Sweden ranks among the countries with the most advanced education systems globally. Universities in Sweden including Lund, Stockholm, Halmstad and the rest listed here, have carved a space in the academic space thanks to illustrious research. For this reason plus the high ranking of the country in the global happiness index, international students cross the borders from within and outside the European Union to acquire cutting edge skills and set themselves on an impactfull career path. But something peculiar with being an international student in Sweden is the need to find ways of coping with the high costs of living there.
Even with a full scholarship, any diligent international student must find some part time job to not only keep them usefully engaged during time off campus but also to supplement their scholarship and financial support from home. So, having an idea about possible part time jobs in Sweden for international students has a great imperative in making their lives better out there.
In Sweden, just like the rest of Scandinavian countries, students understand that life doesn’t start and end with spending hours on end in the library. After all, there is a psychological dividend that comes with sparing some time of the day away from books and research just to allow the brain some time to refresh.
As a foreign student in Sweden, you soon realize that fellow students prefer to go for part time jobs before or after their classes. So it’s only a matter of time before you jump into the fray and find a flexible part time job alongside your study period in Sweden.
Common part time jobs for students in Sweden
It is very much okay and legal for international students just like local ones to engage in part time jobs that best suit their study schedule. Any student studying in the Swedish universities has a permission to work part time as long as they have their residence permit.
At the time of receiving your residence permit or visa for Sweden, the allowed work periods are well spelled out there. It is important that a student keeps closely referring to the terms of the held residence permit so as not to run the risk of breaching its provisions. Ideally, the choice of part time jobs should be from the pool of flexible ones that need early morning, late evening or weekend attendance. With this, the student gets enough time to exclusively focus on studies with part time jobs being more or less like leisure activities.
To take up part time jobs in Sweden requires students to do self evaluation and only do what their individual abilities can tolerate. Understandably, some students are highly talented and able to multitask without putting their studies in jeopardy. At the same time. A fraction of international students in Sweden may find it extremely hard working and studying at the same time. So the decision on whether to work part time or not should be well guided.
Some of the common part time jobs that students in Sweden go for are: receptionist, catering assistant, library assistant, food delivery, babysitting, tutoring among others. Most of these jobs can fit into a student’s busy school schedules. Most students look for part time jobs to help with their expenses without interfering with their studies.
Benefits of working part part time jobs as a student in Sweden
Some students may find it intolerable and unsettling to focus on both studies and work all at the same time. But being that your residence permit in Sweden allows you a limited work period counts for good reason. The period spent working part time has nothing to do with distracting you from studying as the main thing.
Working part time as a student can be at times stressful since you have to think about how it’s going to affect your grades. But if you learn the rhythm and get on top of things, the part time jobs make one be responsible and confident about themselves. Working as a student allows the student to learn workplace culture in Sweden, accept and take on the new challenges and responsibilities. Collectively, these experiences can help someone to grow into an independent person.
Another benefit of working while studying in Sweden is that one learns how to manage their time well. Typically students have to balance between studying, finishing assignments and working at the same time so this as well improves management skills. Stable cash flow is also a benefit in one way or another since having a steady income allows you to pay your debts leaving you with less stress.
Can part time work affect academic performance as a student in Sweden?
Like anything else, working part time as a student in Sweden may come with certain costs. The nature of effects that one experiences especially about academic performance vary largely from person to person and depending on how effective one allocates time. It all boils down to a student’s ability to balance time, share the 24 hours of the day so well that no necessary aspect of learning lags behind. A failure to sufficiently budget your time as a student and still engaging in part time job can be a tragic mistake.
Improperly sharing time for studies and part time work as a student may lead to delayed graduation, dropping out or bad grades. In worst cases, these three effects come together and may make a student feel so hopeless and inadequate.
How part time work affects a student in Sweden. depends on the working hours’ time one takes and flexibility of the work schedule. For instance those who work for 20 hours a day and early morning or late evening may have a better control of their studies than those trying to squeeze in work hours during the study time which sometimes lead to skipping of lectures and incomplete assignments.
How do you expect to maintain or improve on your grades while you do not have enough time to study? Therefore, working hours also matter a lot. But its not true that students who work get worse grades.
