Typical Student jobs and ways to make money

27th Jan 2022

Hi i’m Emma, a second-year media and creative industries student currently living in Leamington Spa. While I’m at university, I do a couple of things to make money and keep myself afloat. Money can be a very taboo subject, but I think that as struggling students, it’s important to be open about it as we all often have our own worries surrounding it. In this blog, I will try and cover a couple of student-friendly jobs and their pros and cons. However, if you have serious money worries, get in touch with the Warwick wellbeing services, and they can help you further.

Hospitality – To start off strong, we’ll talk about hospitlaity. I’ve worked as a waitress for almost four years now, but I took a year off during term time during my first year of uni. So this academic year was my first time balancing the two. Its a fast-paced environment, good pay and tips (depending on your employer), and a pretty good job overall. However, the hours you work can be very unsociable. Sometimes you can do a 12-12, which leaves you drained in the evenings, but I typically go out after I finish work. It also means that you’ll be well fed on the whole. They sometimes offer extra perks like free or discounted food or drinks. They are also used to students working for them so are okay with taking time off for the holidays. But from the start you should be clear with your intentions ie. how many hours, how often you’ll stay close to uni etc. Also, remember that you’ll usually have to make your way home late at night due to the late finishes. Another opportunity that arises with chains in hospitality is that you may transfer to work while you’re at home if a restaurant is close by.
Jobs from the SU or Unitemps are great, and they can offer short term contracts, flexible hours and typically pretty great pay. Equally, through them, you can get a more extended job contract. It’s great to make yourself a profile and apply for the jobs that work for you. The location of most of these jobs also means that it is good. They can often be on campus or very close by and mean that you get to meet more fellow students.
As a University student being a tutor is often a go-to, you can often work from home, makeover £20 an hour and help young people while you’re at it. Whether you use a company or by yourself, make sure you have a DBS check and all the relevant paperwork ect.
Student marketing/being a Student Ambassador can be a very lucrative business as who do you trust most to sell you uni essentials more than your own friends and other students. It works for outgoing and social people and can be a great way to get a little insight into sales and marketing, but you should be aware of the company you are working for and make sure they are legitimate.
If you want daytime hours and want to get some good discounts, retail is a great way to earn money. However, unless you have whole days off or the shop is open late, you may only be available on the weekends due to daytime lectures.
Depop and other reselling platforms like Ebay are a great way to get rid of unwanted clothes as well as make a little extra cash. It’s also better for the environment than sending your unwanted clothes to a landfill.

People/places to look to for more finance advice-

The money-saving expert – https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/

What uni – https://www.whatuni.com/advice/money/money-advice-for-students/69795/

UCAS- https://www.ucas.com/connect/blogs/top-ten-student-money-tips

Save the Student – https://www.savethestudent.org/student-jobs