Student jobs

For students seeking part-time work and wider work experience opportunities
Student jobs

The Careers Service is here to support you with job search, whether it's a part time job to fit around your studies, an internship to boost your experience, or future employment after the graduation.

Working part time is an excellent way of gaining valuable experience that could help you to stand out from the crowd when you start applying for graduate opportunities. Casual work in any sector will help you develop employability skills vital for your future employers such as communication, teamwork, problem solving or organisational skills. Furthermore, it is your opportunity to demonstrate your work ethic, motivation and initiative - all of which are highly desirable by graduate employers.

Students looking for part time or temporary jobs

Despite the current crisis, many companies, from supermarket chains, delivery companies to food producers, are recruiting casual and part-time workers to cover staff shortages. The careers service are advertising these current vacancies and also offering online advice via skype, telephone or Zoom – log onto MyCareer or email careers@plymouth.ac.uk. If you are considering work during this period please consider your own health along with the health of others you live with before accepting a role.

Find vacancies on myCareer

Part time vacancies on myCareer include jobs on campus as well as opportunities advertised by local employers in all sectors to help you develop degree-specific skills.

Watch the video to learn how to search for vacancies on myCareer

Part-time jobs on campus

Hundreds of students are employed on campus yearly in a variety of roles that suit academic schedule. You can apply to be a Student Ambassador to support the University during events and access further opportunities to get involved with the University departments. Learn more about Student Ambassadors and how to apply here.

The jobs board on myCareer will allow you to browse and apply for a range of campus roles such as administration support, helpdesk, information roles, IT, peer to peer support, hospitality, retail, reception and many more.

Further opportunities on campus, advertised exclusively to staff and students, can be found on the Work for University of Plymouth webpage. The Students’ Union also employs students in part time employment every year in roles such as retail, hospitality and catering – search current UPSU vacancies.

Find out more in our part time work guide.

Student Ambassador

The feeling of being a representative of the University is my favourite thing about this role. It gives me a huge sense of belonging in this prestigious institution. I’ve made so many friends and gained so many new experiences. It’s a collection of smiles, memories and learning, probably my greatest highlight in University life.

Sumalka Mendis, MPhil/PhD Business with Management - Stage 2

Information Assistant – Careers Hub

"Having worked for 2 years as an Information Assistant for the Careers Service, I have constantly had the opportunity to develop my skills and work on projects relevant to my end career goals, including social media management and marketing training. I highly recommend seeking out a work-experience opportunity, microinternship or the mentoring programme as these can be invaluable in developing key employability skills."

Sam Fifield, MA English Literature

Working for UPSU

“I wanted something flexible during term time to work around Uni hours, as Maths has a lot of class contact time, and working for the SU is nothing but flexible. I work 10-15 hours a week for cash for rent as my loan doesn’t quite cover it.
Apart from money it is good experience of working in a team and I have learned other new skills such as barista coffee making and have done my level 2 hygiene certificate. Keep looking at the Uni website where jobs are advertised, I applied for three jobs but this was the most flexible.
Make sure you research the organisation where you want to work when you apply, and also the skills you will need to work there. I had worked in M&S before but if you haven’t worked before think about what else you have done, for example I played football, which is a good example of team work.”

Patrick Ward, BSc (Hons) Mathematics

Part time work off campus

“After being unemployed due to Covid, the connections I made within my part-time job led me to my current position in a Marketing and Programmes team. Part time work can not only improve your employability skills but also can lead to other opportunities.”

Georgia O’Carolan, Marketing and Programme Coordinator

  

Benefits of part time work for international students

“I am an international student from India and I work part time to enhance my CV in order to find a graduate placement. Part-time jobs aren’t just helping my career, these roles are developing me as a person and improving my language skills. I found all of these roles on myCareer so I would recommend it to all students.” 

Suprojit Das, MSc Electrical Engineering

International students

Part-time work is an excellent way to increase your knowledge of the UK employment market. Working part-time can create a positive impact by building transferable skills, which can boost your CV and increase your confidence. Furthermore, gaining experience enhances your employability in the competitive labour market worldwide and can help you to create experiences that you can talk about in applications or interviews with future employers.

National Insurance Number

In order to work in the UK you will need to apply for your National Insurance number. All employees working in UK must provide their employer with the NI number and students are not exempt from paying tax or national insurance contributions on their salary. Therefore, it is vital that you register for a National Insurance number as soon as possible.

Learn more about working as an international student.

 

Internships at University of Plymouth

Internships are a great way to gain work experience, providing you with a great introduction to the world of work. Apart from developing key skills in communication, time management, problem solving, creativity, adaptability, team work and commercial awareness you will gain an opportunity to grow your own professional network and confidence in your own abilities.

If you are looking for a short term work experience explore our microinternships, summer internships, Santander Employability Scheme and Careers Insight Programme oppotunities.

Access support with your CV and applications

Find out how to improve your job search strategy, structure your CV or prepare for an interview by attending webinars and workshops organised by the Careers Service. Explore our Accelerate Your Future workshops.

Take advantage of the Digital Careers Resources such as CV Builder and Cover Letter Builder to help you draft your applications. Uploading your CV to CV360 will provide you an instant feedback and tips for improvements. And once you are successful with your applications start practicing your interview skills with Interview360 with further feedback on your communication and body language. To learn more about CV, applications and interviews take a look at our CV & Applications page.

In addition, the Careers Service offers 1-1 support to help you improve your CV, Cover Letters, supporting statements or interview preparation. Book an information & advice appointment.

To find out more about our appointments and how the Careers Service can support you check out our How can we help you page.

 

Frequently asked questions