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Getting a Student Job – Why It Matters

22 May 2017

(Guest blog by Emma Mahdavi, staff member at Brightsparks)


Paying your way through university and building your CV at the same time – without it encroaching on your studies – can be challenging. Here’s why bagging yourself a student job can help you.

The cost of University and all its expenses, whether these are academic, travel or personal, often start to add up.

Student loans and overdrafts won’t always cover these, and it’s always good to have some spare cash. The best way to get this spare cash is taking up a student job and getting yourself into some part-time work. Less debt! I haven’t even neared my overdraft and money isn’t as scary a concept as it is for many of my friends who hide at the sight of their bank accounts. As university seems to have an ever growing social life which can be hard to keep up with at times – just a few hours paid each week can make a huge difference to your weekly budget.

Here’s some of the top reasons to get a student job whilst studying:

  • Being able to show a future employer that you can balance work life and studies successfully will give off such a good impression and show responsibility. Time management and organisation are so important for any kind of work and this will be one of the best ways to gain these soft skills.
  • Whether it’s bar work, in a restaurant or retail, it’s all an experience! You probably don’t want to do whatever it is you’re doing part-time for the rest of your life but there are so many transferable skills and it does give you a taste of working life. Customer service, teamwork, work ethic, integrity and communication are all skills that you can transfer to any job role, and showing a potential employer that you have these, you’ll be onto a winner.
  • Being able to bulk up your CV with these small, part-time jobs or temp work is a real benefit. If you manage to work on a couple of contracts with respected companies, you’ll find it immediately makes your CV more impressive and could mean the difference between ending up on the Yes or No pile.
  • Getting your foot in the door and being able to network with different businesses and the people who work there; it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know. Whether it’s for references or meeting like-minded people who may be able to help you further down the line, you never know who you’re going to meet whilst at work.
  • Being able to afford to do so many lovely things during university. I took several day trips and weekends away to places like Budapest, Copenhagen, Milan, Venice and Amsterdam over the years when I could fit them between by studies and work life. There’s no way I could have done that without my wages, making all the hard work worth it… treat yourself!
  • Meeting new people from all over the world. I met so many amazing people who I would never have come across had I not worked. It’s comforting to know people who live in London that don’t just study here; people outside of the University bubble we tend to get ourselves into. It can also help improve confidence and social skills.
  • It gives you a break from everything else which is going on. I find work is the best way to keep my mind off things. Whether stressing over a grade or my flatmates annoying me, work was a getaway.
  • It’s such an accomplishment to come home at the end of the day and know you’ve made money, been productive and gained valuable experience that you wouldn’t have been able to do without work.

If you find an employer who understands your university commitments and is flexible enough to accommodate to your needs then you’re set, go for it… for me, Brightsparks fits that bill!

Brightsparks are hiring right now through the e4s website. If you want to work as bar or waiting staff at top events in London (think Wimbledon, Wembley, Ascot, Adele…) then apply right now.

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