hey im going into uni this year and i was wondering if it is necessary to get a job, im quite worried about money
hihi! firstly, congrats on your place on your chosen uni! i’m sorry i’ve replied stupidly late. you’re gonna have a great time!
don’t worry, i had the same dilemma! getting a job isn’t necessary but it is a boon! i’ll just bullet-point my thoughts:
university is expensive. if your student loans don’t cover your accommodation // living essentials, i would look for an extra source of income - plus it’s really nice to have extra cash y’know. i
that being said, uni does force you to budget. first term of uni, i was in my overdraft because i was honestly just spending money left right and centre. i wasn’t so far into my overdraft but i was still in - gave me quite a scare so i started saving most of my money into a separate bank account, changed my overdraft limit and started budgeting (not as seriously as i should’ve...but that got better at the end of uni)
seeing as you are quite worried:
if you do decide to get a job, it will take up some of your time. seeing as you’re gonna be a first year, you have to think about: whether it’s gonna be distracting you from your studies, can you handle the work-study-life balance, is it going to be affecting your mental health etc. if you can handle it, then go for it!
look for your university careers /// job-placethingy (haha, sorry, the name escapes me) - a couple of my friends work with their SU, and i will be working with my university - make sure to sign up for their job alerts and/or mailing lists bc they always have opportunities available.
also be on the lookout for openings at bars/clubs or for retail work.
also, look out for Christmas work - temporary workers are ALWAYS needed on holidays so look out for that too!
if you don’t manage to get a job, it’s not the end of the world (i promise!!):
usually, universities do offer surveys and you can take part in research opportunities in exchange for money (it’s not much but it’s better than nothing)
surveys / market research: bunch of websites online that often pay you on your views. there’s also tutoring, there’s odd jobs you can do to make a bit of money on the side.
if you are still a bit out of pocket or you’re still super worried, you can go talk to the financial advice department (they’re super nice and completely understanding of your situation) and they’ll probably give you a bunch of ideas/leads that will help you :)
buy second-hand books!! - i cannot stress this enough. if you’re doing a book intensive course like moi (english lit // history // law // literature in general etc), you’re gonna end up with a LOT of books and they’ll be expensive no doubt. also PDFs are a life-saver!
join a bunch of discount sites: unidays, savethestudent, studenthut, studentbeans are the ones that come to mind.
Get an overdraft - i should’ve put this higher but oh my god this saved my arse so many times, especially because of all the unforeseen circumstances (e.g. my phone breaking halfway though the year and me having to fork out a lot of money to get it fixed)
I did get through first year without getting a job - then again, i go to a university where things are ‘cheaper’ than if i went to a university in london. i made extra money through freelancing, market research, surveys through uni, research participation, reviewing stuff, tutoring etc. so it’s completely possible to get through uni without a job.
i hope i helped!! it’s not necessary but it will have a massive (positive!!) impact on you! i’m sorry if i didn’t answer your question, but you can ask me more and i’ll be happy to help!
