You are looking for a job to finance your studies, or your student life. However, be careful! It can be difficult to separate your student life from your professional life. It is important to keep a balance between these different aspects of your life. Here are our tips on how to balance your studies and your job!
Find the right job
First of all, you need to find the right job that meets your expectations and needs.
Whatever your reason for looking for a job, there are several things to consider in order to create harmony between your studies and your professional life.
The hours
You have found the sector in which you wish to apply, the first step is over!
Now, pay attention to the number of hours offered. Indeed, taking contracts with too many hours per week can bring you a lot of money but the mental and physical fatigue that comes from juggling too many things at once can be detrimental to your studies.
In order to keep your student job from interfering with your class schedule, try to apply for jobs after you have your college semester schedule.
If this is possible, try to work during the day. A 16-hour maximum contract is fine.
Think about your health
Your health also plays an important part in finding the perfect job for your situation. Keep in mind that you should not :
- work too many hours
- do a job that is too mentally exhausting
- do a job that is too physical
Be aware of your limits, both physical and mental. If you are too tired to keep up with your classes because of your job, it is not a good balance and in the long run, can become dangerous.
Also, remember to save some mental space for your studies. Your job cannot give you too much responsibility or pressure.
Night shifts should be avoided. Although night receptionist contracts can make you look like a simple job where you don't do much, working and staying up all night is not good for your brain and body if you are not used to this rhythm.
Organization is the key word!
Be organized from the moment you start looking for your part-time job in order to reconcile your student life and your job. There are several points to take into account, including
- working hours
- transportation time from home or from your university
- your exam period
When to take a student job?
If you can, avoid taking a student job during your first year of college. The change in the way you study between high school and your studies afterwards will be significant enough.
In the event that you are required to start working during your first year, choose short contracts or contracts with few hours.
As mentioned above, a student should not work more than 16 hours per week. You also need to think about how your work hours are divided up.
Your school or university may have days or half-days blocked off in your academic schedule to allow students to work.
Of course, if your course requires a mandatory internship, as it is often the case in France, several months of your academic career will be designated for this. So don't take on a job that might conflict with the internship.
Organize your time according to your needs. If you want to go out with your friends and try all the restaurants around you, you probably don't want to work on weekends. If you are looking for a break between your student life and your job, then a few hours of work on Saturdays and Sundays, in a supermarket for example, will be perfect for you.
Commuting time
The time you spend in transportation (public or personal) greatly influences your state of mind. It is therefore very important to integrate this into your organization.
When looking for a job, give preference to student jobs that are close to your home!
During the exam period
Your exams are a stressful time, so you don't want to add a last minute conversation with your employer about whether you are allowed to take a few days off to take them.
Communication with your boss is essential in order to balance your exams and your student job.
A declared job with flexible hours
Your job must be declared so that you can be covered in case of accident or conflict with your employer. Some students choose to work "under the table" for baby-sitting missions, for example, but in addition to being illegal, this can be detrimental to you.
Mômji, the perfect babysitting agency for students
By working with Mômji, you can find a job quickly right next door to you! The hours are flexible and adapt to your schedule.
You have a job declared in an approved agency and Mômji becomes your employer. You then have access to many advantages such as health insurance, free language courses, good deals and discounts all year long... 😉
