Mony worries

So I'm currently stressing about money, I currently have savings that would cover my personal financial commitments for a year and a bit, so that helps but my mind is currently in a place where I feel like I won't be able to get a part-time job that will work around my MA studies.

I'm doing my MA part-time but still would rather do jobs at the Uni so that it fit my studies and don't have to be pressured into doing more hours than I can manage. However, I'm really worried that I won't get a Uni job.

I know there's a financial fund but it seems like you need to have applied for any benefits first while I'm currently on UC for job searching, it's been a while and it's causing me stress from the pressure to find a job, especially as this month they have sent me jobs that if I did get the job, I would either have to stop my studies or turn it down and then loose UC and thus back to square one. Wondering if it would be better for my mental health to just stop getting UC and live as described below.

I think the student loan leaves me with £140 to live off a month, so there is that and my commitments are currently £110-120.

I want to enjoy my time during my studies and join some societies but worried about being left out due to not being able to afford any nights out or even more than just the odd coffee a month. It would be fine if I could get a Uni job for about 8 hours a weak but my confidence is faltering.

I suppose I'm just looking for advice or reassurance.

Reply 1

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

So I'm currently stressing about money, I currently have savings that would cover my personal financial commitments for a year and a bit, so that helps but my mind is currently in a place where I feel like I won't be able to get a part-time job that will work around my MA studies.
I'm doing my MA part-time but still would rather do jobs at the Uni so that it fit my studies and don't have to be pressured into doing more hours than I can manage. However, I'm really worried that I won't get a Uni job.
I know there's a financial fund but it seems like you need to have applied for any benefits first while I'm currently on UC for job searching, it's been a while and it's causing me stress from the pressure to find a job, especially as this month they have sent me jobs that if I did get the job, I would either have to stop my studies or turn it down and then loose UC and thus back to square one. Wondering if it would be better for my mental health to just stop getting UC and live as described below.
I think the student loan leaves me with £140 to live off a month, so there is that and my commitments are currently £110-120.
I want to enjoy my time during my studies and join some societies but worried about being left out due to not being able to afford any nights out or even more than just the odd coffee a month. It would be fine if I could get a Uni job for about 8 hours a weak but my confidence is faltering.
I suppose I'm just looking for advice or reassurance.

Hey there, I hope that you are well.

I understand that when it comes to studying, finances ideally shouldn’t be a concern in order to make sure it doesn’t add to the buildup of other commitments. I have been in a situation around work and my studies and I always think it is pivotal to do two things, talk to people and apply apply apply.

If you have any family members, friends or mentors it may be worth having a sit down with them and discussing the issue. In this case, the more people that know then the more people who will be looking out for you and letting you know if they see any jobs.

Another point is that it’s really about luck, consistency and perseverance when applying for roles. If you put yourself out there and consistently apply for roles it will just become a game of probability, which you will eventually.

Finally, and I am sure that you know this, but if there are any student loans, any scholarships or any services that the university may offer then this is definitely something to explore and take advantage of. However, I am sure that you are completely aware of this.

A point of hope that I may be able to provide you with is that when one thing goes good, it seems to have a compounding effect and only more good things tend to take place. This is something I have experienced in my own life and I hope the same is reflected for you.

Have a good rest of your day!
Brandon - Student Rep

Reply 2

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

So I'm currently stressing about money, I currently have savings that would cover my personal financial commitments for a year and a bit, so that helps but my mind is currently in a place where I feel like I won't be able to get a part-time job that will work around my MA studies.
I'm doing my MA part-time but still would rather do jobs at the Uni so that it fit my studies and don't have to be pressured into doing more hours than I can manage. However, I'm really worried that I won't get a Uni job.
I know there's a financial fund but it seems like you need to have applied for any benefits first while I'm currently on UC for job searching, it's been a while and it's causing me stress from the pressure to find a job, especially as this month they have sent me jobs that if I did get the job, I would either have to stop my studies or turn it down and then loose UC and thus back to square one. Wondering if it would be better for my mental health to just stop getting UC and live as described below.
I think the student loan leaves me with £140 to live off a month, so there is that and my commitments are currently £110-120.
I want to enjoy my time during my studies and join some societies but worried about being left out due to not being able to afford any nights out or even more than just the odd coffee a month. It would be fine if I could get a Uni job for about 8 hours a weak but my confidence is faltering.
I suppose I'm just looking for advice or reassurance.

Hi there,

Thinking about money can be worrying, and lots of students face some kind of money worries while they are at university as it can be quite hard to live on the amount of loan that students are given.

I would also agree with what has been said, talk to your friends and family about your worries and see what they think you should do. Money and finances in general are a really personal thing and people would make different decisions based on their personal circumstances, so your close family and friends should be able to help you come up with a plan so you can see what is right for you.

You can also usually schedule an appointment with help services at uni if you are really worried about your financial situation and they can help you come up with a plan to help you with this. They will be used to people having similar worries so they wouldn't judge you at all!

I think getting a job sounds like a good idea, and like you said you could just do a small amount of hours per week and this would really help you out. Have a look and see if your university has any campus jobs available as these can be really good for getting a few extra hours of work in per week which can end up really helping you out long term as it's just a bit of extra money per week. These jobs are usually quite flexible too so you can choose how often you work which is good as you will also have other university commitments.

I agree that you want to be able to enjoy your time at uni and join societies and go out so it's good that you are thinking about this now and trying to come up with a plan to help you out.

I hope some of this helps,

Lucy -SHU student ambassador.

Reply 3

WrexhamUniReps

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

So I'm currently stressing about money, I currently have savings that would cover my personal financial commitments for a year and a bit, so that helps but my mind is currently in a place where I feel like I won't be able to get a part-time job that will work around my MA studies.
I'm doing my MA part-time but still would rather do jobs at the Uni so that it fit my studies and don't have to be pressured into doing more hours than I can manage. However, I'm really worried that I won't get a Uni job.
I know there's a financial fund but it seems like you need to have applied for any benefits first while I'm currently on UC for job searching, it's been a while and it's causing me stress from the pressure to find a job, especially as this month they have sent me jobs that if I did get the job, I would either have to stop my studies or turn it down and then loose UC and thus back to square one. Wondering if it would be better for my mental health to just stop getting UC and live as described below.
I think the student loan leaves me with £140 to live off a month, so there is that and my commitments are currently £110-120.
I want to enjoy my time during my studies and join some societies but worried about being left out due to not being able to afford any nights out or even more than just the odd coffee a month. It would be fine if I could get a Uni job for about 8 hours a weak but my confidence is faltering.
I suppose I'm just looking for advice or reassurance.

Hi

Please try not to worry there are so many different support funds that can help you and have done in the past for students who are in a similar position to yourself.

It might be worth speaking to your university money and funding department who will be able to look to see what support they can offer you whilst you are studying.

As well as this many Universities offer many job opportunities each year as student ambassadors, this role is really flexible as you can pick up shifts that are flexible around you and they pay generally really well!

It might be worth looking into if your university offers this.

I hope this helps,

Matt
Wrexham Uni Reps