How to make sure your part time job doesn’t land you a 3rd

It’s a catch-22 that is crippling students everywhere, and none more so than the poorest of the poor: London students.

You need a job to survive your degree, but that job could be the death of your degree.

For many (or most) students, the loan just doesn’t cut it. You can budget til’ the cows come home but without a huge amount of help from the bank of mum and dad, there’s no way anyone can stretch those numbers to cover rent, food AND travel (and that’s if you simply want to survive- not have fun).

If only…

So what can you do about it? Well, asides from the slightly seedier practices like drug dealing or pole dancing, a part time job is the next step. Supermarkets, pubs, shops, cafe’s and bars in and around central are populated with a huge proportion of student workers. All of them desperately trying to make enough money to afford next week’s travel card (although I wouldn’t bother- strikes are out to get you) or perhaps a tin of beans. Some are fortunate enough to get what you might call ‘relevant’ work experience (aka coffee-boy at a city office). But ultimately whichever job you’ve been forced (by poverty) to take, it’s probably sucking up a lot of study time.

We know the feeling

This is absolutely at it’s worst during exams. Your boss probably claims to be extremely ‘understanding’ of your this-makes-absolutely-no-sense exam timetable at the does-this-place-even-count-as-London-excel-centre. But at the end of the day, he or she is trying to do what’s best for their establishment and unless you’re giving them a huge chunk of your time, you’re looking to lose that extra couple of quid per week.

Probably shouldn’t have spent any money

“What can I do about it?” Glad you asked. These tips may come a tad late for some but hopefully most of of you part-timers can still salvage your situation.

1. Don’t lie to yourself

A big contributor to the problem of your job bringing you down is, well, you. Your job is going to take up a lot of your time, but worse than that is when you tell yourself that you’ll go straight to the library from work, only to find yourself on the northern line home. If you’ve decided that the library is in your future- keep it there.

2. Prioritize

This is a piece of very general revision advice but it’s probably the top point to take away as a part time worker, time is of the essence and prioritizing your work load is imperative. Don’t waste time reassuring yourself by going over what you already know, get cracking to avoid panic down the line.

3. Plan Ahead

If you have told your boss moths in advance that you’re going to be crazy busy with uni throughout May, you’re giving them a lot of time to make other arrangements for your absence. They can’t refuse you. You don’t need your exam timetable, (we all know King’s will give you that at the last minute) you just need to be ahead of the game. Also in the spirit of planning ahead- if you know you’re not going to be able to work in May- save for it so that you don’t hit the overdraft more than you have to.

4. Stick to your guns

Tell your boss what’s what and don’t let them try to change your mind! People will say just about anything to get what they want and employers are right up there with the worst of them. They’ll probably try to make you feel as though you are unfairly asking for ‘special treatment’. You’re not so don’t let them change your mind!

5. Don’t be afraid to quit

Here’s the best advice I can give you: if your job isn’t going to fit your revision, leave. You WILL find another job (I know you don’t believe me but it’s true), your degree isn’t so easy to retrieve once you’ve let it slip.

Here’s a cliche to help