Working part-time whilst studying at Oxford...

...is it true they don't like you doing this? What about working in the holidays? Does anyone have any experience of working whilst at Uni (I mean as a checkout assistant or the like!)

Han xx

Reply 1

All-American Reject

Yeah, they really don't like it as you'll be worked really hard anyway. I actually think there's a rule against working part-time, unless its very few hours or inside college :smile:

. Its probably best to ask someone at St. Anne's though as these kinds of things can be quite college-specific.

Reply 2

mellow-yellow

They're not particularly happy about it.. and to be honest with your subject you really won't have much time to do any significant amount of part-time work anyway. There's no problem with working in the holidays of course, so if ya need the money or just like working then you can definitely get a job in the hols. If it's more about money though, there are several schemes/grants from the University (as well as college-specific ones) which give you money. You could look into those.

Reply 3

FizzPopSpan

This is true, but I wouldn't qualify fo anything income-assessed. Are part-time jobs easy to come by in Oxford?

Reply 4

All-American Reject

FizzPopSpan

This is true, but I wouldn't qualify fo anything income-assessed. Are part-time jobs easy to come by in Oxford?

There's normally a bit of internal work in college such as working in the bar :smile:

. Aside from that I'm not too sure sorry.

Reply 5

Elles

FizzPopSpan

This is true, but I wouldn't qualify fo anything income-assessed.

Hardship/student support fund money seems to be more actual student-means assessed rather than based on family income - so you might qualify if your budget shows you're not blowing all the money you have coming in on luxuries.

The jobs I've had have either been in the holidays (very long summer vacations when you have standard terms - so working full time during this you can earn lots of money!) or for my college or the university.

There are lots of temping agencies in Oxford though, as well as cafes, bars, shops etc. so I would have thought finding a part time job would be relatively straightforward... but might have to be something OK-d by your tutors & unless it's very flexible/few hours each week/related to your career/something you'd do anyway as an extracurricular I wouldn't recommend it. If money is the main concern you can get it from other sources or by working full time in the Vacs.

Reply 6

epitome

Yeah, to echo what others have said...we are only really at uni for 6 months of the year (no, really!). There is plenty of time to earn lots of money in the vacations and we're actually more employable because the vacations are so long, so you can get a decent temping job, or full-time position for a number of weeks or months.

I suggest you get to grips with (a) Being at Uni, and (b) The amount of academic work you'll be expected to do, *before* you even think about trying to work part-time. If you discover that you are able to be hyper-organised and you have a few hours to spare, *then* look into employment in a college bar, or something similarly student-friendly (the advantage of working in the bars is that you can socialise at the same time, which isn't something you want to miss out on).

You will be okay with money, just be careful how you budget; and, if needs be, use your vacation time wisely. :smile:

Reply 7

heliotrope

they wont let you, beyond a few hours in the bar. tbh, you wouldnt want to anyway. believe. just work during vacs. it is easier and better.

Reply 8

sweet_fluffy_nuke

It is virtually impossible to work without dragging down your marks.
You could do it by sacrificing all your social life, but really is it worth it ?

You have 6 months off each year.
You could work full time in that time and earn more than you would by working part-time at Oxford.

Remember however, that many tutors expect you to study in the vacations too and set examinations ("collections" ) a few days before term resumes to ensure that you do study.

I would rather be poor at Oxford and get a First and then get onto a well-paying career path. That will provide far greater financial returns in the long/medium term than part-time menial jobs while at Oxford.

Reply 9

epitome

I would rather be poor at Oxford and get a First and then get onto a well-paying career path. That will provide far greater financial returns in the long/medium term than part-time menial jobs while at Oxford.

Though I understand why you're saying this, it is possible that the OP feels that s/he *needs* to work part time in order to have enough money to survive. I know people at good universities who have had to work *full time* throughout their 3rd year. Seriously. A 45hr week and THEN the degree on top of that. And it's not due to lack of careful budgetting - just circumstance.

Having said that, though, if you are sensible it is definitely possible to earn (as acolyte says) more in the vacations than part-time whilst at Uni. It's well worth doing, because then you can concentrate on the academia *and* the fun in term time - both are vital parts of your University experience. :smile:

Reply 10

Morbo

I've debated this on TSR inside out many times before, and the things to know are:

1) Oxford terms are 2 weeks shorter than other universities. A full-time job in those 2 weeks will earn you more money than a shift per week during term.

2) If you genuinely have financial difficulties, there are generally college funds available to help you out.

3) If you still insist on working, then job regulations are college specific. Most colleges, as far as I know, have a rule that part-time work may be taken up with permission of your tutor. This is to ensure that your academic work is not affected by any financial problems you may be having.

4) If you still really want a job, and you're doing OK academcially, I doubt your tutor would mind you doing a shift or two a week. But bear in mind that they will want to see that you can cope first, so maybe you wouldn't get their permission in your first term at Oxford.

5) However, despite all this, the strongest argument I've seen for getting a job if you want one is that some people spend 20+ hours a week on rowing/the Oxford Union/being JCR president. If you want to spend 8 hours a week working for a bit of cash/CV points, then I can't see a problem if others are spending an equal amount of time doing something with a similar time commitment. And it has been known for people to be banned from rowing by their tutors for not performing properly academcially, but this is generally only if you are a complete bum.