Student blogs

“How do you find a part-time job in Sweden?” This is a question I have gotten a lot from prospective students, and it was something I was curious about myself when moving to Stockholm. In this blog, I’ll cover balancing part-time jobs with studying plus a bit on my experience and where to look for jobs.

Balancing studying and working (without losing your mind) 

Balancing studies and a job can be incredibly overwhelming, so it’s important to reflect on whether you have the mental space, the energy or simply enough time to do so. Think about what you value: do you want a busy social life? Do you want extra time to study without the stress? Or are you fine with working on the weekends, or having a more strict schedule? Of course, for some it is not an option on whether they get an extra job or not, however, if you have the choice, it is worth considering those factors. 

Last year, I gave myself a couple of weeks to see how I found the course workload and if it was feasible for me to balance it with another job. Since the working pace of my programme was much lower than what I was used to, I decided that I would indeed be able to do it alongside a second job (or two!). I realized I would either have to work on weekends (as class is during the day and most restaurants want evening weekend workers), or I had to find a more flexible job. Luckily, I became a KI digital ambassador (am very grateful for this job!) and a few weeks later I stumbled across a flyer in a quiet library hallway, I applied and got that one too. I ended up with two digital jobs: the KI digital ambassador blogger role and another digital ambassador social media position at an institution. This allowed me to have a flexible schedule since I could usually work whenever it suited me during the week. However, on busy weeks, I made sure to keep a strict schedule to not fall behind on working and studying. In the end, it all worked out, I didn’t lose my mind, and I got a bit of extra money per month, which is always helpful when living in a country as expensive a Sweden!

Where to find for part-time jobs 

Finding a part-time job in this economy is already hard enough – when you add not speaking Swedish to it, it becomes a bit of an extra challenge. However, I have realised over the past year and a half that it’s all about knowing where to look. Below I’ll provide a list, so that you have an idea of where to start.

Restaurants of a specific cuisine 

Tapas restaurants usually want Spanish speakers, same as Italian pizza places would want Italian speakers. It adds to the authentic vibe many of these cuisine-specific restaurants are trying to provide to their customers. If you don’t speak Swedish, but speak good English and the language of the country the restaurant’s cuisine belongs to, they may be more likely to hire you.  

Touristy Gamla stan

Since there are so many tourists in this area, you may be able to get away with not speaking fluent Swedish and just speaking English (of course having some basic Swedish always helps!). Send them an email or go in person with your CV, and lean on your previous hospitality experience or simply on how you love working with people.

Babysitting websites 

These positions often allow for a more flexible schedule. Parents are often looking for help to pick up children from school, and there are even some babysitter websites that are looking for bilingual babysitters! So if you speak English + another language and you have experience working with kids, you could find something there! 

Through universities and institutions 

Universities and institutions tend to look for student ambassadors, social media ambassadors and student assistants. That’s where I found both of my part-time jobs! So make sure to see if there’s any university job you may be eligible for. 

Handing out your CV 

I know this sounds intimidating, and sure, it is. However, I have found it is a really effective way to get a part-time job. One Friday afternoon, I took an hour to walk around my neighborhood and hand out my CV to restaurants and cafes that were close by. Most did not get back to me, but in one, (a tapas place), I spoke to the manager and he proposed a schedule for me. In this case it didn’t work out because our schedules did not align, but I was surprised that I was able to find something so quick. If management working at a store, restaurant or cafe can see your face and talk to you, they’re more likely to remember you and thus more likely to hire you! I have done this a few times, and each time it got a bit easier. 

The pinboard with the ads/flyers in the library

This may be a bit of a random one, but speaking from personal experience, it can work. I stumbled across a flyer promoting a digital ambassador position at an institution on a random Tuesday, I applied and I got the job. Therefore, take a quick look, you never know what may catch your eye.

Balancing a part-time job with studying can be a struggle. But if you are up for the challenge, then the next step is actually finding one, which some may argue is even more difficult. However, there are different approaches you can take to make it a bit easier as explained above. It may take some time, but eventually you will find something!