When I first joined UCLan in 2019, I realised that the university's main focus is employability. A variety of part-time jobs and careers services are available to make sure students can develop lifelong skills and stand out from the crowd after graduating. As international students, we are all worried on how to budget and how to find a part-time job to cover the cost of living. If you are wondering where to find flexible jobs to fit around your studies, UCLan has a variety of part-time jobs available for you to choose from.
Become a Student Ambassador
If you enjoy meeting new people and sharing your experience of joining UCLan with prospective students, you can apply to become a Student Ambassador. This role will also give you the opportunity to work on open day events, be part of the welcome team, support students during call centres, as well as replying to messages from prospective students on the ‘Ask A Student’ platform. Being a student ambassador has given me the opportunity to meet different students. Due to my visual impairment, the Student Ambassador Team became more familiar with my disability, and throughout the years, became more inclusive and diverse in their recruitment process.
I also enjoy working at the call centres as I developed my customer service skills and enhanced my ability to work in a fast-paced environment. The International Recruitment Team has always been very inclusive and supportive in finding alternative ways for me to work that suit me best. Any student is welcome to work at the call centres regardless of a disability. After all, UCLan's objective is to campaign for more equality, diversity, and inclusion across our campuses.
Work as an Outreach Ambassador
If you enjoy public speaking, you can also apply to become an Outreach Ambassador which will give you the opportunity to deliver student life talks off-campus in colleges around the UK. This role will help you to develop your communication skills, boost your confidence, as well as allowing you to become effective in delivering PowerPoint presentations. This is also a brilliant skill to demonstrate on a CV or in a job application. Prior to starting the role, training is provided by the Student Ambassador Team.
Teach a foreign language
Furthermore, if you are interested in teaching your foreign language, feel free to check out the UCLan Worldwise Centre and try out the language assistant role for the school of humanities, languages, and global studies. I had a wonderful experience in delivering French conversation classes as I simultaneously developed teaching and translating skills.
Become a Wellbeing Ambassador
Throughout the year, our inclusive support team also recruits Wellbeing Ambassadors to support students with disability. The role entails supporting students with additional needs to access services on campus such as lectures, the library, clubs, or societies. I would never imagine myself walking around campus without the unwavering support of well-being ambassadors. Thanks to their support, I am able to go out, walk around and be less isolated. Training is also provided.
Support students to develop their career prospects
Last but not least, you can also apply to become a Careers Ambassador where you will be supporting students to develop their careers prospects, guiding them through our CareerEDGE website, demonstrating how to use our CV builder or cover letter builder tools. Working for careers taught me skills that I thought I would never develop such as demonstrating visual softwares by memorising the website's structure and teaching students through the system. I use my braille device for the demonstration which will then be displayed on a normal screen for students needing support. UCLan has given me the opportunity to go above and beyond, and I would always use my disability as a strength at work and in lectures.
Part-time work outside the university
If you are looking for more part-time jobs at UCLan or outside the university, feel free to check out Handshake, which is our job search platform. You can also download the Handshake app and search for jobs related to your course, which is very handy as you will receive a notification directly on your phone once a job matches your preference.
I hope my guidelines has been helpful to you upon starting to search for your first part-time job in Preston. If you have any questions about university life, feel free to reach out to me on the ‘Ask A Student’ website and I will be happy to help.
