Module 7 Unit 1

Student 1 Flight Attendant

Well, for me one of the accessible summer jobs is that of a flight attendant. In fact, this job is an excellent source of money. Forget the adage that you must be very beautiful for this role and speak five languages - those days are gone. Of course, work with an international airline requires that you can speak a foreign language.

This job will not be available to everyone; aviation law states that you must be must be at least 18 to 21 years old to fly, and most airlines will look favorably upon those who have previous training, I mean, you have to take up a flight attendant training course. So, this job is ideal if you have skills in such areas like customer service, first aid, child care, etc. In fact, this is a highly demanding, responsible job and serving tea and coffee is only the cheesy* part that the passengers see.

Actually, you should be patient and good at dealing with people as well as very attentive and helping because this job involves instructing passengers in the use of emergency equipment, answering questions about the flight and helping people, for example, small children, elderly or disabled passengers and even giving first aid to people.

Also you have to be very self-disciplined and be able to keep calm to reassure passengers in the event of turbulence or help passengers evacuate the plane if there is an emergency landing.

Anyway, this is undoubtedly the best job I have ever done; there is great feeling of friendship among crew and plus you get the possibility of staying in hotels around the globe, free or cheap holidays.

cheesy – здесь эффектный, броский, яркий

Student 2 Barman

I am trying to live student life to the full, and have been since the first year, where I think I went out to at least one of the trendy bars or pubs almost every night. After the Christmas break, I decided that my money problems were getting a little too much, thus I decided to look for a job. I have had part-time jobs before so I was no stranger to the 'working' culture and mentality. I had bar skills which are the most vital skills to have if you are looking for a student job as a barman. In this job you need to be an enthusiastic, friendly type of person, who is able to get along with most people. You should be able to work in a team, sometimes with chefs and cooks and have good communication skills.

Besides, you need to be aware of hygiene and personal cleanliness, be good with numbers, and able to lift and move heavy items. You'll be on your feet most of the time, I can tell you, and so you'll need to be strong and energetic.

I got a bar job in one of the city centre's big clubs and worked there for a number of months. This gave me more new friends and, more importantly money. In fact, I worked 10 hours a week and my salary was pretty high.

If you are thinking of getting a job, make sure you explain that you are a student and cannot work every shift. Anyway, think twice before getting a part-time job. Don’t forget about 'pressure periods' such as coursework deadlines, exam periods and things like that.

Student 3 A member of the Students’ Union

I'm loving every minute of university life. So since last year I’ve been working for the Student's Union. In particular, I’ve been doing photography and sometimes news reporting for our university student-run newspaper. I usually do two shifts a week (that’s 10-20 hours a week with a flexible schedule), and as it is a student's union, I only work during term time. Well, I don’t earn much in this job, but my salary is enough for socializing and paying the rent.

In fact, members of the students union have a lot of responsibilities. We are concerned with students' rights, living conditions as well as giving help with personal, social or academic worries, in other words, we can provide information on all aspects of student life.

It is true that in this job you have to be prepared for lots of intense communication and having lots of fun as well. Actually, we are creating and supporting a great number of clubs and societies. There is a university newspaper, radio station, film society, university theatre and dance studio, windsurfers’ club and many others.

So if you like being in the thick of it then you should be really enthusiastic, cheerful, easy-going and creative person. It would be great if you are good at dealing with people, organizing and making decisions.

As for me, well photography has been my hobby since teenage years and I also developed skills in composing and word processing in my secondary school Poetry club.

Anyway, when you need money see if there are any jobs in the university bar, shop or any other facilities there.

Student 4 Pprogrammer

A good idea is to try and find a job related to the subject you're studying. It helps very much when you're applying for a job after you've got your degree; after all you show some vocational experience. It may be difficult, but at least when you're studying something technical, there are jobs available that are actually paid well.

As a student in Computer Science, I’ve recently found a job in a small company supporting the IT guys. So my job involves writing individual software for them. I am really well-paid, and it’s not just a summer job, it’s a part-time job throughout the year. So I work 20 hours a week.

Being a programmer is very challenging. You have to be very patient and careful with detail. It's pretty much impossible to do this job well unless you are

good at solving all sorts of problems, self-motivated, reliable and independent.

To tell you the truth, it’s sometimes really hard to combine work and study. I mean, I often face up to meeting deadlines both at work and university. But a good salary and the experience I’m getting in this job outweigh all the difficulties.

(Adapted from: www.aplus-ummerjobs.com)