Home > e4s Blog > Balancing work and education – E4S video series 2 < Back to blog

Thanks again for joining us for the second E4S video series. Today, we’re gonna try something a little different and talk about the importance of balancing your part-time work and education, as well as give you guys some examples of jobs where flexibility is of principle importance.

You can check out the video here: Balancing work and employment

As usual, transcript and links mentioned in the video can be found below.

INTRO

Presenter

Hi guys, I’m [presenter, company role], and thanks for tuning into [NAME]. Each week, we’ll take a quick in-depth look at areas of the student job search to give you the insight you need to find your ideal job.

Today, we’re going to go through what you can do to balance work and your education. Some areas you will want to consider when looking for work as well as some suggestions of jobs that won’t infringe on exam times and deadlines.

BOOKMARK

HOW MANY STUDENTS HAVE PT JOBS AND HOW LONG DO THEY WORK?

TO WORK OR NOT TO WORK?

STATS/WHAT WORK CAN YOU DO THAT WON’T INTERRUPT?

https://eprints.worc.ac.uk/2949/1/Academic_Plate_Spinning.pdf

http://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/the-realities-of-balancing-employment-with-your-studies-9121035.html

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/aug/16/clearing-part-time-work

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/student-life/10618789/Student-life-to-work-or-not-to-work.html

Presenter

We all know the benefits of taking up part-time work during university, and having additional employment background to support your qualifications can help immeasurably when looking for work. Over 57 percent of students hold a part-time job during their studies, but it’s important to ensure that you balance your work, study and social life. Nine out of 10 students that do work take more 20+ hours per week, above the 16-18 universities recommend.

There are a few options when considering what kind of work you want to take on during your studies. You know the typical student jobs – bar work, hospitality staff, retail work – and each of these will come with their unique benefits and obstacles. Bar and retail work often mean working long shifts and the busiest periods tend to coincide with the times you’ll need to spend studying, such as Christmas and the January sales. However there are a few options you might want to consider:

Firstly, as mentioned, you’ll want to work on balancing your work, study and social life. Obviously there is an increased drive for students to work, both for the short-term financial gain and being able to push yourself above other students when it comes to applying for career jobs. But it should not come at the detriment of your education – in a study between Worcester and Bournemouth university lecturers, 44 percent of third-year respondents believed they would have been on board for a higher degree qualification if they did not have to work during their studies.

Try to find work that will be flexible with your university work. Inform them that you’ll need time to be able to study, especially around exams and coursework deadlines but not limited to. Wider reading is easily the first thing that many students forego in favour of taking on work.

If possible, avoid work that is situated far away, in remote areas or in places that will take you a long time to get to. Commuting is neither cheap or relaxing and it can often take more time and money traveling to and from. The benefits might not outweigh the difficulties. And, we all know you do this, don’t work during timetabled classes. You’re paying £9,000 a year for this degree, there’s no realistic reason to jeopardise it further.

Many students – over 51 percent – choose to work full-time during the semester breaks overseas, far above the number of students who will go on to travel (21 percent) and students who will attend festivals (nine). Working full time during the holidays can help mitigate the need for part-time work during your studies but does require careful planning and no small amount of discipline.

SECTION SUMMARY

PRESENTER

We’ve touched on some areas you can consider regarding working during your studies, next we’re gonna cover what kind of jobs are available for students that allow for flexibility.

Firstly, one of the most straightforward positions: why not try getting work on campus? Universities and unions are often looking for students to take up part-time student ambassador positions. Here is a link to Exeter’s ambassador scheme but the details are pretty universal for all institutions.

[link: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/ambassadors/aboutthescheme/]

You might also want to consider working on campus for companies like the Campus Group, who look for student ambassadors to represent external brands. For the most part, on-campus groups tend to be highly flexible and respectful of your alternating schedule as a student.

We spoke earlier on how certain jobs tend to involve long hours and events work definitely falls under that category. However you can balance hospitality work to coincide with calmer periods of your studies or by taking the work on during holiday periods. Events and hospitality work can also be a great way of attending music festivals, film premiers and sporting events without having to pay.

If you’re looking for something where convenience is your major consideration, home-based work might be of interest. Jobs like product and website testing, data entry and paid surveys are not the best way of making huge amounts of money quick – isn’t that the dream – but they are jobs you can pick up in your spare time and are entirely at your convenience. Be warned: there are a lot of suspect work-from-home advertisements. If the vacancy ad or company goes to lengths to avoid telling you what the position entails or requires an initial payment, you’ll want to think on how legitimate it is.

SECTION SUMMARY

Presenter

Thanks for watching [E4S video series]. You can check out the first series for more information on the student jobsearch including CV writing, the interview stage and enhancing your employability.

If you have any questions, you can get in touch by posting a comment below, sending us a message on Twitter @e4scouk and Facebook at facebook.com/employment4students or by emailing us at [email protected].

For the latest student jobs, visit us at www.e4s.co.uk.

Thanks again, and we’ll see you next week.