Finding a part-time job can be hard, but in the long run hard work pays off. In first year I didn’t bother getting a part time job as I wanted to fully experience university life as a first year. Personally this was a mistake and has led to a massive cost (let’s just say I’m still paying off my overdraft to this day!)
As a second year student, I decided I needed a job in order to survive at university. There are loads of places to look for part-time jobs – online, town, surrounding towns and at Bournemouth University itself.
Around August time, I started looking at online job postings. The best websites I found for part-time work were Gumtree, Indeed and Total Jobs. With Indeed and Total Jobs you can upload your CV and put in information about yourself. It’s definitely worth filling out your profile with as much information you can, I’ve had several phone calls from employers as they’ve come across my profile online. You can also opt in to have updates on new job postings sent to your mail inbox so you can keep up to date with the latest postings.
After the initial job search online, I decided to head to Bournemouth ahead of moving in day. I handed out CVs in town, mainly the pubs and bars as that’s what I enjoy doing. I got a few offers for trial shifts and I think this was mainly because I spoke to the managers and chatted with them. If you’re nervous about talking to the managers, try and do some initial research on the places you’re going to apply to and ask them questions about the job role or company.
I found my current job through Gumtree, an online advertisement website.
Bournemouth Uni also has a range of jobs available to students and they offer good rates of pay as well as flexibility around your timetable. The uni and Students’ Union employ hundreds of students for a range of jobs including sales assistants, promotion, student ambassadors, baristas and barmaids. Access to campus jobs in the cafés, bars and club open up around July/August so keep checking the SUBU website to apply.
You can always work for Dylan’s as a barman /barmaid. They have a really good training system and you could work up to be a deputy manager.
Getting a job isn’t too hard if you put your mind to it! Just make sure you choose a job which is flexible around your timetable and remember you will have uni work to be getting on with! Here are my top three tips on getting a part time job at uni:
- Don’t be scared to talk to potential employers so they can get to know you
- Apply as early as possible. I’m talking around early August!
- Search online daily, as employers upload vacancies every day.
You can also work on a scheme that benefits you and the university! These sort of jobs look great on your CV and are well paid.
Good luck with your job search!
By Fleur N’Doye
