In this part of our series on balancing part-time work and study, English Literature PhD student Jiamiao Chen discusses the limitations but also the skills development opportunities that working part-time can bring.
As an international student working on a student visa and restricted to work no more than 20 hours per week, the mostimportant thing to bear in mind is that I should keep my working hours strictly within this limit. Considering how expensive living in Bristol is, I am often tempted to work for 20 hours each week. However, there will be plenty of time to work after graduation, hence the most significant thing is to resist the temptation to spend too much time on the part-time work!
Therefore, I am very selective about what types of part-time work I do. I usually choose part-time work which aligns with my current research interests and will contribute to my personal development. For instance, I work as a study skills student advocate and deliver workshops to help students improve their study skills. I was an introvert before, and I know that after graduating from the University, I want to teach English Literature. Communicating with people and having some teaching experiences are the core skills I need to become a qualified lecturer in the near future, and my work experience provides me with an opportunity to practice and develop these skills. This work experience also improves my teamwork skills, and although I am not yet a team leader, I can observe from my team leaders very good leadership skills, which I can learn and apply to my future work. Most importantly, I get some extra income! This greatly eases my financial burden and boosts my self-confidence, as I know that I can use what I learn to help other people, and I am confident to find a job I am interested in with my current work experience.
I achieve a nice balance between studying and working, and my part-time work also helps to improve my wellbeing and makes me feel a deeper sense of belonging to the community of the University.
Jiamiao Chen, PhD English Literature