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HINTS AND TIPS |
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> Finding a part time job at University |
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You
are undoubtedly familiar with headline stories in the press and on TV about
fees, student debt and even student poverty. According to government oracles
the average amount students owe when they graduate is around £7,000. Just to
frighten you the daily press (renowned of course for its accuracy) estimate
current graduate debt as being as large as £12,000. Are you still reading? I
hope so because as soon as the horror story has ended, I hope to show you
the pros and cons of a rosier alternative to debt or in fact no debt at all!
Back to the horror story……. A government minister was quoted during the
summer break saying that for some, graduation debt of around £20,000 should
not be considered unreasonable.
However the “pint” glass half-full side of the story is that in general
graduates earn far more than their contemporaries who do not have degrees.
How much more? We want positive statistics I hear you cry. Well up to 25%
more.
If you are a female graduate (like me) then your earning will be almost 40%
higher than those female friends of yours who entered the labour market
after passing A’levels alone. This means that female to male pay is closer
to equality if you are a graduate.
To help you avoid becoming one of these frightening statistics and to prove
the government’s rather scary prophecy wrong, all you may need to do is get
a part time job. Simple but effective, I promise.
Whilst a student at Exeter University I worked in a wine bar, three or four
shifts a week as a waitress, which for me quite simply translated into my
life starting that little bit quicker on graduation.
It was far more within my grasp to move up to London and really start my
career, whereas with £15,000 worth of debt the London lifestyle and expense
would seem a distant dream! But enough of me, what would the pros and cons
of getting a job be for you, the average student? (Oh forgot to mention I
also happened to work with Will Young whilst waitressing in Exeter, so you
never know you might even get to rub shoulders with new British talent as I
did! Or if you work hard enough you could become that celebrity!)
Firstly extra cash to spend on yourself or keeping your local pub/club
afloat with the money you alone plough in to it. On a more serious note you
will get experience of handling and making your own money.
It is not only money that you must be able to manage effectively, but
something money can not buy (no not love). Time - If you are
balancing part time work with your studies and your social life you become
an expert in time management and to everyone’s surprise you may even find
the busier you are the more you get done. There is precious little time for
rearranging pencils on your desk into intricate designs, to avoid writing
that coursework essay, you just have to get your head down and get on with
it.
It
can be hard to meet people when at university or at least a different crowd
of people, if you do not want to join a zillion societies. Certain jobs such
as bar work, waitressing or working on a shop floor, are full of students so
you will meet lots of new people, making new friends which can be refreshing
when university becomes a bit stale and suffocating.
Ideally you should do some work related to your degree, however it is not
always easy to get interesting paid work. But remember any paid work teaches
you important skills and gains you a reference (hopefully!). When you leave
Uni. and start looking for a job, a year or so of a part time job will look
a lot more impressive than three years of bumming around and getting drunk.
There are downsides of course and while I do not believe they outweigh the
advantages, to make things fair I had better tell you about them, but I hope
you will not list these off to justify why six nights out drinking a week is
the only option.
If you are likely to want to go home quite a lot throughout term time then
it can be difficult to find a job that is flexible and lets you do this. It
is definitely worth discussing this with your employer before you start, so
you know just what you are letting yourself in for.
Try to keep in mind the initial purpose of university (to get an academic
qualification, a degree remember!), so do not at any cost threaten this.
Oxford University does not allow its students to work any more than 6 hours
per week in term time. Other universities insist or strongly recommend that
students work no more than 16 hours a week as even 16 hours with the minimum
wage is £65 a week.
If you are in your final year or have exams coming up, it is not a good idea
to work, but if you do have to, try to limit yourself to a few hours. There
is no point going to university for three years only to fail because you
were working too hard at your job rather than studying.
Academic worries aside, which for many is ironically the last thing on many
students mind, what about missing out?
What about all those opportunities you have at university: Societies,
campaigning, clubbing, writing for student newspapers, This Morning,
Watercolour Challenge and then Countdown. (The staple televisual diet for
any real student)! Yet it is possible to strike a healthy balance between
keeping a healthy social life, staying afloat financially and enjoying
academic success. It may sound like a gargantuan task but it really is
within your grasp.
You are not going to be qualified for any really well paid jobs until you
graduate. As a student you are likely to earn the minimum wage or if you are
lucky a bit more. Sometimes you may question whether it is really worth all
those hours slaving away for the pathetic pittance you get. It is very
irritating to work in a pub or restaurant and realise that one drink costs
you an hour of your time in work. But you also must remember the time that
you spend working you are not spending those precious pennies, so a part
time job keeps you from blowing all your money on random whims.
My advice (to lean on a cliché, used once or twice before) work hard and
play hard academically, economically and socially. Strike that perfect
balance, safe in the knowledge that in years to come you will,
unfortunately, be totally unable to join your contemporaries as they rant
and whinge about their debt, which is just one very long hangover. |
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