Receiving an invite from a foreign university to pursue the course of your dreams is a hallelujah moment. For some time till you set foot in the university to commence your study abroad you cannot think about anything beyond the triumph of having got the desired object.
Studying abroad does not stop there. You see your peers doing things that appear an absolute must. From joining societies to sitting in the library to finish assignments with a hot cup of coffee, and a cold pizza waiting for you in your dorm room, you get your cue for what all you have to do to sail through your course at a foreign university.
But it’s the month-end when you have no money in your pocket to afford those pizzas anymore and you’re terrified to ask your parents for money- what do you do?
A great solution to the money issue for students to make their study abroad time easier is to take up part-time jobs. Part-time jobs hardly hamper studies, they are a great way to make quick money and you always end up learning something on the way.
But money ain’t the only reason why you should work part-time during your study abroad.
10 Reasons Why You Should Take Part-Time Jobs While You Study Abroad
1. Extra Earning to Meet Expenses
A part-time job when studying abroad translates into extra money to meet expenses. These over and above expenses received from home can offset expenses that are not accounted for. These could be an extra-large burger at McD’s or a movie ticket. It could also mean a tuition class or a necessary coursebook. Money to spare is always a comfort.
2. Building Language and Social Skills
When you leave your home ground to study abroad you have to make that extra effort to settle in a foreign atmosphere. Working at a part-time job will take you out of your hostel room and expose you to the real-time society of that country. This gives you an opportunity to meet the local people, learn their language and their way of doing things
Working part-time while experiencing the foreign university ecosystem helps you to be one of the people of the country, and bond with your peers with whom you are going to stay for the next 3 to 4 years.
Recommended Read: A Sojourner’s Tale of Two Cities: Experiencing the Foreign University
3. Building Professional and Personal Networks
A part-time job when studying abroad exposes you to scores of people who gradually form your contact list. It is these people who help you in your work-study balance when studying abroad. Later too if you decide to extend your stay; it is this network that will facilitate you.
4. Learn to Manage Money
When you study abroad and away from home, the feeling of suddenly being a responsible grown-up often stops you from running to parents whenever short of cash. Plan your finances for your study abroad program to manage your funds judiciously. A balance has to be maintained where you don’t overspend on one thing and leave yourself unable to afford another. A part-time job is an answer to this threat. When you learn to earn money you think before you spend; particularly abroad where you are completely on your own.
Recommended Read: How to Plan Your Finances for Your Study Abroad Program
5. Developing Skills That Help in Future
A part-time job develops skills that are not taught in a classroom. This is what hands-off training is all about. It teaches you to take initiative, be a team player, develop an eye for details, etc. The skills you learn while working part-time, during your time abroad, most definitely come in handy in your personal life too.
6. Enhancing Confidence Levels
It is often noticed that student life does not do much to grow confidence levels. But part-time jobs which are more often than not customer-facing/ retail or hospitality bring about smoothness in your approach to talking to people. It gradually removes the introvert aspect of your nature and teaches you to be a natural talker.
7. Developing Interpersonal Skills
Studying abroad and working at a part-time job does wonders for developing interpersonal skills. This is a skill set that helps you to interact with people of different communities, nationalities, and personality types, smoothly. You will learn to communicate effectively keeping in mind their sensitivities and their cultural differences. Once again, this is a wonderful building for your future.
8. Gaining Independence
Working a part-time job while studying abroad affords you independence in the true sense of the word. With financial independence comes the freedom to do things that you have never done before. It also shows your responsibilities towards yourself. And thus you are answerable to yourself. You also have to fend for yourself. This becomes a character-building exercise and stands you in good stead in the future.
9. Learn Time-Management
Studying abroad means a different time zone other than your native one. Coupled with that when you enrol for a part-time job; it will take a good amount of juggling on your part to keep your classroom schedule and your work schedule. As a result, you learn to manage time without allowing any time or energy leak. Another skill when learned will stay with you all your life.
10. Earning Professional Perks
The perks that companies distribute to their part-timer oftentimes go a long way in helping the student studying abroad to defray expenses in the foreign land. So over and above the salary that the part-time jobber gets; he/ she gets to pocket that extra freebie that will contribute to his monthly budget.
Conclusion
It’s not out of the ordinary to find part-time job/jobs to maintain yourself while getting through your studies abroad. It can be a life-changing experience and a fulfilling one at that.
Going abroad is a dream many students aspire to fulfil since their childhood. Mindler is here to help you get your dream college abroad!
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