When you are a student with no work experience, it can be difficult to know what jobs are available to you. The good news is everybody starts somewhere and there are jobs perfect for students with no work experience. Here we list a few:
Retail work
Most students and inexperienced adults start with retail work. It is easy to get into it and it provides plenty of transferable skills, from customer advice to problem-solving. Retail work is also flexible and you can choose the hours you work.
The best times to apply for retail work is during the busy holiday seasons when most shops are looking for an extra pair of hands.
Restaurants and bars
Working as a waiter/waitress or bartender is another common student job. Once again this environment offers flexibility, so you can choose the hours you are not studying and available for work. In terms of skills to be gained, this is a fast-paced environment and you will gain a lot. You will improve your communication and interaction skills, resolve problems on the spot, and deal with the added stress during busy times.
Like retail work, restaurant/bar work also offers you the chance to experience the “real-world” by meeting and dealing with people from all walks of life.
Call centres
Call centres are perfect for those with other commitments and they get plenty of students working for them. Once hired, you give them your availability and they get you started on available projects. Students who do well can earn a lot of money as more projects are made available to them, so the earning potential is higher than retail and restaurant work.
Some of the important skills you gain/improve in call centres include communication and persuasion skills, both of which you use daily to get people to speak with you on the phone. These are very much desired skills in business and will open doors for you once you complete your studies. Some of the projects they get you to work on in call centres can take 40 minutes to complete – it truly takes talent to make a stranger give that much of a time.
Tutoring/ teaching
If you did well in your studies, there are opportunities to tutor younger children. There are plenty of tutoring centres that are always looking for new teachers. You can also advertise your service online on sites like Gumtree. Although this is a limited and more competitive role to get into, it is far more rewarding than other student jobs.
Street fundraising
Charities also offer flexible work for students, particularly in the fundraising side of their work. Research the top charities in your area and see what opportunities they have for students and those looking for part-time work. The skills you develop are quite similar to those gained in call centres and will open doors to future roles where persuasion and effective communication skills are desired.
Websites to get you started:
There are also plenty of other industries looking for students for part-time work. Check out these student job sites (where you can find jobs for students with no work experience):
Other sites for all: Indeed, Reed and Totaljobs are also good sites for finding work. For more career advice and tips, see our career advice section.