Do I need it?

While it’s true that being a student means most of your attention should come towards ones studies, there can be different circumstances in which we exist. In previous blog we discussed mental health concerns, it is time to broach the subject of ones finances… more specifically, part time jobs in Bournemouth area.

Do’s and Don’t of finding a part time job

If you have some spare time during the weekends or holidays and you feel a clear desire to earn some extra money to treat yourself (or friends!), then you certainly do find yourself a part time employment in the area. There are things to keep in mind however.

Do

✔ Find something that you feel comfortable doing in order for it not to drain your energy and mental health (for that we have assignments!)

✔ Make sure your employer is alright with having a flexible schedule (participation in SUBU activities should not be overlooked)

✔ Consider if there are any other ways to solve financial difficulties (a bursary or something else maybe?)

✔ Try to get into those jobs of

fered by the uni (trust me, we have got some!). Not only that they’re all guaranteed to NOT overlap with your schedule. Some of it might be more interesting than working in fast food chains or other places

If that is something you did consider, there are also other things to be aware of

Don’t

✖ Sacrifice your university lectures for a job. You could have just started working straight away without enrolling, right? Even putting ethical considerations aside, you still do pay tuition fees for your education

✖ Overwork yourself on the week

“Time to choose…”

ends. Do remember, that even though lectures may not be as frequent as you wish, you need to have some time in order to dedicate it for independent research. Working extremely long hours is not helpful for that.

So. You decide to get a part time job! What should you do first! And I think the answer is: go to SUBU website a.s.a.p.
No! Seriously. BU student union has quite a few roles available to you. BU is not really a large insitution, so the number of applications is naturally lower, meaning there’s  quite a good chance you may get a role. PROFIT!
If you do not feel like it, and want some other job, then there some good ways. I personally highly recommend websites such indeed and glassdoor for job hunting. What you need is to send your CV and your desired job characteristics and those wesbites will show you all of the vacancies that could potentially suit you around Bournemouth or Poole. They are more of a tourist areas, and so most of the jobs that you will find will be either in hospitality or customer service which may be an upside or a downside depending on your personality type, preferences and/or future profession 🙂
The second most popular option are care homes, my PAL (peer assisted learning) lecturer was actually doing that. They do offer a decent pay too, but apart from that, I haven’t got any more experience so unfortunately, can’t give you more specific advice.

My own experience

Alternatively, you can look up websites of specific companies that you know of and see what they can offer you. That’s what I actually did and how I got my first part time job at one of the most favorite student workplaces, McDonald’s. In my own opinion, it is always daunting at first, but when you reflect on it in the future, the process itself is rather easy and you definitely should not overthink it. The pay rate is quite good too and can vary between £8-£10 an hour which is more than enough. In order to land yourself a job, you should have a CV that can immediately catch and attention and make an employer to read a bit further down than the title, so to speak. I used a website called cv-template.com, it is free and has a good range of pretty modern and catch-looking templates for you to expand on.

Any other ways to earn?

Yes! You have exotic options like YouTube, freelancing and tutoring. However, those require a very specific set of skills and knowledge and may not be suitable for everyone, and if you do have them, I guess there are going to be no need to read this blog in the first place!
Well, there are also websites with paid surveys, it can range 0.3 £ to 1 £ per one survey. I have personally been doing them too. In my opinion, they are more of an addition to some other way of making money. A lot of them do sell your data to third parties and so you will get lots of spam on your email and phone, so be careful with trusting them with your data. Moreover, they can be quite rare or require a certain minimal threshold for your earning to withdraw, so bevare of that too.

All in all

Whatever your circumstances are, there are always good ways to get some extra. Don’t forget about our bursaries, and if you still have some unanswered questions, you are welcome ask me 😊