Part-time work is necessary for many students who want to support themselves financially while they study. As well as earning money to pay bills, gaining parttime work experience can help you by:
Improving existing skills and developing new ones.
Learning about the job market through looking and applying for jobs, which will help you prepare for the graduate application process.
Demonstrating you've experienced a professional working environment, giving you examples to talk about in future job interviews.
Helping you to make new friends and network outside of your course and university.
Please note: BSU recommends that undergraduate students don't work more than 20 hours per week, so that you can keep on top of your studies and maintain a good balance between work, uni, and your social life.
Start by considering your criteria:
What sort of roles are you interested in?
Are you looking for a part-time job more to gain skills or earn money?
How far can you travel? What are the time and cost considerations?
Do you want to work throughout the year or go home for the holidays?
Are you looking for a part-time role with regular hours each week, or are you flexible?
How many hours do you want to work?
How much do you need to be paid? (Check the National Minimum Wage for your age at https://bit.ly/4b1jIGo.)
WHERE TO FIND JOBS
There are three key strategies you can use to help you find part-time or vacation work. The first is looking and applying for regularly advertised positions, the second is making a speculative application (where a job isn't advertised) to employers you'd be keen to work for, and the third is to tap into your networks and contacts to gain opportunities through word-of-mouth.
ADVERTISED POSITIONS
Employers may advertise their part-time and vacation positions in several ways. When searching for advertised roles, follow these top tips:
Sign up to email alerts on job websites that reflect your preferred role.
Keep a record of job websites you're signed up to and will regularly check.
Use keyword searches and filters to find opportunities based on your criteria. Save job descriptions for roles you apply for - they'll help with interview preparation.
MyCareer
On mycareer.bathspa.ac.uk, we advertise a range of on-campus, part-time positions for BSU students at our Bath campuses. These are very popular and are typically advertised early in, or towards the end of, the academic year. They offer flexible hours to fit around your studies with a higher-than-average hourly rate. Roles include representing BSU at open days and other events, working in the library or catering outlets, supporting the Future Students team in running workshops in schools and colleges, and similar.
Job Websites
Here are some examples of general vacancy websites (over the page) and those aimed specifically at students (below).
EMPLOYMENT 4 STUDENTS
A job listings website specialising in student, part-time, and seasonal jobs
https://bit.ly/4s7hLOM
SAVE THE STUDENT!
A specialist student support website that aggregates part-time jobs from several places
https://bit.ly/46QoTXl
BATH JOBS
Local jobs and a CV bank for recruiters to access
https://bit.ly/4rrfxJ5
GOV.UK
The government-run jobs board
https://bit.ly/4rmiD0C
INDEED FLEX
A specialist app for quick, fixed term temp work
https://bit.ly/4lvg1ML
LINKEDIN
The de-facto platform for professional networking
https://bit.ly/3MVb5UN
TOTALJOBS
A market-leading website for recruiters to browse CVs
https://bit.ly/4cF2hge
Company Websites and Social Media
EVENBREAK
A disability jobs board run by those with lived experience of disability
https://bit.ly/4rdjRvP
INDEED
A market-leading job searching website
https://indeedhi.re/4rrpkyP
JOBSITE
A large job listings website https://bit.ly/3OSlcKD
REED
A market-leading recruitment agency https://bit.ly/4cF1pZ0
If you have an interest in working for a certain employer, look at their company careers webpage to check for advertised roles.
Some companies only advertise opportunities on their social media pages. Try searching "part-time jobs bath", "#jobsinbath" or similar on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook to find local vacancies. Some small businesses advertise positions on local Facebook groups.
Recruitment Agencies
Some employers use recruitment agencies to advertise, source and shortlist candidates. Recruitment agencies act as an intermediary between employers and potential candidates, sourcing talent on multiple employers' behalf at once. As such, agencies can be a useful tool when looking for both permanent and temporary work for opening up multiple possibilities for positions in one go - but always do your research and check for legitimacy! You should never pay money to join a recruitment agency; agencies charge a fee to an employer once a candidate the agency found is successfully employed.
To find agencies, you can use websites like Agency Central (https://bit.ly/4sAD5Mi) and the Recruitment Employment Confederation Directory (https://bit.ly/4b1bxKj).
Some widely used agencies include Reed (as highlighted on the previous page), Hays, and Adecco.
Sector-Specific Websites
A part-time job can be a great opportunity to gain skills relevant to your course at BSU or an industry sector you’re interested in. Some job websites specialise in advertising roles for a specific industry sector and may advertise part-time positions. Use Prospects' Job Profiles (https://bit.ly/3P2fG87) to identify if there are sector specific websites for career areas that interest you.
"A PART-TIME JOB CAN BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN SKILLS"
APPLYING SPECULATIVELY AND WORD-OF-MOUTH
Some students find part-time work by approaching employers directly in the local area. Usually, these roles include working in customer focused environments, such as retail, hospitality, or tourism. If approaching employers directly, make sure you have a CV and cover letter available that's tailored to the type of work you're looking for. Keep a note of who you speak to, and follow up if you don't hear back.
You may also find that some businesses, especially retail or hospitality, will put signs in their windows or shop floor to advertise that they’re looking for part-time workers. Keep a look out for businesses you'd be interested in working for around the town centre and follow the instructions in the advert when making your application.
CONTACTS AND NETWORKING
As many as 70% of jobs aren't formally advertised, so finding and securing opportunities through your contacts and networks can be a useful strategy. Think about who you already know and speak to them about what type of opportunity you're looking for. If you have a summer job at home, you could ask your employer if they have opportunities near university to enable you to transfer.
TFINANCIAL SUPPORT
he university and Students' Union can help if you’re worried about money while looking for a part-time job. We offer:
Scholarships and bursaries (https://bit.ly/3NioLZT) to help fund for a wide range of scenarios and situations. If you'd like help to understand if you're eligible for a particular BSU grant, you can search for "Student Awards" on MyServices and raise a ticket.
Student community food larders around Bath campuses that stock free cupboard essentials, non-perishable food, and toiletries.
Free period pads and tampons in bathrooms across BSU campuses.
Student Wellbeing Financial Advisors, who can provide money management and budgeting advice. You can always visit MyWellbeing (https://bit.ly/4b1kl2L) if you need support.
WORKING AS AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
Many international students have permission to work while studying. However, there are restrictions on the amount and type of work that can be undertaken, and these restrictions must be adhered to as failure to do so can have a serious, negative impact on immigration status and any future immigration applications. Restrictions on employment may be different outside of term-time, so it's important to remain fully aware of all the parameters of a visa before starting a part-time job.
For help understanding the work restrictions of a visa at any point, contact the Immigration Advice Service at immigrationadvice@bathspa.ac.uk. (Careers cannot offer any visa advice.)
WHAT IF I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE?
The question of "how do I get a part-time job if I've never had one before?" is one that we hear often! Everybody has to start somewhere, so if you’ve never had a job before and are looking for things that you could add to your CV or talk about in a job interview, here are some ideas:
Search for volunteering opportunities in the local area - this is a great way to gain work experience with an organisation linked to an industry you’re interested in.
Think about the skills you've gained while doing assignments or group projects from your studies.
Gain teamwork skills (and more!) through signing up for a committee role in a sports team or society you're a part of.
Build skills as a BSU representative, through roles like Course Rep or Student Community Leader.
Try running an Instagram or TikTok account related to a hobby or passion, like art, fashion, or fitness.
If you'd like to make some money while applying for part-time jobs, here’s a few ideas that could get you started:
Sell crafts or artwork through Etsy or Instagram.
Sell second-hand clothes, games, or books through Depop, Vinted, or eBay.
Keep an eye out on BSU socials and around campus for calls for focus groups or student feedback, as sometimes these will offer a participation reward.
Getting your first part-time job can feel difficult. If you’re struggling with applications or job interviews, remember that support is available through the Careers team. On MyCareer, you can book an appointment to get personalised advice on what you're looking and applying for.
HOW DO I APPLY?
For part-time work, you'll be expected to submit a CV and cover letter or email, although some employers will require completion of an application form. Ensure you tailor your documents to each individual role, providing evidence of relevant skills and experience (where possible). It's also essential that your documents look professional with clear formatting, correct spelling and grammar, and a good level of English.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing your CV and cover letter: Explicitly highlight the skills the employer mentions in the advert, making the most important information easy to find within seconds.
Remember to include volunteering, society committee roles, university assignments, or placements that demonstrate transferable skills useful in part-time work.
Keep your CV to a maximum of two pages, using headings, bullet points, and an easy-to-read font so employers can scan it quickly.
If you know you struggle with spelling and grammar, ask a friend or family member to read through your CV and cover letter before you send them to an employer.
If you’d like some extra help with your CV and cover letter, you can explore our full resources on these topics on MyCareer and get help immediately from our handy AI tools. Using AI to effectively support your job applications is explained more over the page.
SHOULD I USE AI?
The short answer to the question of whether or not you should use AI is: yes, but carefully! The longer explanation is that generative AI can be a helpful tool as a thought partner - that is to say, another entity that provides instant feedback on ideas and how to approach plans - by providing insightful shortcuts through prompts like asking for skills that are relevant to a job for you to then evidence in an application.
On MyCareer, you can use our specialist AI CV Review tool (https://bit.ly/ BSUCVAI) which will go through your CV section by section and offer advice on how to make improvements and explain why they'd be impactful. If you don't have a CV yet, you can upload a blank template with your name and headings for Education, Experience, and Skills, and the tool will guide you through creating a first draft.
Our CV Review tool has been trained using the input of qualified Career Coaches, and not merely internet searches and other user data as with general tools like ChatGPT. Avoid using publicly available AI to generate a CV; the personal data that you supply could be stored indefinitely without your consent, used for training, and output as a response to somebody else in the future. Our CV Review tool has privacy protections in place to ensure your data stays secure and isn't used for training the model.
Hiring managers have begun to report that wholly AI-generated applications are becoming easier to spot. Because of how AI is programmed to piece sentences together, duplicated generic statements that aren't backed by evidence are becoming common for employers to read in bulk - phrases like "dynamic team-player" and similar should be rewritten into your own terminology with associated examples when you're proofreading. Companies want to hear from you, and you'll stand out against the competition for putting in the effort!
PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW
Interviews for a part-time job can be less formal than if you were applying for a full-time graduate position, but can still be nerve-wracking. It's normal to feel anxious before an interview - most people do - but preparing properly can help put less stress on you and help you perform better on the day. Here are some of our preparatory tips:
Have a practice in advance with our AI Interview Coach tool (https://bit.ly/ BSUAICOACH). This will give you example questions and instant feedback on answers you record for common part-time roles, like for a Barista (amongst others).
Plan your journey (if attending an in-person interview), turn up early, and be wellpresented. Yes, this is for a casual or part-time position, but you still need to be professional and make a good first impression.
Review the job advert, your CV, and your cover letter to anticipate what questions may come up in your interview.
If you’ve never done paid work before, prepare quick examples from volunteering, university assignments, or societies to help demonstrate your transferable skills.
Make sure to prepare a few thoughtful questions for the end of your interview - this shows genuine interest and helps you decide if the job's right for you.
FURTHER SUPPORT
If you would like further support from Bath Spa Careers, please visit MyCareer at mycareer.bathspa.ac.uk where you can book a personalised appointment, ask us a question, browse further resources, attend informative events and search our huge jobs database.
Links to external content do not represent endorsement by Bath Spa University.
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