It’s tough being a student. Sometimes it seems like one long parade of things you can’t have. That great restaurant? You can’t afford it. That awesome coat? You can’t afford it. That night out? You definitely can’t afford it. And when your troubles get beyond new clothes and start biting into your rent and food…. There’s only one thing for it: you need a part time job.
Here are our top tips to find one.
1. Job boards
Job boards are a great starting point for finding a part time student job. The main challenge is figuring out which one to try first – and then wading through all the options on it.
The granddaddy of all jobs boards is Indeed, where a new job is posted every 8 seconds. That represents a lot of opportunity for you, although it also means a lot of options to process. Luckily the interface is pretty user-friendly and you can apply for jobs with one click. It’s a bit ‘spray and pray’, and there’s certainly no guarantee that you’ll get a role, but if you’ve got the time it’s worth a go. Other good student job boards to check out include E4S and Student Job. Don’t forget your university job board, either—it’s a gold mine.
2. Job apps
You’ve probably seen apps like TopTask and JobToday advertised on the Tube. These tend to offer short term/ad hoc work, mostly in the hospitality industry – for example, waitressing at an event. If you’d like total control over your hours they’re a good option, but it might be a lot of continual faff if you’re looking for something more recurrent.
3. Apply directly
If the thought of trawling through hundreds of job ads doesn’t appeal, you can always apply directly to companies who are filling roles. For example, if you’re interested in part time work after school looking after children, you could drop a line to Koru Kids, who train up students as after school nannies and match them with local families. You’re not competing with thousands of people for the job, since we’ll take on as many qualified applicants as we can find. (The main requirements are that you have some childcare experience, and can commit for a few months.)
4. Start your own business
If all else fails. Why not? It worked for Richard Branson.
