The best things in life are sometimes rather expensive, I mean, 1965 Ford Mustangs and holidays in the Greek Islands don’t pay for themselves. So how do you do lead this lifestyle as a student??? The good old part time job….
As Lauren has pointed out, Uni student are pretty thrifty people, who like to save every penny possible. The reasons for that is that students are either living away from home, and need to save every little penny for books and beer, or that they are planning an extravagant round the world holiday for the entire summer vacation. Firstly, don’t get me wrong, many students do find it hard to put enough money together for books and the like, but the flexible hours of uni allow you plenty of time to get some money together to save for some things that you might really want.
Part time jobs are pretty much a must as a Uni student, you will find that most students have jobs (those who don’t have been very, very good to their parents, or have picked a winner in the 4th at Flemington). Its recommended that you don’t work more then 10-15 hours a week, because Uni is pretty full on, but that means that you will still have a some money coming in.
Student Jobs are really varied. The Uni itself has a Casual Employment service www.usyd.edu.au/stuserv/employment/index.shtml, but there is always a huge demand for casual labour out there, its possible to find something. Students do a really wide variety of jobs, things like retail, telemarketing, bar work, labouring and pizza delivery. The really switched on kids will try and get jobs within their industry, like legal clerks, research assistants etc. This can often open doors later on (they often pay more too) so it’s a good move to look for somewhere where your professional skills can grow.
I was a Porter/Concierge at a Hotel at North Sydney. It was great, I never knew how much Porters made it tips!! The only problem was that it was shift work, so it was an eight-hour shift each time. I tended to do two or three shifts a week, in summer I worked pretty much full time, so I was pretty comfortable with money. I decided pretty early on that I wanted to work towards what I wanted, so I saved a lot of my money for what I wanted, an old BMW!
I spent the holidays in 2003/4 saving for my first dream car, a BMW 2002 (there is a list about 300 long of cars I want to own at the moment, it always changes, but there are about 45 I have develop a saving plan for). I found a wonderful one in mid 2004, an Inka Orange 1973 Fuel injected model (Tii, Super Rare!!), and I bought it with the money I had saved up from the holidays (I’ve sold it now, I’ve had two cars since. If anyone has a nice Mk 1 Ford Escort, please leave a comment…). I had also saved enough for my books and some spare money, and with the money I continued to earn, I was able to keep the car on the road and make sure I had enough for uni.
Lots of student aren’t obsessed with cars like me, but choose to save for something that is pretty cool and exciting, Travel. Lots of students like to travel because there are real advantages to travelling as a student. Cheap Airfares, student discounts, strong stomach and little sanity are all advantages for travelling as students, and the summer holidays provides a substantial amount of time to be away, so lots of people are often scrimping and saving to get overseas.
Lots of people also save to pay their Uni fees up front. This is a really good idea, as you can get a discount if you do this, and start your working career without a dept. I paid for my first year, but I decided I wanted a hot car instead (I had a Commodore, got sick of it), so I decided to save for it instead. What ever you want to save for, Uni provides a good chance to save up money as well.
So in the end, Part time jobs are a way of life for Uni students, but they’re fantastic, and they can help you save for things that you will really enjoy!!!
Stay cool, and start saving too,
Brendon
P.S If anyone wants to buy me a 1965 Ford Mustang or a 1969 Porsche 911, or a 1959 Austin Healey 100/6, please leave a comment too! Will post a further list in the future
Comments
Brendo, I love that you have turned your blog into a car catalogue....
Posted by: Lauren | December 22, 2005 10:55 PM
I can vouch for the effectiveness of the Casual Employment Service - I got my first ever job via it 3 years ago and am still enjoying it. The good thing (I've found) with the service is that employers who advertise on it are obviously looking for and expecting uni students to apply for the positions and this means that they should be fairly willing to accommodate the particular needs of students such as timetable changes, exam periods etc etc.
I've also been amazed at the number of jobs that are on offer actually on campus such as jobs in the library, as research assistants, lab technicians, working for Union outlets or clerical positions in the Student Centre or the Faculties.
Have fun, stay cool this summer, folks :D
Posted by: Sikeli | December 23, 2005 03:58 PM
Working 10-15 hours a week, how long does it take till you have enough for a car?
Posted by: Damon Z | December 24, 2005 05:20 AM
It really depends on what sort of car you want Damon!! I always wanted a 2002, and theyre pretty cost effective (Ive postponed numerous others! I wanted a Lotus Cortina for a long time, Austin Healey Sprite before that) a good 2002 is 10-15K so thats why I aimed for it... Lots of saving though, and lots of designated driver nights too, but I got there in the end! Thanks for the comment, keep them coming
Posted by: Brendon | December 28, 2005 09:49 PM
how much you can earn as a student in sydney in one hour! I want to know about income in sydney!
thanks
Posted by: shadi | January 2, 2006 08:49 AM
Hey Shadi, thanks for the comment. It really depends on what sort of work you are doing and how old you are, but students will generally be making between $15-25 an hour. The secret is to find somewhere that understands your study commitments, but will also give you the most per hour! Thanks for the question, it was tops!
Posted by: Brendon | January 2, 2006 05:20 PM
how much Person can earn as a student in sydney in one hour! I want to know about income in sydney
Sharad
Posted by: Sharad Bangera | February 22, 2006 11:10 AM
So interesting site, thanks!
Posted by: Vesa Poikaja"rvi | June 26, 2006 02:33 PM
I am doing advanced diploma in Business management and after completing my study i shell go to uni. so is it possible for me to engage your team?
Posted by: Emdadul haque | October 31, 2006 12:56 PM
hi dude u have given a wonderful information which gives a lot of hopes to students who is dreaming to join in australian universities. really iam also so glad about ur instructions.iam also so wonder about cars but i dont know when i buy it, because iam coming as a student to sydney but sure i will cross u (just take it easy).once again thanks for ur message.
Posted by: suresh | July 15, 2008 04:09 AM