01 Apr Working Whilst You Study – April 13

By Graciosa Wicaksono

Casual and part-time jobs are considered part of the package for most students, whether it is to gain invaluable experience or to simply get more money in your pocket. Whilst any employment can fit in well with study commitments, it is important to plan the amount of hours you can manage along with your commitment to a university course.

Research indicates that academic performance starts to be affected where a full-time student is working more than fifteen hours a week, with a significant impact on academic performance at twenty hours a week or more.

Typical examples of where jobs can be found are in areas such as retail, call centre work, baby sitting, hospitality, customer service, administration, delivery, tutoring. It is also possible to find work that is relevant to your area of study. Whilst the role itself may not be ‘professional’, it can be related to your future career field, for example: a marketing student doing telemarketing, an IT student working as a computer demonstrator. Apart from looking great on your resume, it might give you some great references to help you secure your future dream job.

Casual or Part-time job?

Casual job means you work irregular hours without entitlements. It is generally offering attractive hourly rates of pay to compensate for the lack of entitlements.

Part-time job means you work regular hours each week and receive the same benefits as full-timers, such as superannuation and holiday entitlements.

Tips for finding a job

With plenty of jobs available for grabs, you should not have too much trouble finding one that fits in with your study schedule. Here are some ideas you can start your job search:

1. Build your cover letter and resume. If you have never made one, it is a good idea to visit your University career centre for help.
2. Browse all the career websites; such as SEEK, JobSearch, Career One, or MyCareer for vacancies.
3. Look on the bulletin boards at University, check your Department or Faculty noticeboards for opportunities in your campus.
4. Check with your Student Union or University Career Centre for job opportunities.
5. Look around your local newspaper or community noticeboards possibly in your local supermarket.
6. Utilise your networking skills – ask around your friends or famiy, fellow students, lecturers or tutors, who knows if they have vacancies in mind.
7. Try to approach the employers directly and ask if there are any vacancies, express your interest in a job and ask if you can leave your resume.