April 28, 2022, by aeyam24
Boost Your CV and Your Wallet With a Part-Time Job
By Anna McConachie, English student blogger
Paying rent, bills, and funding your Portland Coffee addiction can be a struggle come the second term (or second week!) of uni. If, like me, your student loan doesn’t quite stretch, it’s worth considering getting a part-time job alongside your studies.
I’ve held a number of part-time positions over my three years at Nottingham.
Here are my top tips for getting a job at uni:
Work for UoN
From my experience, working directly for the uni is the best way to fund that shopping, coffee, or CRISIS addiction. There can be positions going at the various cafes in the SU, bars in the on-campus accommodation, or as a student ambassador at events. Working for the university is great as the hours are usually flexible and it’s great for meeting other students too!
The holy grail of student part-time work is Unitemps. I signed up for email alerts in first year, and have got the majority of my jobs from spotting them on these notifications. There’s a real variety too so it’s definitely worth checking it out! I’ve worked as a Student Ambassador, University Card Helper, and a Student Blogger during my time at Nottingham.
Christmas temping
Another great option is to build up a pot of money over first term as a Christmas temp. Lots of companies look to hire Christmas temps, and start advertising as early as September. I found a job as a sales assistant in Doc Martens by looking on Indeed, and worked there from September to December. Christmas temp jobs are good as companies are often looking for students to cover one or two days a week, so it can be a manageable option alongside studying. It’s also handy to get a staff discount for buying your family and friends presents!
It’s a good idea to build a good relationship with your employer. As a temp, there is the possibility that you will be offered a longer contract after the Christmas rush ends – or if not, you can see if they will hire you again the next Christmas season.
Tutoring
My final role has been as a GCSE English Tutor. I maintained connections from my secondary school to continue the role I had began in sixth form, but there are ways of establishing yourself in Nottingham too. MyTutor is an online tutoring website where you can help GCSE and A-level students with their school work and revision. There are also companies like Explore Learning that hire students too. Working as a tutor is good as you can have flexible hours and work from home – and it can be rewarding seeing your tutees progress with your help.
Final thoughts
Part-time work is a great way to not only help living at uni a little more comfortable, but also gives you those transferable skills employers are always banging on about. It’s a good way to be financially independent, stay out of your overdraft, and enhance your CV.
Visit the Careers website for lots of handy information to help with writing your CV and applications. Take a look at the skills workshops, or book an appointment with an adviser for more support.
Explore different ways to find vacancies.
Good luck!
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