Casual and part-time work

Most students will need to find a job while at university to help support them during their studies. While part-time or casual employment can fit in well with study commitments, it’s important to plan the amount of hours you can manage along with your commitment to a university course. Research indicates that academic performance starts to be affected where a full-time student is working more than fifteen hours a week, with a significant impact on academic performance at twenty hours a week or more.

Typical examples of where part-time/casual jobs can be found are in the service industries such as retail, call centre work, baby sitting, and food handling, or in factory work, labouring or basic office administration.  Some students do casual tutoring.

Work that is related to your course will give you some exposure and experience in the industry you intend to enter – think of the related jobs you could perform now, such as administrative work, sales, warehousing, or customer service roles.

Where can I search for part-time and casual jobs?

For many industries like hospitality and retail, you are best to directly approach employers in your local area. Take along your resume and be prepared to talk about your skills, experience and availability. When you are out shopping, look out for shops with a sign in the window advertising for staff.

Some useful web based employment sites include: