At the time of writing, I have four official jobs: one as a Christmas temp, another as an online tutor, a third as a university ambassador, and finally, as a team member at the Nucleus Wrap Bar at King’s. The trouble is that none of these provide the hours I need (the ideal being around 12 hours at £12 per hour).
Finding a job with the right number of hours
I am very fortunate to be a home student, with my maintenance loans covering all my expenses for this academic year. My goal is to save up for summer and next year as a failsafe in case my loans don’t cover my rent and living expenses. During term 1, I only had the tutoring and wrap bar job, both on zero-hour contracts, which combined gave me around 12 hours per month. While I appreciate any shifts I get, it’s not at a rate that makes me feel secure. I’m not financially reliant on my parent, but I do receive support from her in the form of food and the occasional money transfer.
My challenge is securing a stable job with contracted hours. I was not 18 when I started university, and many jobs have restrictions on the hours I can work (curfew is 11 pm for those under 18) and prohibit alcohol-related work. Additionally, I’m unfortunately a morning (or night?) person, most productive at 3 am. Most jobs now available to me at 18 don’t align with my peak productivity times, and building a solid academic foundation is a bigger priority right now. I also had to figure out my study techniques and habits since I coasted through high school, relying on last-minute stress like an 8-in-1 pressure cooker, which isn’t exactly ideal.
Prioritising my living expenses
While my living expenses are covered by my loans, I don’t budget for food because it’s one of my few sources of happiness, with little risk aside from the occasional bout of food poisoning. I compensate by cutting back in other areas of my life—for instance, I’m a huge introvert and don’t drink, which saves a lot. My spending fluctuates from month to month. I did attempt to track everything with a nicely formatted Excel spreadsheet initially, but it didn’t work out since I budgeted to the point of nearly sacrificing my mental health.
I was much more concerned about work when university first started, mainly because I wanted a sense of security and independence. However, I’ve come to realize things will work themselves out. Regardless, here’s to hoping I land a stable job with consistent hours in 2025.
