The ultimate guide to finding part-time work in Norwich as a uni student

Best of luck, from someone who is overworked and underpaid

2 years ago

Coming to university is an expensive business, and whilst our student loans are great, sometimes that little extra cash will help go towards a designer bag or a night out on Prince of Wales Road. Having a job not only pays for the bills, but also helps you develop skills, and get the real life experience of being in a workplace – and give you that extra bit of independence.

However, always put your uni work above a part time job. Whilst you are at university, you need to prioritise your course and your mental health. It can be a lot juggling everything and you need to put yourself first. Never put your job above your course, no matter how much your manager pushes for you to do that extra shift instead of going to your lecture. You can always get a little job during the holidays. With that in mind, here’s your guide to finding a part-time job in Norwich:

Transferring

Now this is what I did. If you are (un)lucky enough to have landed a job in a big chain company before coming to uni, you might be able to transfer stores in term time. Speak to your managers, and ask if you can work at your home store during the holidays, and then work at a Norwich store whilst you are here. Many big businesses offer these transfers, and they are easy to do. The pay is normally really good in these jobs, and it is a lot more flexible. Watch out though, your holiday pay covers both stores so you might struggle to catch a break.

Hospitality

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If you are 18+, get yourself behind a bar and start pulling some pints. Working in hospitality is a great first job to have. You can work as a waiter, a kitchen porter (if your not afraid of getting dirty), or as bar staff. These jobs are normally fairly flexible and offer loads of different types of hours, depending on what suits you. This is a really social job, with lots of other students working with you. Getting the experience working in hospitality means that you will be able to pick up a job anywhere, especially if you want to travel or do a year abroad.

However, you’ll need to be good on your feet and be good at biting your tongue when you are faced with difficult customers. The pay isn’t always the best in these jobs however, so stand your ground. On the bright side though, you do get some generous tips.

Retail

Retail is another good job, where you’ll meet a lot of other students. With a store discount, you can splash the cash and buy all of the new stock that comes through the door before the customers even see it. This job has one of the better salaries, especially if you are working with a big chain.

You’re more likely to be put onto a contract with fixed hours, so make sure you plan ahead and book your holiday months in advance as trying to get cover is not easy. Like with hospitality, you’ll need to have good stamina and good at biting your tongue, especially when working on tills. Oh and remember, you are doing your job properly, don’t listen to those more opinionated customers. Definitely don’t chase after shop lifters either!

Tutoring

We’re at university everyone! Get them brains working and help to tutor someone else – for money. You can register with websites, where you can post your tutoring services, or you can advertise yourself on social media as well. Tutor fellow uni students, or help tutor school kids on your favourite subjects from back in the day. You’ll have to be a patient person and take your time with them, and remember you are there for them and not you (just think of the money).

If you want an easier life, an alternative is babysitting, where you can sit and watch TV for a few hours, and get paid for doing it.

Delivery driving

For those of us with driving licences, but who have left our cars to rot on our parents driveway, don’t let that license go to waste. You can become a delivery driver for the big shops, and listen to tunes whilst you drive from one door to another. Most of the time, you’ll get a lovely conversation at the door. And for every nasty customer you can always swap there chicken for toilet roll. This job has a lot of heavy lifting so you’ll be mixing the gym in with your work, and the pay is normally really good. For legal reasons, you also don’t need to worry about being given long shifts and being overworked as a delivery driver.