by Alessandra Gallerano
The workload in St Andrews is not to be underestimated, and I think, especially at the beginning, it takes quite a bit to get used to the different university system and study method. However, it is not so hard to find a student job in St Andrews. There are some possibilities within the university itself (University Library, Student Association, etc.), but you might need to apply months in advance; other options could be to work at a coffee shop, restaurant, pub, shop, etc. The Job Centre in St Andrews is very helpful and you can find several offers on the web as well. Last semester (from December to the end of January) I worked at a Coffee Shop and I quite enjoyed it, even though is was not easy to "organize" my time, especially when preparing essays, exams, etc. As I don't have any financial aid, working was very useful, but for grantholders the scholarship should be enough to cover your expenses.
Anyway, the minimum wage in Scotland is 5.65£ and the allowed hours for international students are 20 per week. The only thing you need in order to work in the UK is a National Insurance Number (provided by the Job Centre, following an interview) and, in some cases, a UK bank account.
Hope this information can be useful!
