4Track - Study Abroad

Part time jobs in UK

Step wise process of finding a part time job in UK for Indian and International students

Although UK is considered to be one of the best International destination for foreign studies, mainly because of top ranking institution and quality learning. Studying in UK is also a bit costly due to higher cost of living, especially in metro cities like London. Without proper planning, studying in UK can turn out to be expensive. Part time job is one of the best way to manage your expenses alongwith getting a decent work exposure.

During studies, International and Indian students in UK are allowed to work upto 20 hours every week during classes and upto 40 hours every week during study breaks.

Benefits of doing part time jobs

  • Extra money
  • Work experience
  • Networking
  • Knowledge upgradation

Every year we come across hundreds of Indian students who are either planning to study in UK or have got admission in a UK university of their choice. Many of them struggle to find a decent part time job during their initial time. Students generally find it frustrating to search for part time job in UK. This is mainly because of lack of knowledge and hence lack of planning. If you follow the below mentioned points step wise then finding a part time job will not be an exasperating experience. There are few thing that you must do below you leave India i.e. pre departure. Few thing that you must do as soon as you reach UK.

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Pre – departure steps to finding a part time job in UK

Step 1 – Research – Most of the students make a mistake of starting their search for part time jobs when they land in UK. Whereas if the planning starts in pre-departure phase, then it will be easy for them. Go through Youtube videos, read different web pages, ask people who are already there, learn as much as you can about the kind of jobs available and how to get them.

Step 2 – Take an online course – Try to understand the job market in UK and the city in which you are going to study. Map it with your skill set and try to short list the jobs that you can take up. If possible, take an online course to enhance your skills in the field of your choice and get a certification.

Step 3 – Make a CV / covering letter – A resume or CV will be required wherever you will apply for the job. Don’t wait till you land in UK because then you won’t have time. You can use any website like canva.com where you can get attractive formats of CVs and resumes. Try to make it yourself, so that in case any changes are required, then you can make those changes. Also, carry 15-20 print-outs while travelling to UK because the cost of print-out in UK is high.

Post – arrival steps to finding a part time job in UK

Step 4 – Reach UK early – You can arrive in UK 30 days prior to the start of your studies. If possible, try to arrive early which will give you time to search for a part time job. Once your classes starts, then you will get less free time. Reaching early will give you a buffer time to carry out other formalities.

Step 5 – Apply for NI number – National Insurance number or NI number is given by UK government to everyone who wish to work in UK. You need NI number for your job application. You can apply for NI number through this link —> Apply for NI number. It might take 15 – 30 days to get your NI number. When you apply for NI number, then you will get a reference number, which you can show to the employer while searching for part time job in UK.

Step 6 – Understand the wages – UK has defined minimum wages for part time workers according to age group of candidates. Please read more about this and understand which bracket you fall into. This will help you in setting of realistic expectations. You will be required to pay income tax of 20% if yearly income exceeds GBP 12500.

Step 7 – Apply for job – After completing the above steps, you reach to your final stage of actual part time job search. Please go through following options by which you can search a part-time job in UK.

  • Jobs inside University – Visit your university’s employment bureau or student’s welfare department or career center from where you will be able to get the information of various part-time jobs available inside the university campus. Some of the kind of jobs inside the university campus are Research assistant to a professor, Teaching assistant, Library assistant, Lab assistant, Tech support, Campus ambassador. The advantage of working inside the university campus is that you don’t have to spend time on travel.
  • Job portals / LinkedIn jobs – One of the best way to search a job is to upload your profile on job search websites like Indeed.com, Studentjob.co.uk. You can also search jobs available and apply online. This makes your work easy, as much information is available at your desktop.
  • HR / Job agencies – You can get in touch with local recruiting agencies and submit your CV with them. They have a database and can help you connect with local business which require staff.
  • Apply online for positions in big companies – Most of the big organizations like Amazon, McDonald, Tesco require people to work on part time basis. They are also good paymasters for the right candidate. You can visit their websites and search for part time job opportunities available in the area nearby.
  • Networking – Try to establish a network with seniors, alumni, faculty and others. You can start working on your network even before leaving India, via facebook, whatsapp connects. Your network can provide a huge amount of help in proper guidance which could lead to part time job opportunities in UK.
  • Walk-in Interview – Although this is a tedious way of finding a job, but many students also search for part time jobs by visiting businesses or stores or offices in their vicinity. Businesses constantly require data entry operators, cashiers, delivery personals, sales associate, IT assistant, receptionists.

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