Working while you study

The University employs students as:

• Student ambassadors
• International student ambassadors
• YuCall student fundraisers
• Black Access
• York Commercial Limited staff

The University of York Students' Union regularly advertises positions, including bar work, student researcher positions and more.

Some employers employ students to be their on-campus brand manager/ambassador. Vacancies are typically advertised via Handshake. We have produced some Guidance for student brand managers (PDF , 2,141kb) with advice and tips for promoting your employer's organisation. 

York Commercial Limited (YCL), is a subsidiary that is wholly owned by the University of York. YCL manages the catering outlets, conferences, sports centre and village, marketing, design, print shop, retail including on-campus Nisa and gifts shop, as well as the campus nursery and York Science Park. YCL is known for its friendly environment, encouraging diversity and inclusion at the workplace and for being a sustainable business.

If you would like to hear via email about openings for casual jobs in catering, hospitality and retail at the University of York, please sign up below:

Sign up for job adverts

Online

Try the following to find part-time jobs in and around York:

• Handshake
• York Press
• Yorkshire Post
• City of York Council
• North Yorkshire County Council
• York Designer Outlet jobs
• Government’s Find a Job service
• StudentJob
• General job sites like Indeed and Totaljobs

For national sites, remember to choose a geographical location to search by. 

Recruitment agencies

Local recruitment agencies may be a good source of temporary work.

Search Agency Central to find relevant local agencies specialising in the kind of work you're looking for.

Unadvertised opportunities

Some part-time jobs are not advertised online. Many can be found informally through notices on shop/restaurant windows or through word of mouth.

If you have friends already working, make sure they know you’re looking for work so they can let you know if their employer is looking for new staff.

If you have worked for a company with a chain of outlets around the UK, check to see if you could transfer to a local branch.

Getting a job with no experience

If you have no previous experience, be realistic and appreciate that you may find it hard to find your ideal part-time job straight away.

Volunteering is a good way to develop skills like customer service and cash handling (for example, in a charity shop).

Think about how your skills may be valued by a potential employer. Do you have good language or IT skills, or personal qualities like motivation, reliability and a willingness to learn?

Some jobs might be advertised with no experience necessary:

• Some call centre roles, which offer on the job training
• Low level roles in hospitality sector like cleaning
• Flyering and other promotional work
• Some care work

Work shadowing

This can be a great way of exploring possible career areas, through the chance to observe someone in a workplace and ask questions to find out more. See the Prospects web page on work shadowing for an explanation of what it can involve.  

Some students might consider self-employed work, such as freelancing, while studying. Occasionally, you might see freelancing opportunities on Handshake.

Before you do this, think about whether:

• you understand what is required regarding tax and national insurance
• you have agreed terms, such as how you will be paid (for example, will you be working for an agreed fee or an hourly rate?)
• you have the time management skills to fit this kind of work around your studies.

We offer a range of support to students who are setting up their own business or doing freelance work. If you are looking for advice or if you have any questions, visit our enterprise pages or email enterprise@york.ac.uk.

International students

If you're an international student studying on a Student visa you are not allowed to do any self-employed or freelance work. Instead, you should make sure you have a contract of employment, have told your employer your National Insurance number, and are on the company's payroll.

Read our additional information to help international students find work. For advice about how working during your studies might affect your visa, contact the Immigration Advice Service.

Tutoring

Tutoring, online or in person, can be a good way of sharing your subject knowledge, gaining teaching experience, and earning some extra money. Some tutoring opportunities are advertised by agencies in Handshake. Careers and Placements advises that you check any tutoring opportunities carefully before entering into an agreement. Tutoring is often on a freelance or self-employed basis (rather than being employed by a company) and therefore not suitable for international students, as mentioned above. High Speed Training has some good advice about setting up as a sole trader for tutoring.

Influencing

You might hear about some students with large social media followings making money from influencing. That’s promoting brands or products on your social media channels in return for money or free products. It’s possible to make money this way but isn’t an option for most students. If you want to give this a go, you could try contacting businesses you want to work with, but a more realistic option is to sign up to an agency that works with student influencers. Unitaskr and Hype Collective are two examples.

Some traditional 'brand ambassador' jobs are becoming more like influencer jobs. So instead of leafleting or running a promotional stand on campus, you might be promoting a company through your social media channels. 

• Your employment rights
• National minimum wage (GOV.UK)
• Paying tax as a student (GOV.UK)

Example: If you are aged 18-20 and work 10 hours a week paid at the National minimum wage, from April 2024 you will earn £86 (NMW £8.60 per hour). If you need to travel to work by bus, three student day tickets will cost you a total of £12. Unless you have other income, you would not be liable for tax or national insurance. So by working 10 hours you would gain a total of £74 a week.

Getting a National Insurance number

When you get a job you need to give your employer your National Insurance number. All UK students should have been issued with one when they were 16. If you don’t know yours, you can contact the National Insurance number helpline.

Non-UK students need to get a National Insurance number to be employed in the UK. Read more about this in your employment rights.

A lot of part-time jobs, particularly in hospitality or retail, offer zero hours contracts rather than specifying how many hours a week you will work.

This can offer flexibility to both employer and employee, see the government information on zero hours contracts. You can be called on to work when needed, but you are not obliged to accept work shifts if they clash with other commitments (eg university lectures!). However, some students on zero hours contracts report feeling pressurised to work even when it is not convenient, and worry about job security; and of course, there is no guarantee of work.

• Zero hours contracts: advice for students from Youth Employment UK
• Advice on zero hours contracts from StudentJob
• Pros and cons of zero hours contracts from money website

Whatever kind of work you are doing, be aware of your rights, understand how to cope with work pressures, and know how to take care of yourself.

• Health and wellbeing, including tips for wellbeing and where to get support
• Skills guide: time management
• Student sex workers: information and support from York SU

• CV and interview support - help putting together a CV and preparing for job interviews
• Volunteering - opportunities to volunteer in York to develop your skills and meet new people
• Semester-time and summer internships - exclusive internships for York students through York Internships
• Your employment rights - understand your workplace rights such as pay, tax and the law around discrimination
• York Futures Scholarships - financial support to help you access development opportunities related to your future employability (eligibility criteria apply).