University students don’t usually get paid for jumping around on rooftops and attempting to run up walls. But when George Mayfield was 19 and studying biomedical science at Newcastle University, companies would pay up to £400 a day for him to do exactly that.
An experienced parkour athlete, Mayfield started free running when he was 13 and turned professional at 16. “Parkour is the polar opposite of sitting in a library studying,” he says. “It was a great stress relief.”
As well as taking part in live performances and modelling clothes and shoes in videos for designer brands, he played a parkour postman in a short film for the Royal Mail.
Finding an enjoyable, well-paid part-time job that fits in easily around studying is, for many students, akin to finding the holy grail. In a recent survey of more than 10,000 students by online forum the Student Room, 38% said finding part-time work was now essential to cover living costs. But almost twice as many ranked a sense of fulfilment higher than pay rises and high salaries when asked about the most important aspect of a job.
Hannah Morrish, student choice and higher education lead at the Student Room, says: “Our research shows that, despite all of the discussion around the high cost of living and austerity, school leavers are still broadly idealistic. They value meaningful, fulfilling work above salaries and workplace perks.”
So what are the best ways to try to earn an income at university? And how can you increase your chances of bagging a job you might actually enjoy?
Use your skills
Mayfield says of his free running: “It didn’t feel like work, and it was very easy to fit in around my studies. I enjoyed the creative side of needing to think on my feet, which has led me to a career in digital marketing for business brands like Expert Market.”
Meanwhile, when Campbell Findlay left Scotland to study French literature at the University of London Institute in Paris, he took his bagpipes. “My parents always told me to use my skills, and I’d been playing the pipes since I was nine.”
He started out busking, but soon discovered Scottish and Breton pubs, and certain Parisian restaurants, would hire him on Scottish holidays such as Burns Night. “Good bagpipe players are in short supply in Paris. I could earn €1,400 in one evening.”
He could also make €200 in half a day playing at weddings and funerals. “I learned to put myself forward and gained a lot of confidence, which has helped me in my current job in the press office of the North London Hospice.”
Attila Olah worked part-time as an ice sculptor while studying for a BA in design at Liverpool Hope University. “I couldn’t have done my BA without working on the side to earn money,” he says. Having already spent three years at specialist firm Glacial Art as an ice sculptor, he found he could earn up to £15 an hour creating his sculptures at weddings and corporate events.
The CAD (computer-aided design) skills he learned on his degree improved his technique and, in his second year, he was paid to ice sculpt a Stonehenge-style formation for an episode of the all-conquering TV show Game of Thrones. The 1.5m high “ice henge” he worked on, featured in season 4 episode Oathkeeper, which aired in 2014. Olah is now a prize-winning artist who uses both ceramics and ice in his work.
For Will Bentinck, studying for a BA in philosophy while simultaneously working as a freelance poker dealer proved a winning combination. “Dealing poker is quite mechanical and repetitive, and I found it relaxing,” he says. “There was nothing to distract me from my own thoughts – and thinking about the content of my course was a really significant part of my philosophy degree.”
As a fully trained dealer who had worked in casinos before starting university, he could earn up to £15 an hour and, typically, worked around 25 hours a month. “It was an exciting job and I was earning well, which made a big difference to my studies. But I did struggle with the ethics of the work.”
Merge work and pleasure
Today, Scott Christie is a customer service manager for MVF, a customer generation business. But when he was studying chemistry at the University of Aberdeen he worked part-time as a dancer in Amadeus, a local nightclub.
“I’d done ballet and tap dancing as a kid and got into amateur dramatics,” he says. “I did lots of musical theatre at university and a student choreographer put me and my friends forward for the nightclub job.” They could earn £50 dancing for two to three hours on stage in skintight flares, thick glasses, wigs and kipper ties on 1970s-themed disco nights. “We had so much fun. It was a great opportunity to cut loose – I never worried about my exams or my lab work when I was on stage.”
Celia Forshew, likewise, combined work with pleasure when she became a student holiday rep while studying media, culture and society at Birmingham. “It was easy – I knocked on the doors of other students and asked if they’d like to go to Amsterdam or Cornwall,” she says. Hundreds would go on each trip and she earned £10 commission on each ticket she sold.
She now runs Seed, a marketing agency employing students as brand ambassadors. It turned over £6m last year. “That job was pivotal. It set me on my career path and gave me access to people I could collaborate with.”
Use your body
While Claire Fulton Ray was studying for her BA in communications at Cardiff, she worked three or four nights a week in her students’ union bar to make ends meet, but rejoiced when she caught a cold or had a sore throat.
“I’d immediately head to the Common Cold Centre [at Cardiff University] and take part in one of the clinical trials on treatments for the common cold,” she says. “I just had to suck a lozenge, let them run some tests, and I’d get paid £20. It was the easiest money I’ve ever earned.” Sadly, the centre closed in March.
Sophie Turton wanted to do fulfilling work and contribute to society while she was studying English literature and creative writing at Hull. She chose a part-time job as a carer, earning £6.20 an hour. “I was on my feet all the time. It was an extremely physical job,” she says. She made time to read poetry to her clients and talk about their life. “Sometimes it got quite emotional. One man’s story was the inspiration for my creative writing dissertation.” She took up writing for a living and is now head of content for digital marketing agency Bozboz. “Even now, years later, I still regularly think about the people I met.”
• Next week: how to earn money from your degree while still studying, and get a part-time job that enhances long-term job prospects.
