Student jobs

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

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.

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

Applications currently closed

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

Applications currently closed

<p>Patrick Ward, Costa in UPSU case study - student jobs<br></p>

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

Unibuddies

Are you a confident communicator who enjoys producing engaging content?
Do you have a positive outlook on university life? Well, consider the Unibuddies!

Our Unibuddies are responsible for answering questions from perspective
students about studying, life at university, and your University experiences, via
the Unibuddy platform. You will engage in conversations and build a friendly
relationship with students. You will also have the opportunity to write blogs about
your university experiences and provide an insight to assist with recruitment
campaigns or social media.

<p>Unibuddy - student blogs web page</p>

PALS

Peer Assisted Learning Scheme (PALS) Leaders, plan and deliver regular group study sessions for students in the year below on the same course. The University recruit PALS Leaders every year and is an ideal position if you are looking to support fellow students with their learning and study techniques while also getting trained to use techniques to encourage collaborative.

As a PALS Leader you can:

Develop the soft skills employers look for through planning, organising, time management and liaising with students and staff
Develop your mentoring and facilitation techniques
Connect with other students and a build a community

“I believe that these sessions are a mutual gain for everyone as the new students learn from our experiences and we have a chance to learn from the mistakes. Personally, this has helped me a lot to improve myself and become more expressive.”

Akshita Jindal, Biomedical Science PALS Leader

Writing Mentors

Would you like to support students with the mechanics of academic writing, such as critical analysis, structure and flow? Writing Mentors are recruited from subjects across the University, which brings a range of perspectives and approaches to the team. It is an excellent opportunity to develop your own academic writing skills. You don’t need to have the best grades or be a confident writer to apply; we are looking for students with a willingness to learn about academic writing conventions and a want to help other students.

“Having never had much experience with academic writing before going to University, I found it a daunting task at first, especially understanding the ins-and-outs of formal writing. Becoming a writing mentor helped my confidence and ability increase. It let me give something back and help other students who were in a similar position.”

Jack Pendlebury – Meng, Robotics Writing Mentor

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<strong>Jack Pendlebury – Meng</strong>

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Working online

"I have always enjoyed helping my peers and participating in volunteering activities, so when I found out that MyTutor was hiring University students to teach students online, I wanted to try it out. Aside from the excellent pay, I have developed my communication skills by adapting teaching methods to different learning styles. I also improved my patience when explaining mathematical concepts and dealing with IT difficulties. Being a tutor also requires organisation and good time management, as I must prepare lesson materials and activities before the class starts.

Besides tutoring, you automatically represent MyTutor after you are hired. You can earn referrals when someone uses your link to sign up to tutor, which is a quick and flexible way to make some spare cash. All in all, I recommend becoming a tutor because watching your student grow and improve is incredibly rewarding and boosts your confidence as well as theirs

Chloe Tsang, BA Accounting and Finance

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.

<p>International students - getty 488157695</p>

J If any of these roles interest you, current vacancies can be found on MyCareer, so be sure to set your alerts.

<p>Getty 914314364 - Two car mechanic students working in garage at FE college, young woman learning mechanical skills</p>

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 opportunities.

Part-time jobs off campus

Working 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

Look for part-time jobs using online jobs boards. Here are some of the more popular job sites to get you started:

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.