31 May 2021

Getting a part-time or casual job in high school is red hot. You'll meet a tonne of colleagues that'll turn friends, learn skills that'll stay with you forever, all while earning some cash money baby! 

Whether those dollarydoos go towards buying a new laptop, saving to move out of home eventually, or just your cheeky Maccas runs, making bank feels aaamazing. But how can we juggle the grind with our education? Here's the goss.

1. Find a job that's flexible around school

Obviously, your education is your top priority so you're gonna want a flexible job.

I had three separate jobs in high school and they all worked perfectly for me because I made it clear from the get-go how many hours I wanted and what hours I could feasibly do (as in, giving me enough time to get from school to work).

I would also try to give my managers as much notice as possible if I wanted to take a week or two off to focus on school and they were always happy to work around me!

2. Try regular hours

Say you work every Tuesday afternoon, Thursday afternoon and Sunday morning. You can efficiently organise around school and work to figure out when you can study, and of course, when you can hang out with your friends and fam!

If this seems like a good way to be more on top of things, ask your manager if they can give you regular hours each week!

3. Plan ahead

Trust me, I'm a very disorganised person but I had to step up my game to juggle work and school when it came to assessments and exams. Sometimes, I'd have a massive week of assessments and have a million shifts sprung on me too. To avoid this, you will have to think ahead.

Take time off when it's exam period and give your manager tonnes of notice. You do not want to be left doing all-nighters and struggling to stay awake at work and in your exams, or telling your manager with a days notice that you need to take the week off. That isn't going to be good for anyone!

Not to mention, plan ahead for parties and events! You work hard! You deserve to take off work and have fun with your mates.

4. Don't be afraid to say no

If you’re constantly picking up extra shifts or being called in to work on your days off, it can be hard to say no to the extra cash. When you really need to get some study done, you have plans with your mates or you just wanna chill, don’t be afraid to tell your boss you can’t make it!

5. Take care of yourself

Last but not least, take care of yourself! Sure, I said earlier that school is your priority, but the real top priority is YOU!

Eat well, catch enough zzz's and take time off work to see your mates! It may take a little while to find balance with your social life, school life and work life but you'll get there!