Many students
take on part-time work to
earn extra cash for travel to make new friends, improve their language skills,
or network their way into a new career. But is it really possible to combine
work with study, do well in your course… and still have a life?
What are the
secrets to work-study-life balance? Can you really fit it all in?
Finding balance
To be
successful, you need to set clear goals and find a balance between work and
play. Every person has 168 hours a week. It sounds like a lot, but a full-time
degree course may take up 30 to 40 of those hours.
Studies have shown
that students who work between 10 and 15 hours per week can manage their
full-time study and their work. If you work longer, you may find it more
stressful – and your study and results may suffer. So even if your student visa allows you to work
20 hours per week, this may not be ideal.
Finding the
right type of work
What is your
main goal for working? If it is to earn money, you’ll want to find a job that pays reasonably well, even if it is flexible or
part-time. Temp jobs, where you may fill a short-term position full-time during
the summer holidays, may be one option. If you already have skills and
experience you may be able to freelance – as a research assistant or graphic
designer, for example.
If you want
something less stressful, an on-campus job (especially an office admin
position) may be more suitable. It will save you time commuting, and you may
feel safer working on campus.
If you’d rather
leave your work to the weekends, and focus on study during the weeks, you might
be able to pick up work in a café or bar, or in a retail store, or even work on
seasonal events or festivals. This may be less lucrative than an office job,
but there are other benefits such as staff discounts. It may also be more
sociable, which is great if you want to make new friends or learn more about
your new country’s culture.
There are other
types of temporary jobs during holiday breaks, such as seasonal fruit picking
or farm work. It can be physically hard work, but it is a great way to see a
different part of the country.
If your main goal is to network in your industry, meet
people and improve your CV, then an internship may provide great experience and hands-on training – but it may not be
a paid one.
Six Tips to Fitting
it all in
1. Plan your
time. Use one calendar only, for all your personal, study and work commitments.
Make a note of all your due dates and exams.
2. Write down
how much time you need to spend each week on each activity, and enter all your
regular weekly commitments into your calendar – even the really obvious ones.
3. Leave some
free time. Sometimes things don’t go to plan, and you need to be flexible.
Research for an assignment could take longer, the train may be delayed, or you
may need to see a doctor.
4. Set yourself
a homework hour every night. Attend classes; keep on top of the small stuff, so
it won’t pile up into big stuff. Got a spare half hour? Do some quick revision
– don’t go on Facebook!
5. Wake up half
an hour earlier. Sounds so simple. But that gives you an extra 3.5 hours a
week!
6. Set yourself
small achievable goals every day or every week. And reward yourself with some
personal time when you achieve them. Because it’s not all just about work and
study – it’s also about you and your life!
Have you now realized you can’t actually fit
it all in without sacrificing sleep? Don’t panic. You need to assign a level of
urgency and a level of importance to every activity.
For example, an assignment worth 40% and due
tomorrow is both urgent and important. But if it is due in 4 weeks, it is not
so urgent. Answering an email straight away is urgent, but of lower importance
than that assignment. Cleaning the house before studying is neither important
nor urgent.
This lets you prioritize. And then you may
decide you don’t need to do that task at all!
Prioritizing can be difficult. Accept that
you’re doing the best you can, and feel positive about the choices you make.
If you give unimportant things a high
priority, you might prevent yourself from achieving your important goals. And
the most important reason you are studying abroad is just – to study and
succeed.
For any queries, Contact Edwise on 1-800-200-3678 (Toll Free) / 08600911333.
