourself if you study in the UK I will tell you it will depend on your work ethic, type of job, natural ability and course difficulty.

I'll share my experience of working while studying because I feel it represents 2 extremes which highlights why it depends.

I started a Physics course in 2014, dropped out in the second year and then started a Maths course at a different university a few years later in 2019, currently in my second year. I won't get into it but 6 years ago I wouldn't have been able to balance work and uni even on a less demanding course because I lacked work ethic and I know students now who lack work ethic and struggle like I did previously. It's not that these students can't they just won't because they have different priorities and there isn't a lot you can say that will change it.

After I dropped out I had to get a job out of necessity because moving back in with my mum wasn't an option. So I worked and lived with my partner for a few years before going back to uni, I wanted to go back sooner but my job and where I lived wasn't right at the time.

When I started my Maths course I was working 24 hours per week, Friday, Saturday and Sunday plus overtime and averaged 30 hours per week in my first year during term time. It sounds crazy but the work was restocking the alcohol section in a supermarket 16:00 till 00:30 and it worked for me because the job wasn't taxing on the mind and the exercise is great for keeping your energy levels up and improving quality of sleep. That meant I could do all my Uni stuff during the day and then go to work on a night.

This second year I started an internship, it's 16 hours per week with no overtime and better pay per hour but I have found it a lot more challenging. I'm a data analyst in the public sector and the work I do is as important as my colleague's so I'm extremely happy to hold the position. But now I work during office hours, I'm paid to think and the work can be challenging when there is always a deadline. Most days I finish work mentally drained making the rest of that day a write off for anything else that isn't fun and makes me more reluctant to do uni work on other days.

There is definitely a noticeable decrease in the quality of my work between this year and the last that isn't down to Covid and the second year material being harder. My work has just been littered with simple mistakes when rearranging algebra which stings when everything else is correct and it's simply down to I feel more tired this year because of my new job.

Obviously the main thing to consider around this topic is that you can still achieve a good degree so I'll mention that I'm doing very well at uni despite the above. My average scores are above 90% for each semester which I'm extremely happy with because I have worked very hard to achieve that and have worked hours my friends wouldn't even consider.

So to summarise you can still get the full uni experience (societies, nights out, etc) if you work ~10 hours per week somewhere casual and have a good work ethic. So if you're thinking about I would definitely encourage you.

I definitely don't recommend that anyone should work the hours I have because it definitely isn't sustainable over the course of a full degree, I only worked the hours I did out of necessity. Since I have 2 years previous study I have to pay a full years tuition before the end of this degree and I also can't move my girlfriend and dog into a student house so between the tuition, council tax, travel, extra rent and utilities my outgoings are very large.

Hello!

I always think getting a job whilst at uni is a great idea!

Around half- 3/4 of all my friends have had a part-time job whilst at uni or worked over the holidays when not at uni to save money.
Before starting uni I had a full time job over summer to save to be able to pay for rent which was very helpful. Also, over the summer before uni I was madly applying to lots of jobs at my university city and it can be really stressful trying to find a job, but you will find one that suits you!

I've had a job throughout my three years at uni doing anywhere from 4-16 hours a week and managed to balance my life style. I've worked as a retail assistant at two different shops and a front of house assistant at a theatre. You have to find what works best for you, and stay organised so that your prioritise your uni work/ revision, but also manage to have time to relax and chill out.

Usually I have been paid minimum wage which in the UK for an 18 year old is £6.15.

I looked on Indeed for jobs as well as shopping centres own career pages (which is how I found out about the two retail assistant jobs). You can set up alerts on Indeed to send you an email when a new job is posted, and I found this so helpful! It's difficult at the moment due to covid as a lot of student jobs involve retail/ catering. However, this doesn't mean you can't set up an alert to notify you, as places may be hiring for when shops/ cafes/ pubs open.

I have worked the past year working as a Student Ambassador, which I have loved so much! Its very well paid (above minimum wage!) and flexible around my uni work. I would really recommend! I found the job on my university careers page. This is a really useful source to find a job internally in the University, but also an external job in the local area, as I found jobs posted on my careers page that weren't on Indeed. So definitely have a look from now until summer at your university's career page to see if you can sort a job for when you start uni!

Best of luck!
Sam- Official Student Rep