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How to find a part-time job as a student

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There are many benefits of working a part-time job while studying at university. While the cost of living remains high, you’ll be able to support yourself better financially, but also develop valuable, transferable skills for your future career and have the chance to meet new people.

We’re sharing some of our top tips on how to find a part-time job as a student in Sunderland, including how we can support you, where to find the best opportunities, and how to make your CV stand out.

A Student Ambassador smiling at someone on campus

Before you apply

Before you apply for a part-time job as a student, it’s important to take everything into consideration to make sure you can fully commit to it. Do you have the capacity to juggle working alongside your university timetable? Some employers will be flexible about when you work, but generally, it’s recommended that students looking for a part-time job work no more than 15-20 hours a week during term time – although you may wish to pick up extra hours during the holidays.

If you’re an international student, you can only work up to 20 hours in the UK during term time and you’ll require a student visa, which may impose restrictions on the hours you can work depending on your course. Read more about student visa conditions.

Make your CV stand out

Your CV is crucial in helping you stand out from other applicants, so it’s important before starting your part-time job search to make sure it’s clear, compelling, and professional. Here are some of our tips for writing the perfect student CV:

  • Personalise it, and your cover letter if one is required, to each part-time job application you submit, and don’t be tempted to send the same one to every employer. Read the job advert carefully and demonstrate the qualities they’re looking for, backing them up with relevant experience if you have it. If this is your first job, include any transferable skills you might have such as communication, organisation, or teamwork, and explain how you’ve used these strengths in other situations, like at school or being part of a club or sports team.
  • Keep things concise. Highlight the important details and make key information easy to find. There are plenty of CV templates out there if you need help structuring it.
  • Make use of our Employability and Enterprise Hub. Students at Sunderland will have access to peer-to-peer support from our dedicated Student Career and Skills Coaches. Bring your CV along and our coaches can provide guidance on how to improve it, as well as offer support around preparing for interviews.
  • Always ask for feedback. Even if it’s just your flatmate giving it a quick proofread, it can be useful to have a second pair of eyes on it in case you’ve missed anything.

Extracurricular activities and volunteering

If you’re looking to boost your CV further, taking part in some extracurricular activities or volunteering can help you build your skills and experience, demonstrating to employers that you’re the candidate they should be hiring. We have lots of opportunities available through the University such as:

  • Volunteering with some of the organisations we work with in the Centre for Graduate Prospects including Samaritans, Wearside Women in Need, Love Amelia, Northumbria Police, and the NSPCC
  • Volunteering with the Students’ Union, for example as an SU Buddy or SU Wellbeing Champion
  • Becoming a student rep where you would work to ensure that the student voice within your school or on your course is heard and any feedback is acted upon
  • Joining a society, of which we currently have over 50 at Sunderland – it’s also an excellent way of making new friends!

A student browsing in a shop and smiling

Where to find the best part-time jobs for students

There’ll be many like-minded students on the hunt for part-time jobs and the current market is more competitive than ever, so it’s a good idea to start your search as early as possible and avoid the Freshers’ Week rush.

We’re giving you a few starting points on where to look for the best part-time jobs for students in Sunderland, some of which you can do during the summer holidays before term has even started.

Take advantage of what the University can offer

One of the best places you can find part-time job opportunities for students is the University itself. Our Centre for Graduate Prospects works with local employers throughout the year and recently, the team has partnered with Sheepfolds Stables where 19 of our students successfully passed the on-campus recruitment day for hospitality roles at the recently renovated venue. We’ve also had Sunderland Football Club on campus this year to interview around 100 students looking for part-time jobs in hospitality. Come and join us on 10 October 2024 when we’ll be hosting our annual Student Jobs and Volunteering Fair to find out more about what we can offer. Once you're a University of Sunderland student, you can sign up to our Employability and Enterprise Hub, where you can search for all the student and graduate jobs currently available.

We have several on-campus jobs available too and our ethos is, “if a student can do the work, they should do the work”. This could be anything from being a residential assistant providing guidance to other students living in halls, or being one of our winter event facilitators who help organise activities to support students staying in Sunderland over the Christmas break.

You might also consider becoming one of our Student Ambassadors who work alongside our Student Recruitment team, offering various types of support and being a positive representative of the University for prospective students.

Sign up for job websites

Another obvious starting point when looking for part-time jobs will be online. Our Employability and Enterprise Hub is a great place to begin once you're enrolled as a student with us, as you'll find hundreds of jobs to apply for, with opportunities posted on the website every day.

Indeed and StudentJob are other useful job websites, and Save the Student has listed some of the best student job websites here. With many of these, you can sign up via email and set up alerts to arrive straight to your inbox, so you’ll be notified straightaway when suitable part-time roles come up.

Use social media

Many companies have their own social media accounts and will advertise job openings there, so it’s worth following a few places so you’ll be one of the first to know if a part-time job becomes available. LinkedIn can be a useful social media app to sign up to, as like other job websites, you can select your criteria and set alerts to find out when suitable roles come up in your area.

Platforms like TikTok are also good for hosting content that offers advice, tips, and tricks around working while studying at university such as the pros and cons, the best part-time jobs for students, and more.

Get yourself out there

Sometimes the quickest and easiest thing to do when it comes to finding a part-time job is to print off copies of your CV and walk into a few places directly to see if they’re hiring. You’ll find lots of businesses in Sunderland willing to recruit students, particularly in retail and hospitality.

The service industry will offer some of the best jobs for students as they tend to be more flexible with hours, usually hiring for evening and weekend shifts which you can fit around your studying. It’s worth noting that it can be a good idea to approach smaller, independent businesses where there might be less competition, as opposed to the bigger chain shops and restaurants.

 

Want to find out more? Chat to one of our students.

Published: 26 July 2024