This is a guest blog by current student Rebecca studying BSc (Hons) Midwifery.

Being a 38 year old mature student with 3 children, about to embark on a full time degree was pretty daunting at first. I had done my research and knew that the Midwifery degree required commitment and dedication and I did wonder how I was going to find time to fit everything in including an opportunity to do some sort of part time work to help earn some extra pennies.

I remembered meeting a first year midwifery student when attending a taster day before I applied. She wore a bright pink BU hoodie and kindly made me feel welcome, offering a group of us a campus tour. After chatting with her in the lunch break, I found out that as well as being a student she was also employed by the university as a student ambassador.

Two years on, as a nervous fresher, I picked up a recruitment flyer at the student fresher’s fair which gave me information about applying for that very role. I recorded an application video, attended an interview and got the job!  Still wondering how I was going to juggle everything I just decided to go with the flow. I attended a couple of days training, collected a hoodie, set myself up on student temp (the online availability, job and timesheet organiser) and I was good to go.

The role seems very flexible, I just fill in my availability on a calendar and receive texts to let me know about jobs.  I reply “Yes” or “No” and then await further instructions. With marketing and events, school liaison, admin, blogs and vlogs, there is a good variety of work.  I haven’t been able to offer much availability yet but, since I started the course 3 months ago, I have managed to earn myself just over £100! My favourite job so far has been attending the Southern Universities Network conference at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton to be part of a student panel. I represented the university and answered questions about my course from careers advisors and teachers from schools and colleges in the South, the added bonus of a tasty lunch was very much appreciated too!

This is a perfect part time job for someone on a busy HSS course at Bournemouth university because the work and hours are flexible and you can choose when you want to work, allowing you to prioritise your degree.  I have also made new friends, who are studying different subjects and learnt about planned future developments within the university. One particular thing I like about the job is that however stressed I might get about juggling the workload, essay deadlines or long placement hours, when I am working as a student ambassador, talking about why I love studying Midwifery at the university, it fires up my passion for my future career and reminds me why I chose to return to study.