A part-time job is defined as one where the contractual hours are less than the hours that make somebody a full-time employee (typically 35 hours or more). You can find out more on gov.uk.
There is no minimum number of contracted hours for a job to be classed as part-time work, but most university students tend to work anywhere between 8 to 20 hours a week.
According to data revealed by the National Union of Students (NUS UK) in 2024, around 69% of students in higher education have been working part-time, alongside their studies. These are quite high numbers!
This article will aim to explore what working part-time means for you, and how to manage this balance more effectively from the perspective of a fellow student worker.
Table of Contents
Pros and cons of working part-time work while studying:
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Money: Extra cash is always helpful. | Time crunch: Juggling work and university work / life can be stressful. |
| Experience: More specifically, work experience to put on your CV to contribute towards career development. | Grades: Working long hours or feeling exhausted / unhappy with work may affect your studies. |
| Skills: Learning useful skills like time management and prioritisation. | Social life: Balancing university life and work can be overwhelming and make you feel like you are neglecting your social life. |
| Independence: Learning to be more responsible for managing different aspects of your life on your own. | Health: The added stress of feeling like you have to balance everything in your life could lead to burnout or other physical and mental health strains. |
Personal insights: my experience balancing work and studies
Aside from these more general pros and cons, a more personal pro I found from working alongside studying, was that it gave me an outlet from university life that, in my experience at least, I found to be quite dominating.
In such, I have felt that having a job alongside my studies offered a chance to explore more of life outside of university related routines.
For example, my job allowed me to make friends and meet with people that I probably wouldn’t ever associate with, within my university sphere.
Essentially, stepping into the environment of ‘work’ allowed me to shift my focus away from university for a bit, which gave me the chance to separate myself from associating solely with university as being, the be-all and end-all of my life.
Finding the right part-time job is crucial
Taking on a job while studying is a big commitment, so you don’t want to bite off more than you can chew.
As a student, you will want to look for jobs that offer flexibility, align with your interests, and fit into your goals.
The best student-friendly jobs to consider
Here are some of the best part-time jobs for students:
- Personal tutor: Flexible hours, good pay, and valuable teaching experience.
- Retail worker: Shifts that can fit around your class schedule.
- Babysitter: High flexibility and reasonable pay.
- Barista: Social environment with flexible hours, especially in the mornings.
- On-campus jobs: These roles are often designed to accommodate student schedules.
- Freelance writer: Complete assignments at your own pace, building skills in writing and communication.
- Receptionist: Quiet job suitable for light studying during downtime.
To find out a bit more about the best kind of jobs to get as a student you can check out this Think Student article, which gives a more in-depth nature analysis of the student jobs themselves, and ranks them in order of worst to best.
What strategies can help you maintain a healthy work-study-life balance?
It is helpful to keep in mind that everything will not always be a perfect balance and sometimes things will not go to plan, but all you can do is try your best!
To help do so, consider some of the four following strategies that I have found helpful in maintaining this balance:
1. Time management and prioritised tasks
How to do it: Allocate daily dedicated blocks of time for work, study, and other personal activities. List out the most important tasks and assign these to specific time slots that you know you work best in to complete them.
For example, make some time in the morning for high-focus tasks if that’s when you work best, then have afternoons for meeting up with friends or study sessions, and evenings for complete personal time, doing things you like.
Why it helps: This approach has helped me visualise my days better and make time for the various aspects of my life that I want to focus on by giving them their own dedicated slots.
2. Online reminders and shared calendar tools
How to do it: Use digital tools like Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, or specific organisational apps to plan out when you’re working, and when you’re studying.
Have reminders for deadlines, study sessions, exams and even breaks. Colour-code the two by category (e.g., working time in blue, study time in green) to visualise and differentiate them better, as seen in the example below:
Why it helps: Having digital calendars and reminders has made it easier to keep me organised without having to remember everything, which helps if you’re like me and are prone to forgetting things.
A shared calendar is also useful to have, as then you have a more clear overview of both, and can prevent overlaps between work and study better.
3. Create a dedicated study zone
How to do it: Have a specific area in your home that’s specifically for studying. Make sure it is comfortable, organised and distraction-free, so that you can come to associate it with studying.
Why it helps: I’ve found that having a designated space helps me mentally switch into study mode more easily, making my study time more focused and productive, without blending into other environments that I may associate with relaxing or doing other non-study related things in.
4. Daily wind-down routine
How to do it: Establish a wind-down routine that helps with the shift from work or study mode to relaxation. This could include activities such as enjoying a walk, reading, listening to music, watching a film, or my personal favourite of taking a bath.
Why it helps: I’ve found that having a regular wind-down routine has helped me rea