Summer has come to London! The heat! The sun! The Olympics! The week started off with such promise and the weather hasn’t disappointed. With a dissertation deadline looming and writing that needs to get drafted, the smell of summer distracts for the joyful celebration of the sporting event of the year. They’re also known as ‘study breaks’ as I like to call them.

With my dissertation near completion the next step of the process comes to light: internship or part time job? It’s a topic I’ve struggled with throughout the year. As an international student, I’m allowed to work but only part-time during my studies. Once I’ve submitted my dissertation, I believe my visa allows me to work full time, as long as it isn’t a permanent position. This means I can work on a contract basis, for example as a full time editor for a newspaper for three months only.

The whole working whilst you study as an international student is a bit of struggle to wrap your head around. Isn’t it enough work studying in a foreign country? Then again, who has the ability to not work and study at the same time? The debate has been ongoing. In between term breaks I’d try to tackle the task of transferring my work skills to the UK standard employment Curriculum Vitae also known as a CV. Not every country uses the CV format and is was a task to ask my friends constantly to look it over or for their opinion. The CV is the ultimate gamble because you have no idea how on the other side is looking at it. It’s impossible to know what they expect or want to see unless you know them personally.

As it’s a ‘productive’ use of my time, when I take breaks from researching, drafting and editing my dissertation, the next project I work on is creating a decent CV. The plan is to apply to roles that are part-time and located within an acceptable distance of where my university is.

Where does an international student start looking for work? It’s certainly not the same in every country so learn how it relates to your country.

Source: Hotcourses Nigeria.