London is always hiring, and after spending a few days looking for part-time work, I was able to land three part-time jobs in just one week. Honestly, even I was surprised. Here’s how I did it:
LSE Jobs
The first job I applied for after coming to LSE led me precisely here, writing student blogs for you! Sharing my experience coming to London as a postgraduate student and helping current and future students learn from my mistakes is something I’d do for free. Still, the first place I’d recommend LSE students look for part-time work is right here at the university. The advertisement for this job posting arrived in my LSE email inbox within the first month of my arrival in London; all I had to do was click the link, fill out the form, and voilà! However, there are some steps you should take if you’re hoping to find LSE-based work. First and foremost, check your email. LSE Careers advertises jobs through CareerHub and, as long as your notifications are on, you’ll get regular updates about part-time openings within the university, as well as throughout London. This leads me to my next point…
CareerHub
Turn those notifications on, and visit CareerHub regularly! Besides putting on incredible career events, providing one-to-one CV feedback and interview practice, and helping prepare you for life after LSE to the fullest, the Career Hub is perhaps the easiest and best place to find part-time work! Just log in using your LSE credentials, and click on Jobs and Opportunities to learn about openings. You can filter by type of work, location and keywords, and after a few searches, Career Hub will automatically start recommending jobs for you based on your profile and interests! After learning about a Graduate Scholar-In-Residence position at a private school near my newly rented flat, I applied for this job before I even finished moving in. Now I spend two afternoons a week presenting my research to students studying for their math A-levels, supporting lunchtime extra-help sessions, and helping run practice Oxbridge interviews: catered lunch included!
Just ask!
Finally, for those looking for part-time work in the service industry, London is full of pubs, restaurants, bars and cafés. Many of these will post signs on their doors or windows when hiring, but the quickest way to get a job waitressing, bartending or dishwashing is just to walk in and ask. Make sure to arrive at a good time, perhaps at the start of the typical shift hours before the restaurant or bar gets too crowded, and consider coming prepared to work! My very first experience inquiring about part-time service industry work in person led to an on-the-spot trial shift, right then and there. While exploring my new neighborhood in South London, I happened to venture inside one of London’s many indoor-outdoor markets to look for potential gifts to give to family members I was scheduled to visit during the coming weekend. I hadn’t entered with the explicit goal of finding a job, but after being drawn by the sound of salsa music to a relaxed Latin bar in the middle of the market, I began chatting with the owner of the bar. During our conversation about my recent move to London, I mentioned being interested in part-time work. He offered me a trial shift that very night, and the rest is history!
A caveat
For those of you who may be international students, beware of restrictions surrounding part-time work during term time for students needing a visa. My limit is twenty hours a week and, frankly, even for those without part-time work restrictions, working more than twenty hours per week while keeping up with schoolwork is not recommended and can be very challenging. Be sure to manage your time effectively and don’t bite off more than you can chew: your studies come first!
