As a student, it is highly recommended that you get a part time job in order to help pay the many bills headed your way. I am sure that moving to the United Kingdom is hard enough, so I am here to help ease your search for a job. I will be listing some of the best part time jobs that you can get!
When looking for a part time job, most of you will be looking for well-paid jobs, flexible jobs, or jobs which you might find to be easy. Read on to find out what part time jobs are the best so that you can find your future job!
Disclaimer: Please note that the jobs listed here are not in a ranking order. The “best part time job” for you is entirely dependable on you and your personality.
Working in the UK as an International Student
There are regulations about eligibility to work in the UK, including for international students who live here. I recommend that you check out this website here and take a few minutes to read some advice about working in the UK.
1. Online Tutor
Given that you are a university student, you are definitely capable of sharing your knowledge in one or more areas that you are confident in teaching to younger pupils. For example, if you are a maths student, you could help out children of all ages, including A-Level (or equivalent) students.
If you decide not to work for an existing company and instead tutor privately, I recommend that you advertise your services. If you are just starting out, you might find it easier to take on students who you know via family or friends as a confidence boost.
Although tutoring in person is the classic option, dealing with Covid-19 has meant that we have explored the uses of the online world. Given that you will not have to pay any travel expenses, you might find this a better option as a student, especially since it means that you will be able to spend time in which you might be travelling in for a better use.
Some great websites to work for are MyTutor and Tutorful, but you can also search for jobs on Student Job.
2. Online Translator
If you can speak multiple languages fluently then this will hopefully be an easy and rewarding job for you. All you need to do is sign up to a website which will pay you to translate documents. Most of the time you will be paid per word that you translate. Some websites where you could find work include Gengo, TextMaster and Unbabel.
3. Language Assistant
This job is ideal for those who are able to speak at least two languages, with at least one of them being taught in secondary schools. Most secondary schools teach French and Spanish, with some additionally teaching German.
As a language assistant, you will work within the languages department at a secondary school. Some things that you may be tasked with doing include listening and helping students to practise speaking in foreign languages or giving more general help in classes.
4. Teaching Assistant
If you would like to work with children, especially if you are working towards becoming a teacher, then this is the perfect part-time job for you. You could choose to work with any age range of children such as those in nursery, primary school, or secondary school.
Working as a teaching assistant will mean that you will be required to aid the class teacher in doing their job, so tasks will range from handing out worksheets to working with a particular child who is struggling with the lesson being taught. This job can be very hands on and will require you to adapt to situations quickly in order to help the students and teacher.
5. Babysitter or Childminder
This job is perfect for international students because it’s flexible, pays well and allows you to learn more about local culture. You can either advertise your services directly to local residents (I’d advise asking your local British friends if they know any families who might need your services), or you can work for an agency.
If you are working privately, then you should know that families will generally pay £12 to £15 per hour, but sometimes they will also pay for your travel expenses and for you to have a meal.
If you work for an agency, then you may need to get a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (a criminal record check, click here to find out more). This DBS check will confirm that you are fit to work with children – this will cost £23. You will also need a valid National Insurance number. This website will give you more information on what National Insurance numbers are and how to apply for one.
6. Customer Service
Jobs in customer service range from supermarkets to fashion retailers, to charity shops, and even to bakeries. This area will likely include working in the front-of-house, restocking products in the shop and answering telephone enquiries.
The great thing is that you don’t need any qualifications, rather you just need to have a friendly smile and some confidence!
7. Waiter or Waitress
Like many of the part time jobs listed here, you do not need any formal qualifications to be a waiter/waitress. Not only is this job flexible and a fast way to earn cash, but it is also a great job for anyone looking to learn or develop valuable communication and organisation skills.
As a waiter or waitress you will be expected to prepare tables, greet customers, take orders, serve drinks and food to customers as well as deal with bill payments.
You could find a job in cafés, restaurants, pubs, and even with companies that hold large events. It is also notable that night shifts generally have a higher payment than the day shifts do.
8. Barista
If you choose to work as a barista, some of the jobs you will be performing include taking customers’ orders, helping to prepare coffee/other drinks, and serving them. As a result, this job requires customer service skills so is ideal for more extroverted people. Take note that the environment tends to be fast-moving, so you need to be able to cope well.
You could work at Starbucks or Costa (And don’t forget that you get an employee discount!).
9. Receptionist
As a receptionist, some of the work you may be tasked with includes greeting visitors and directing them to the correct person or department, answering enquiries, managing a booking system, providing refreshments, and keeping the reception area tidy.
You do not generally need formal qualifications to start working as a receptionist, however IT skills and customer service skills will be useful. You could become a receptionist in a number of places, such as hotels, schools, offices, solicitors, GP surgeries, and hairdressers.
10. Warehouse Operative
Warehouse operative jobs have flexible hours which are perfect for busy students and also offer temporary work for those not looking to work throughout the year but only for certain periods. Certain shifts may offer higher wages, but if not, you could also increase your wage by working overtime.
To work in a warehouse successfully, you must be able to work in a fast-moving environment without becoming overwhelmed. You also need to have good numeracy and literacy skills, so if you are not confident that you are fluent in English, then this may not be the job for you.
11. Company Ambassador
You’ll make a great brand ambassador if you have an outgoing, friendly personality! In this job, you will be representing a brand and promoting its benefits to others. So, it may help if you have a large social media following as it will allow you to reach out to even more people.
You will most likely be required to have certain skills such as social media management, sales, and marketing, meaning that it is a fantastic opportunity if you want to go into business management, marketing, or branded communication.
12. Article Writer
Working as an article writer is a great way to earn money if you have a passion for writing! You could either try to get a job writing articles for a newspaper or magazine company or you could look online for a website (just like this one!) which you can work for.
If you are interested in working for Think Student then click here!
You have the ability to communicate with one of the senior publishers, who will assign articles to you. Should you need a break from working or if you wish to change the number of words you write or how long you have to write them. You will be paid per word with the pay rate increasing as you progress with the job.
13. Product Tester
An easy way of earning money is by telling companies what you think of their product, service, website, or app by becoming a product tester. Within this process you will also be tasked with reviewing the customer service provided. There are various websites, including User Testing, Bzzagent and The Insiders.
The only catch is that some platforms may only be looking for those with large social media platforms so that you can spread reviews. If you are reviewing physical products, then you will be sent them by the platform you have signed up with and most of the time you will be able to keep them after the review. For more information about working as a product tester read this article.
14. Mystery Shopper
As a mystery shopper you will be paid to act as a normal customer, but all of your shopping costs will be repaid to you, along with your wage. You can get jobs for general shopping or for dining out.
Some companies you can sign up to are Market Force, Mystery Shoppers, International Service Check, ESA Retail and Mystery Dining. Take note however, that the pay can vary greatly and that some companies offer low payments.
You will usually be given guidelines on what to buy as part of the task however, these are normally quite flexible. Also, you be given a list of questions to ask in store, what photographs to take in store, as well as details of things to keep an eye out for and to take mental notes of. Once you get home, you’ll typically need to write up a report on what you found which you will proceed to send to the agency you work for. Check out this article for more information on entering this industry.
15. Pet Care
Some areas in pet care that you could find a job in are a dog walking service, pet day care, animal shelters, veterinary clinics, zoos, and aquariums.
Dog walkers can expect to earn between £8 and £14 per hour, per dog. As a result, handling more than one dog at a time will allow for your hourly wage to become very high, meaning that this is one of the best paid student jobs.
You could advertise your services locally by creating flyers or an ad on a website like Dog Walking Now, or you could choose to work for a company such as Tailster where you can also find work as a pet sitter.