Full time students with part time jobs - how many hours do you work?

matthew_o50

matthew_o50

matthew_o50

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Hi, I've just took on a part time job for Christmas which is only supposed to be for 12 weeks with the chance of staying on afterwards if i'm good. I just wanted to know how many hours most of the students here work while they're studying? I'm doing 23 hours at the minute and i'm finding it quite tough to get the time to study. I don't want the job to effect my degree but I need the money and i'm not planning on doing this permently. Has anyone got any tips to get me motivated to study more in my little free time?
 
If you are a student you should not be working more than 10 hours contracted and 15 hours with overtime.

Anything over 8 hours a week usually causes a drop in work rate for most students. I know money is difficult but the degree really comes first, unless you are in serious financial trouble make the full use of your loan and overdraft. That can all be payed off at a later date/Summer holidays.

If you have problems with money go to your Student Services. They will often give you grants for free in order to make sure you stay at the uni. Even if you don't need the grant, they can help you with all your money problems.

Don't ask on here for help, they get people in everyday with the same sort of problems/questions. Swallow your pride and give em a go.

:)
 
I dont think a number can really be placed on the ideal number of hours, it all depends on your circumstances, such as where you live relative to work/uni, commute times, the kind of contact time you have etc. I dont think students should need to work too much during term times though since, as the above poster mentioned, overdraft/ student loan and money earned during the summer should be plenty really in relation to other students, perhaps consider a change in days/hours if you feel you cant cope however.
 
I worked ~40 hours per week as a student in term time (8 weeks per term) and ~40 hours per week in a job outside of term time. Seemed to work for me.
 
Arcade Fire said:
I worked ~40 hours per week as a student in term time (8 weeks per term) and ~40 hours per week in a job outside of term time. Seemed to work for me.
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So when did you actually attend Uni?
 
toosepin said:
So when did you actually attend Uni?
Click to expand...

I only need to actually attend uni, 6 hours a week at the moment due to being final year so have plenty of time to work nightshifts/weekends etc if i wanted to, so i can see 40 being possible,i choose to research and socialise etc instead.
 
i'm trying to get around 12+holiday overtime at the moment but trying to get a student job in Lincoln is impossible (unless it's tkmaxx or primark)

that amount would cover my rent + bills, leaving me the loan to drink :)
 
Replicant said:
I only need to actually attend uni, 6 hours a week at the moment due to being final year so have plenty of time to work nightshifts/weekends etc if i wanted to, so i can see 40 being possible,i choose to research and socialise etc instead.
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6 hours :eek: nice!
 
I used to work in the mornings - 5-8 and then in the evenings - 5-11. I was knackered all the time but it was either that or give up. I lived at home but things were tight financially so I had to try and help out as much as I could.

Still I'd have said that you really need to put the degree first. Sometimes, you don't have the option, but I'd say that my studies certainly suffered as a result of working so many hours :/

IF you can, try and find extra work that allows you to work from home - internet assessor/rater, typing up other students work - it might not be as great a rate of pay, but as it's less intrusive to do you actually end up less stressed :D
 
Arcade Fire said:
I was unclear. I meant that I didn't have a job in term time, and I had what was practically a full-time job outside of term.
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I was going to say, they frown upon that at Oxford, so I'd expect Cambridge to be the same (assuming you go to Cambridge :))
 
Graduated this year so this isn't current but in the first year I worked 20 hours at a supermarket per week and I thought that was way too much. Cut it back to 15 hours but even then it was getting me down so quit entirely in the 2nd year and just worked hard during the summer.

Doing a PhD this time so now they pay me to be a student! Haw haw! Just a shame that I feel really really guilty for going home early or taking a day off so can't really enjoy it.
 
Last year (my first year) I worked 23 hours a week which left me with no spare time to do anything. So far this year I've not had a job but am probably going to be working about 15 hours a week when I do get a job. Hopefully this will be more suitable as I'll have to do some work this year (and I want to go out a bit too!). Next year I hope to not work at all.
 
Im a very active student and while a few hours to get me out of bed at the weekend would do me good, anymore than that and I would have to seriously cut back on my social/educational life.

It's hard but I have cut my expenses to less than £40 a week inc nights out. I's all about drinking a bottle of £2.99 wine before you leave :)
 
Thanks for all the replies. I'll see how it goes for a few weeks and then decide what to do. Work isn't overlapping with uni or anything, I think it might just be that the last week at uni has been completely turned around as i'm on placement and I just need to work my free time better. I should probably chain myself to a desk in the library. I should have all of Tue and Wed night free, most of Monday and Thursday daytime and Friday daytime free. I just work Fri night, Sat, Sun and Mon night. Work is only a 5 min walk away so there is no commuting time there but uni is 1.5 hours each way. I just wanted to know what was the normal amount of hours to work.
 
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