Finding a job while you study
Working alongside your studies can be a great way to get experience, in addition to giving you extra money to live on.
Futures, the Careers Service at Marjon is here to help you with finding a part time job and preparing a CV or job application, supporting your studies and building on your experience whilst at University. You can drop in to the Careers Cube in the Hub for support, email futures@marjon.ac.uk or connect with us on social media @MarjonFutures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Work for Marjon
One of the easiest ways to work while studying is to see what opportunities there are to work for Marjon. Our website has a regularly updated jobs section, and there are several different kinds of role which you’ll see advertised there, including Student Ambassadors, Resident Student Assistants (who are “paid” through a rent reduction) and the Welcome team.
Flexible work for University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Frontline workers at Derriford Hospital include a lot of bank workers, which means you sign up only for the shifts you can cover. You can find out which positions are currently available here.
Find work through an agency
Big Ant Recruitment are often looking for front of house and event staff. Visit their website to register.
Finding work off-campus
There are more North Plymouth job opportunities due to the expansion around Derriford and surrounds. Here are some to get you started:
B&Q
National DIY chain B&Q is just under 20 minutes walk from our campus in Crownhill Retail Park, and with an opening time of 7am, may offer a surprising amount of flexibility. Visit their careers site to see if they currently have any opportunities available.
Fast food
Pizza Hut at Derriford, Domino’s Pizza and Papa John’s at Woolwell – there are three pizza delivery places near to campus that could be looking for kitchen and shopfront workers, and if you’ve got your own transport then you could work as delivery driver. Dominos recruitment is here, Pizza Hut is here and Papa John's is here.
Tim Horton’s
Canadian fast food chain Tim Horton’s recently opened a branch opposite B&Q which is open from 6am-12am every day. Find out more on their recruitment page.
KFC
KFC at Crownhill retail park has both a restaurant and drive-through. Find their careers site here.
The Range
The Range is a Plymouth success story, and their head office is based not far from our campus alongside one of their flagship stores. Job opportunities are advertised on their website here, and could include warehouse and retail work.
Hotels
The Future Inn and the Travelodge Plymouth Derriford are both close to campus, and have their own websites for recruitment. They may need cleaning, front-of-house and maintenance staff, and in the case of the Future Inn, kitchen workers. Travelodge recruitment is here and Future Inn is here.
Work as a barista
Costa Coffee at Derriford Hospital and Starbucks adjacent to The Range periodically recruit baristas, and both companies have dedicated recruitment sites. Starbucks careers is here and Costa careers is here.
Gyms
Feed.Move.Live Gym in Estover, Nuffield Health and Derriford Centre for Health and Wellbeing are all gyms located close to campus (in addition to our own Sports Centre) and they may need staff.
Supermarkets
Woolwell and Roborough are two adjacent suburbs in the north of Plymouth which share a shopping precinct. They are about five minutes away by bus or fifteen minutes on foot.
Tesco Roborough is one of the largest supermarkets in the area and often has jobs available for in-store staff and delivery drivers. Find out more about their latest roles here.
Lidl at Woolwell – located opposite Tesco Roborough, this smaller supermarket also often has roles available via their careers website.
Marks & Spencer Simply Food
This smaller M&S branch is near the entrance to Crownhill Retail Park, and will advertise any roles available here.
Aldi at Derriford
German supermarket Aldi is building a new branch at Derriford close to The Range, and will recruit staff via their careers website once it is opened.
Clip N Climb, Adrenalin
Clip N Climb and Adrenalin are two indoor activity centres which are part of The Ship, a pretty unique-looking building south of our campus. They don’t have careers websites, so to find out if they have positions available either email them, or check a jobs website like Indeed.com.
Job interview tips
If you’re worried about the need to buy an interview outfit, our chaplaincy has a library of interview outfits which have been donated by staff, students and their families.
The Marjon Careers, Employability, and Enterprise team, Futures, offer the following top tips when preparing for interview:
- Get ahead of the crowd. Lots of jobs, especially the ones you’re likely to apply for once you’ve graduated, offer you the chance to speak to someone at the company before the interview takes place. This can be a great way to both put your mind at ease, because they are likely to be part of your interview and so you’ll already have introduced yourself, and to make sure you stand out from the other candidates.
- Do your research. Before your interview, take some time to learn about the company and the position you're applying for. This will show the interviewer that you're genuinely interested in the job and that you've taken the time to prepare.
- Dress professionally. First impressions matter, so make sure you dress appropriately for your interview. This means wearing clean, pressed clothes that are appropriate for the company culture (remember to use the interview outfit library here if you need to!)
- Be on time. Punctuality is important, so make sure you arrive for your interview on time. Sometimes, though, even the best laid plans can go wrong, so if you're running late, call the interviewer as soon as possible to let them know.
- Be polite and respectful. Throughout your interview, be polite and respectful to the interviewer. This means making eye contact, using a firm handshake, and speaking politely.
- Be prepared to answer questions. The interviewer will likely ask you a variety of questions about your skills, experience, and qualifications. Be prepared to answer these questions in a clear and concise way.
- Ask questions of your own. At the end of the interview, you'll have the opportunity to ask the interviewer questions. This is a great way to show your interest in the company and the position.
Here are some additional tips that may be helpful:
- Be positive. Talk about things you’ve done well, and don’t fall into the trap of talking about when things went wrong. Also avoid saying anything bad about any previous employers you might have, no matter how tempted you are.
- Be confident. Believe in yourself and your abilities, and let the interviewer see that confidence.
Current students can access resources, and book an appointment with Futures to prepare for interview.