Even if you’re a regular Tracy Flick, balancing full-time study with work is pretty demanding. First, there’s keeping up grades. Then there’s bills.
Then there’s working enough to have leftover money for fun though to get to that level, you’re probably working and studying too much to spend your money on anything other than ugly sneakers that seem like a great idea while scrolling through sales at 2am.
To make sure you don’t burn out a few weeks into semester, we’ve weighed up the pros and cons of common student jobs. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but hopefully we can lessen the load a little.
Free Money, kind of
First up, have you looked into the scholarships, bursaries and government assistance you might be entitled to?
If you’re under 24, there’s a good chance you’re eligible for Centrelink’s Youth Assistance, and payments are backdated to your first claim so apply ASAP (if, of course, you believe you’re eligible).
Outside of Centrelink, most universities and tertiary educators offer degree-specific scholarships. Not as many people as you’d think apply (especially to the more niche ones), so it’s well worth scrolling through for an hour or two. TAFE NSW, for example, has loads of merit and equity-based scholarships, ranging from site-specific offers to the chance to study abroad for budding commercial cooking students.
A lot of university and student-run unions also provide loans or one-off bursaries if you’re in a hot spot. It’s something you shouldn’t abuse since there’s a limited amount of funds avail, but definitely remember that it’s there if you’re struggling and you definitely can’t hit up your parents for another loan ever, ever again.
Airtasker
Okay, we’re not going to recommend Uber because you’ve probably worked that one out for yourself. But what about Airtasker? If you don’t know it, it’s a site/app where people post up odd jobs, from home-tech help to photoshopping jobs and house-keeping. You can do a one-off, or start a weekly job.
It’s a solid way to grab a little extra cash, especially if you’re an tech-wiz who can patiently help an old timer troubleshoot their WiFi.
Tutoring
Like The Good Place, but without the death. (Image credit: The Good Place/NBC)
Take advantage of wealthy families who throw money at their kid’s wonky grades and try tutoring on for size. There’s two ways about this: you can go through an agency/company, or go your own way and try private tutoring.
Private is better since you can charge your own rate, but it’s difficult to find any students. You could reach out to your old school if it’s nearby, or ask a mate who has students if they can mention you to parents/palm off any extra kids they have.
An agency is great if you don’t have these contacts, but be warned: you’ll get a rate closer to $20-30 an hour than the usual private rate, which can be anywhere from $50-$90 an hour.
It’s also worth remembering tutoring takes time, and when you’re guiding kids through the HSC, you need to a) know the syllabus back-to-front and b) tailor your teaching to each student. That takes time and skills.
Take it from me, the guy who made the mistake of analysing Shakespeare’s The Tempest as post-colonial meditation on theatre and gender performance to a seventeen year old who didn’t even know the names of the characters.
Dog minding
Get paid to look after people’s extremely good dogs. Whoa. In what is truly the peak of start-up disruptions, apps like Paw Shake, Mad Paws and Pet Cloud are basically ‘Airbnb, but for dogs’. Essentially, you take them for walkies or have them stay for a little while while their owners are away. Obviously looking after dogs is incredibly cute but a big commitment. But if you’ve just moved out of home and miss having a pooch for comfort or to take for walks when you need to clear your study-rattled brain, then this could totally work.
Just, you know, think about it.
Campus jobs
Universities offer some pretty sweet casual gigs, from admin to retail and hospo jobs, as well as the coveted library positions. If you practically live on campus already, why not make the move in?
Generally speaking, they’ll pay pretty well, above average, and are get that your study schedule changes/shifts. You’ll also be way more likely to study afterwards, since you’ll be a stone’s throw from the library. Or sink a beer with your friends, which, you know, is important too.
Hospo/Retail
(Image credit: The Simpsons/20th Century Fox)
While you’ve obviously worked this one out yourself, a casual hospo or retail job is a fairly low-commitment gig. When you’ve clocked out, you almost never have anything to worry about until your next shift. Dreamy. There are a few things to weigh up though.
Firstly, know your rights. Both industries are well-known for exploiting workers with overtime, underpaid wages and unfair working conditions, even with established or respected brands. There’s thousands of jobs in these industries, and terrible conditions should not be the norm.
Secondly, really think about how you study and work before you go for a job. Would late-nights work fine, if you tend to waste away the morning anyway? Head into bar work, but beware of writing yourself off. Like to study at night? Learn your single-o lingo before hitting up your nearest swanky café, but be ready for 7-10 hour shifts.
Photo: Arrested Development/20th Century Fox, Netflix
We’re all about bettering ourselves and moving forward in our careers and lives in 2K18. Feeling the momentum? With more than 1,200 TAFE NSW courses on offer – from degrees to certificates, from short-term to online courses – it’s never too late to switch things up. Go for it!
