Strategies for international students to find part-time jobs in the UK

 Strategies for international students to find part-time jobs in the UK

Nguyen Hoang Phuc believes that part-time work should not be chosen just for the sake of income, and even with a full scholarship, you should still arrange to work.

Nguyen Hoang Phuc, 26 years old, studied 3 years of pre-university, 5 years of undergraduate and master's degrees at the University of Bath, UK. He shared some experiences of getting suitable part-time jobs. These are the things he pointed out when he was a consultant for Vietnamese students who wanted to study in the UK, within the framework of the project "Pay It Forward by Vietnamese students":

1. Don't choose a job just for the sake of income

I came to the UK from 9th grade, when I won a full tuition scholarship for 3 years of pre-university (one year of GCSE and two years of A-Level, equivalent to high school in Vietnam). When I went to university, I studied in the form of self-sufficiency. So, I do more jobs to make ends meet.

While many friends who come to the UK to study abroad will do jobs such as washing dishes, helping at restaurants and cafes, I choose a different direction. I often apply for jobs in positions where communication and academic skills are needed, such as teaching assistants, tutors to guide younger classmates, tour guides of schools and cities. In the third year, I tried to win a one-year internship by external companies to select candidates in the school, to both study and earn income.

My choice is not because jobs like desk assistants are not worthy to do. It still exploits many skills such as perseverance, initiative in work. However, in my opinion, communication, contact and connection skills, especially related to the major you are studying, will be more important. And I choose jobs that revolve around the skills I want to develop.

Like the jobs I choose, in addition to developing skills, it also helps to make my CV more beautiful. Therefore, you should think about part-time jobs to choose accordingly, try to find a job that can help improve your knowledge and skills, not just looking at an aspect like easy to do. , leisure or high income.

Nguyen Hoang Phuc is an alumnus of the University of Bath (UK). Photo: Character provided.

Nguyen Hoang Phuc is an alumnus of the University of Bath (UK). Photo: Character provided.

2. Search for part-time jobs from multiple streams

There are many ways to find a part-time job, be it through school, friends or reading information online. I usually search through two threads. The first is in the department you study. The Faculty often recruits second- and third-year students with experience in studying subjects in the first year to serve as teaching assistants, helping first-year students study and solve problems related to professional knowledge.

The number of second-year and third-year students is quite large. However, the amount of study is very large, especially with a master's degree program like me. Therefore, many students do not want to participate as teaching assistants to focus on their studies. I think this job also supports learning and professional knowledge, so it only takes good time management to get it.

The second stream is the school's website. My school has posted an internal recruitment advertisement with a very clear source. The job positions are very diverse, from babysitting, helping desk assistants to being a guide for visitors to the school and city. Job postings also clearly describe how many years of experience you need and what skills you need. So it won't be difficult for you to find a job. It's important to make choices that fit your desires and be able to manage your time to ensure that you get the job done in parallel with your studies.

3. Pay attention to situational skills when going to an interview

With some part-time jobs, it's not as simple as applying and getting accepted. The recruitment agency can set up small interviews with questions that are not difficult but also require you to have a bit of prior research and problem-solving skills.

For example, when I apply to be a school guide, they will ask questions like "If a visitor has a health problem, how will you handle it", "Which department do you need to seek help from when visiting the school?" problems arise"?

4. Don't be afraid to ask

As mentioned above, working part-time is also a way to learn and improve knowledge and skills for yourself, not simply to earn more. So try to learn from your predecessors who have done similar work. They will give you many useful lessons and experiences.

If the job has too few Vietnamese people, you can still ask foreign friends. With most people I meet, they enthusiastically share. With certain jobs like tour guide or teaching assistant, you can ask them to come along to learn and observe how they interact with others.