Working While in Education

Are you considering working while in education? Although this can be beneficial, it is important to be aware of the difficulties it can bring into your everyday life and to be knowledgeable on how to avoid these problems.

So, we’ve written this blog to give you an insight into your employment rights as a young person and to highlight the positive and negatives of working part-time while studying. 

Government Regulations and Employment Rights

Government regulations can be difficult to get your head around, however, it is important that you know exactly what you are entitled to. Not being able to work during school hours is an example of an important government regulation on child employment. Most university students are 18 and have the full employment rights of an adult. This means that they are able to work full-time whilst studying! It is easy to see why balancing working and studying hours can prove difficult for many university students.

Money, money, money!

It would not be funny if you find yourself being paid under the national minimum age for your particular age bracket, so make sure you know what it is!

Here is a table to show you what the national minimum wage would be for your age range. Excitingly, the national minimum wage is increasing for all ages! Wahoo! We’ve also included the new minimum wage figures for April 2020.

Working while in education is beneficial because…

You are able to gain some independence by having your own cash flow (which means happy parents).
Part-time work offers valuable experience which may improve your employability after leaving education!
You will make new friends and will meet a variety of people who you would never come across at your school, college or university.

However, you need to be careful…

You will have less time for socialising with friends.
You could be potentially working unsociable hours if you are a university student working at pubs/bars/clubs. However, this is an excellent way to meet people so it may be more social than it seems!)
Managing work from your school, college, apprenticeship or university can be stressful even without a part-time job. Therefore, it is important to know what you can handle.
However, if you can balance your education with a part-time job, then you have developed your time management skills – an essential skill for your future career!

We wish you well in finding a part-time job if you chose to do so,  from Earl Street Employment Consultants

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