Where to look for part time jobs

Part-time work is an excellent way to earn money and gain some useful work experience while you study. A part-time job can provide practical experience that will add value to your CV even if it is not related to your degree. Working in a shop, bar, restaurant or office can give you many of the skills that graduate employers are looking for such as decision making, organisational and IT skills, team working, customer service and time management.

The University of Manchester recommends that students work for no more than 15 hours per week, or as advised in your programme handbook. This is so that you can achieve the right balance between your studies, other commitments and the need to earn money to support yourself.

How can I find a part-time job?

  • CareerConnect Login with your university username and password to search part-time job vacancies. Some part time jobs may be suitable for more experienced hire or graduates check the hours and experience required.
  • SU job shop Advertises jobs around Manchester.
  • SU jobs page Advertises part-time student staff roles working for the SU.
  • Manchester Job centre on Twitter Find out about local jobs lots of part time opportunities.

Many jobs are never formally advertised, businesses may use social media, word of mouth or just a poster in the window. You may need to ask around or contact companies speculatively to see if there are opportunities.

  • Shops, Supermarkets, Bars and Restaurants: Many local businesses may not advertise jobs with the Careers Service but will put a poster in their window (especially if they are based in a busy area).
  • Jobcentre Plus: Government Job Centres advertise part-time and weekend vacancies with a wide range of organisations. The nearest Job Centre for most students is in Rusholme. Visit your local Jobcentre or search vacancies online at the gov.uk website

Useful websites

Can I find a part-time job related to my course?

You will not find part-time opportunities in all job roles. You will not be qualified to do some jobs yet, others may not fit in with your availability.

Think broadly about the skills you want to gain for your longer term career goals, what types of part-time opportunities would give you those skills?

Vocational or career focussed work experience can often be gained through:

Can I find a part time job on campus?

Some part time jobs on campus are advertised on CareerConnect or via the SU jobs page (see above). Each will be advertised only for a short period of time so check through the year. As well as jobs working for the University, look out for jobs such as brand ambassadors working on campus for a company.

Roles based in Schools are often only advertised via school email newsletters. You could also consider asking directly if there is a particular part of the University where you would like to work.

Teaching roles (sometimes called Graduate Teaching Assistants or GTAs) are usually reserved for PhD researchers, ask in your School and check the University College of Interdisciplinary Learning (UCIL) website for additional opportunities.

There are not enough part time jobs on campus for everyone who wants one, so it is a good idea to be flexible. You could find an off-campus job to start with and keep searching for a campus job to switch to later.

What are employers looking for?

Employers do not always look for someone who has previous experience of the same work. Generally employers want candidates to have a number of key skills and qualities. These qualities are known as ‘employability skills’ or ‘transferable skills’ e.g.

  • punctuality/time-keeping
  • being flexible/adaptable
  • willingness to learn new skills
  • ability to learn quickly working with minimal supervision
  • communication
  • team work

Additionally you may need customer service skills, specific technical or language skills.

Tailoring your CV/application to the job vacancy will help you to provide evidence of relevant transferable skills, even if you don’t have relevant work experience.

Applying for part-time jobs

Part-time opportunities cover a huge range of roles, some require very specific skills or experience while others look for general skills that many students have. Most jobs require an application, often a CV. Therefore, you will have to demonstrate relevant skills and possibly experience that match the needs of the role. If you do not have much work experience to talk about we recommend: