June 5, 2025, by Jackie Thompson

Juggling work and study as an estranged student: Weighing up the pros and cons

By Sadie Pickett, second-year English student

Photo by Gastro Editorial on Unsplash

Estrangement – not having contact or support from parental figures – isn’t just hard on you mentally, but also financially. It can be overwhelming trying to decipher whether part-time work is right for you, so let’s unpick this together.

Building independence

Part-time work is a gateway to independence for many of us in the estranged community. For example, leading up to the summer of my first year, I had to undertake part-time work to fund my summer accommodation. At this point, I wasn’t sure if I would be granted a bursary for my estrangement or not, so I tried to save as much as I could.

I wanted financial independence and to be able to sustain myself in Nottingham long-term; finances and accommodation were the only thing left tying me to my parents. I called up my previous manager who I worked for during sixth form, and had my role transferred to a branch in Nottingham, and I worked the maximum number of hours that I could without missing my classes. Although I often did, as I was exhausted from working so often.   This leads into my next point…

Set boundaries!

Initially, it’s important to define your boundaries with your employer (that is, needing more flexibility around essay deadlines, leaving time for research and reading outside of your university timetable and so on). Occasionally, you may come across a manager who fails to understand that your studies come before your part-time job, and they will push you to take more hours, miss classes and jeopardise your performance.

Having a strong set of boundaries from the outset helps to prevent this. I know it sounds daunting, but you can use this to your advantage; it is good practice to set these boundaries and to get comfortable asserting yourself in these situations, as it will help you later in both your personal and professional life.

Showcasing the skills you develop from part-time work to a future employer

Taking on part-time work alongside studies shows an array of desirable qualities to future employers. Some of which are: organisational skills, adaptability, time-management and self-motivation. You will gain a variety of situations to reference for questions such as: “Give me an example of a time you worked as a team” or “Name a time where you had to think on your feet”.

In addition to all of this, the experience you will gain from applying to jobs (even if you don’t get them) is priceless; learning to adapt situations you’ve been in to showcase your suitability for different roles is a skill in itself. Additionally, the interview experience will develop your confidence, thus improving your performance in future interviews – what I’m saying is: even if you aren’t successful right away in your job hunt, the experience will strengthen your ability ready for the next one.

Is it worth it?

Part-time work is a lot to commit to on the side of studying, but ultimately, with the right boundaries and a healthy work-life balance, you can definitely make it work. My advice would be to prioritise studies, and check in with yourself regularly: does this feel okay? Trust your instinct!

We’re here to help! If you are care-experienced or estranged from your family and you’d like to chat about anything job or career related, please email Hannah Woolley at [email protected] 

 

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