Working part-time as a student aborad will not only pay for many of your meals, but will also teach you new skills and make you new friends and contacts. What’s more, it’s actually fun
BE A BARMAID
Yes, you can literally be a barmaid. Pubs, bars and clubs on campus and even in neighbouring towns recruit students to handle drink orders and generally help the staff on crowded nights. If being around alcohol is not your thing, you can opt to wait tables or clean dishes at restaurants and cafés. If you don’t want to work with food and drinks at all, you could get a job at your university’s entertainment centre – the theatre or the cinema – as an usher. The perk:you could watch shows for free!
WORK FOR YOUR UNIVERSITY
Universities employ students for a variety of odd jobs and administrative tasks. You could work in your department or for your faculty, sorting out the files; or assist the international student office in their work. Some even employ student brand ambassadors and tour guides to give prospective students and visitors to the university a background of the institution and a tour of the campus.
DO VACATION INTERNSHIPS
Most countries allow you to work full-time during the vacations, so there is good opportunity to do an internship in the field of your choice when you have time off. Many internships are unpaid, but there are also a handful that do pay. Scout for those.
BECOME A MYSTERY SHOPPER
This is one of the more popular student jobs. Agencies and businesses recruit mystery shoppers to go on a paid-for shopping spree or sample meals at restaurants for product, quality and service testing. You may not be paid much, but you do end up getting a lot of perks – for instance, free gym membership, anyone?
OPT FOR CPT
Curricular Practical Training is available for international students in the US. If you have finished one academic year of your degree programme, you may apply. CPT allows you to work while a student – either in a full time, part-time or intern position – in a job that relates directly to your coursework. Usually, CPT is available to those whose curriculum demands it. Speak to your department head at the start of the course or semester to start the process of becoming CPT-eligible.
BECOME A RESEARCH SUBJECT
Various departments in your university would be engaged in multiple experiments headed by PhD students, and at some point of time, they would need to test their theories and prototypes on human beings. At such times, they rely on other university students to step up and become test subjects. Not to worry – these are seldom hazardous (unless you sign up to test a new drug – proceed with caution!) and actually pay a nominal amount.
BECOME A STUDENT MARKETER
Companies always need an event, scheme or product advertised in university campuses, and they hire students to do that for them. From setting up a freebies giveaway stall to handing out flyers and putting up posters, you could do a variety of activities as a student marketer. This usually pays well by the hour, but is more of a one-off assignment than a regular job.
BECOME SELF-EMPLOYED
Before you do so, check the terms and conditions of your student visa. Some countries (eg UK) do not allow full-time international students to be self-employed. If you are allowed, then the opportunities are endless. You could tutor people: either teach your mother tongue or any other skill you have – perhaps playing the guitar – to other students. You could also get together with some friends and start a campus business – wash cars or clean houses. If you want to do something more ambitious, start a bigger business.
Volume 3 Issue 4
