Your Guide To Student Jobs

There are a great variety of student jobs available for university students all across the world. The student union bulletin board, the campus career services, or even the international students office can help you find a suitable job.

What kind of jobs are available?

 

There is a wide range of part-time job opportunities for students, both on campus and beyond. These can be highly skill-intensive, labor-intensive, or time-intensive. Students can choose jobs on campus, or even jobs that allow them to work from home. With these many options, there will always be a job that matches what you’re looking for. 

 

Tutoring

 

If you have an aptitude for teaching, tutoring is a great way to boost your resume. You can earn money while building your teaching skills. Tutoring also helps you strengthen your knowledge of the subject area you are teaching. Tutoring assignments can range from teaching musical instruments to chemistry or French. They can also vary in age group and skill level, from students who need extra help with school work to secondary school students who need help with university application essays and test preparation.

One of the perks of tutoring is that it can pay anywhere from minimum wage to much more, depending on your experience, tutoring agency (or if you’re freelancing), and the level you’re tutoring. It is always possible to check the going rate for assignments through other tutoring agencies or websites. Another perk is that you can usually schedule classes to fit into your schedule, with as little as 1-2 hours a week, to as many as you can find. If you find educating others a fulfilling way to spend your time, tutoring is an ideal choice for you!  

 

Freelancing

There are a variety of websites dedicated to connecting freelancers with people who need them. As a freelancer, you can build a client base and/or offer your services on such websites. Freelancing jobs can range from web design and app development, to proofreading and translating documents, or even art-based roles, like graphic design and music composition.

Freelancers are paid either an hourly rate or a fixed amount per assignment. If you have a good portfolio and referrals, you could be making more than the market rate. One of the perks of freelancing is that you are your own boss, so you can decide your own hours, location and job scope. This is also a great way to build up your portfolio for internships or full-time job applications once you graduate! 

 

Recommended: Check out list of universities offering Graphic Design courses.

 

Campus Jobs

Campus jobs available for students could be in the student union, campus cafés and restaurants, the library or even the gym. These jobs are usually specifically designed to accommodate student’s busy schedules, and are, of course, very conveniently located on campus. These jobs usually involve interacting with other students (say, at the help desk at the student center) or potential students (giving tours, answering questions from prospective students, etc).

If you’re studying at a post-graduate level, it’s also possible to find work as a teaching assistant or a research assistant. Your professors or department coordinators might have more information about what roles are available and what the selection process is like.

Campus jobs usually pay around the minimum wage and are targeted to help students with financial needs. Many campuses also have work and study programs that help match students with jobs. Talk to your career center or student center for more information!  

 

Service roles

Service roles like kitchen roles, waiting tables, catering, or bartending offer flexible working hours, highly social environments, and networking opportunities. Being a barista at the local coffee shop, or a waitress at a restaurant comes with challenges like long hours and the occasional rude or overly-demanding customer. It also has it’s perks. It gives you valuable knowledge of working in the service industry (which is great especially for hospitality students) and also experience dealing with people.

Such roles usually pay around the minimum wage, but there is always a chance of getting good tips from customers; service jobs also come with perks like free meals and extra food.  

 

Flyers and promotion work

These jobs are on the labor-intensive end of the spectrum. Often employers might require you to stand on busy streets to pass out flyers, do promotion work, or survey people. The difficulty level can vary depending on whom you’re working for, what you’re trying to promote, and what you’re paid based on. With promotion work, always make sure to check if you’re being paid on a commission basis or not. While this can be great foundation for a future in sales, if money is a concern, you might want to focus on finding a job with a hourly wage. After all, there’s no guarantee for commission-based pay.  

 

Retail

Retail jobs can range from being a personal shopper or offering free makeovers to re-stocking supermarket shelves with canned goods. While some jobs are more glamorous than others, these jobs often involve repetitive tasks, working while most of your friends are out having a good time, and dealing with rude customers. The perks include flexible hours, a fun working environment (usually) and employee discounts on merchandise.  

 

House-/Baby-sitting

As long as you can prove that you’re a responsible, reliable, mature person, there are various -sitting roles available in most cities. This could involve looking after a child in the evenings or a pet for a weekend, or even a house as the owners are away on vacation.

This kind of job is time-intensive, but comes with many wonderful perks. For example, house-sitting requires minimal effort and gives you a nice getaway. For animal lovers, pet-sitting can be a fun way of having a pet without the long-term commitment; and for students who love kids, baby-sitting is an enjoyable way of making money while playing with kids. (Of course, tantrums, fussy eaters and unruly kids will require much more effort.)

While it is hard to start as a sitter, try asking around if anyone is looking for these services or if there’s an agency hiring. People looking for sitters usually go by word-of-mouth, so once you’ve got a few good clients, it’ll be much easier to find more jobs. Sitters are usually paid hourly wages, but house-sitters could be paid by the day or a fixed amount.