Beyond the payslip: The reality of working alongside university

At the University of Leeds, working alongside a degree can mean squeezing shifts between deadlines, sport and social life, but it can also open doors to experiences beyond the classroom, from working at major sporting events to experiencing live music behind the scenes and making friends beyond university.

Juggling deadlines and social life with tiring shifts has become a familiar part of university life for a lot of students. With the 2025 Student Academic Experience Survey finding that 68% of full-time undergraduates work during term time, up from 42% in 2020, student employment has become widespread.

For Eva, a Leeds student studying Philosophy and Mathematics, working between 12 and 20 hours a week alongside captaining her university’s hockey team can make the start of term feel overwhelming.

“I feel as though I have no free time,” she admits, adding that even when she does get a break, she is often thinking about the “never-ending to-do list”.

Despite this, Eva’s job has helped make Leeds feel like home. Starting work during her first year gave her the chance to meet people outside of lectures and build friendships she might not otherwise have made.

“I was working with loads of other students of similar age who are now my close friends,” she says.

Being around other students also helped her feel more comfortable in a university environment where everyone’s experience can look incredibly different. Eva’s job has become more than a commitment in her weekly calendar and now provides a community beyond her course.

via Pexels

For another student, Tash, studying Law and working between 19 to 22 hours per week, balancing employment with exams and the pressure to build legal experience can be difficult. This pressure is particularly noticeable when classmates spend their summers completing competitive internships while she continues working.

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Working comes with sacrifices and the experience is not always glamorous. Unsociable shifts can mean finishing work at 5am before a 9am university commitment, while taking time off can mean losing valuable working hours. But employment has also taken Tash far beyond the usual student workplace.

Through a hospitality agency, she has travelled around the UK working with Ferrari Challenge UK, visiting Silverstone Circuit and Brands Hatch, and exploring the Goodwood Festival of Speed during breaks and around shifts. She has also worked at a Coldplay concert at Hull KR’s stadium, catching parts of the performance during breaks.

Alongside hospitality, Tash works for Citizens Advice, gaining professional certifications and experience supporting people with issues including housing, employment and energy advice. This role connects her Law studies with real-world situations while developing skills that will prove valuable after graduation.

Work has also helped Tash grow personally too. When she first started working at 16, she was shy and struggled speaking to unfamiliar people. Hospitality helped her become more confident, shaping her interest in a future career involving public speaking.

A national Student Working Lives survey explains that around 66% of working students report everyday bills as their main motivation. Financial pressures are certainly an important part of the picture, but these students’ experiences show that employment can offer much more than an income. It can help students find their feet in a new city, form friendships, discover interests and gain confidence, even when the workload is demanding.

Neither student suggests that juggling work and university is effortless. There are deadlines to meet, social plans to rearrange and times when finding balance feels almost impossible. Yet their experiences show why so many continue working and why the rewards can extend far beyond the payslip.

As Tash puts it: “Working alongside uni is difficult, but the skills and experience I’ve had outweigh the difficulties I’ve faced by a significant amount.”

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