Studying at university is taxing, especially if you’re a diligent student and want to get good grades. But even then, you can’t be about all work and no play. And to play, you need an income. And the way to get an income is… part-time work.
There are lots of jobs for university studentsin Australiathat don’t take up all your time, are flexible and bring in much needed cash.
- Writing articles
If you have a flair for writing and you enjoy it, you can combine what you like doing with earning some income. Approach some online magazines in a field in which you have some knowledge to see if they are interested in letting you write for them. You may have to put a portfolio of some of your work together first for them to sample, though. There are plenty of upsides to writing articles part-time, not least of them being the flexibility it gives you, and that you can also make a name for yourself. Even if you are not allowed to put your name to an article, ask management if you can use the articles to get other work. Oh, and writing jobs will boost your CV too.
- Hospitality
Working in restaurants, hotels and bars are among the most popular jobs for students. Depending on the kind of establishment you work in and the number of hours you do in a shift, you can make pretty decent money waiting on tables. You will probably have to do a number of training sessions first for free, though. This is so that management can see if you’re really keen, and also if you’re able to interact well with customers. Some eateries also ask you to do a written test of the menu, including all the ingredients in specific items. The upside is that these jobs can be pretty flexible: you may be able to work only twice or three times a week, and possibly take time off when you’re doing exams. The other upside is if the restaurant gives you a meal, then not only do you take home well-earned dosh, but you also get some free nosh.
- Au pair
This used to be a job that mostly young girls did, but it’s become increasingly common for young men to be au pairs too. An au pair basically looks after school-going aged children, fetches them from school, takes them to extra curricular activities and does homework with them. Parents who both work full-day often engage the services of au pairs as a way of knowing their children are in good hands while they are at work.
It’s probably best if you like children if you’re going to do this job, as you will be spending a lot of time with them. You’ll also need a driver’s license, and in some cases a car. Sometimes the employer lets you use theirs. If you use your own, you’ll be reimbursed for petrol and related expenses. A good thing about this job is that you’ll have school holidays off to recharge… and possibly spend some of your earnings.
- Babysitting at night
For this job, you’ve got to like babies, who require a hundred percent attention while you are looking after them. You also have to be prepared to change pooeynappies, warm up milk, and play a lot of silly games. Sound like fun? Then this might be for you. A plus is that most of your babysitting will be at night, so you can attend to your university education by day without your income producing work impinging on your studies.
The downside to babysitting is that you are responsible for the life and wellbeing of a little human, and this can be quite daunting. The other possible negative is that babies, unlike older children, don’t get school holidays, so the work is constant. If spending time cooing and babbling with a baby is your idea of fun, babysitting might be the perfect way for you to earn some income.
- Proofreading
Proofreading copy is a great job for university students. You’ll needstrong language skills, especially grammar and spelling. Publishers are always looking for people to iron out the last typo and misplaced apostrophe from their authors’ work. The job is flexible and more than that, sporadic, which means you’ll have lots of downtime. You do need to be the kind of person who is meticulous and pays attention to the minutest detail if you’re going to be any good at proofreading. It’s also an excellent job to be able to put on your CV as it demonstrates your attention to detail.
- Tour guiding
If you’re interested in an aspect of your city – for example, its history or architecture – you may enjoy sharing your knowledge with others as a tour guide. These days, it’s becoming increasingly popular for locals, and not just tourists, to go on walking tours with different themes. Tours cater for anything from eating local food and drinking artisan beers, to art galleries to historical architectural styles. Bird guiding is also extremely popular among tourists.
Not all companies offer a basic amount for tourguiding, so you may have to rely on tips. You’ll need to be personable, speak clearly, be considerate and knowledgeable to get your audience on your side and to fork out at the end. A joke or two often helps. If you like public speaking, enjoy working with people, are willing to learn a lot about a subject – give this a whirl.
These are just some of the ideas for part-time student jobs that you could explore if you would like some income from a part-time job while you are studying at university. The pay is different for each one, and so is the level of responsibility and time required. Some of these require more personal input than others. Try to choose something you really like, as then it feels more like play than work.
