The UK is an increasingly attractive option for Nigerian students. The British Government stated that the number of Nigerian granted sponsored study visas increase by over 500 percent in two years.
Between March 2020 to March 2022, circa 50,000 UK study visas were granted to Nigerians. Nigerians have the third highest number of granted sponsored study visas behind China and India as of March 2022.
One of the benefits of the UK for International students is the opportunity to work part time during school terms to provide supplementary income to cover basic expenses such as feeding, transport and rent. The average cost of living for a single student in the UK could be anything from £7,600 to £12,500 per annum. The National Minimum wage in the UK is £9.50 per hour for workers over 23 years of age.
Let us examine some of the jobs available for International Students in the UK on a part-time basis:
- Kitchen Porter: This role can be in a hotel, restaurant, or bar. It involves washing dishes, keeping floors cleaning, sanitizing food preparation surfaces, and assisting with food preparation. It could be quite intense and draining for one not used to kitchen environments. Average pay in the UK is around £11.53 per hour.
- Bartender: This role requires minimal skill and training. Income could also be supplemented through tips from satisfied customers. Some employers could offer free meals and drinks to staff. Average pay is around £10.00 per hour.
- Student Ambassador: You could work for the university in a promotional capacity. Helping to market the school to the international student market. This role may involve live chats, phone conversations and email correspondence with prospective students. Average pay is around £8.00 per hour.
- Dog Walker: Be warned. This is not advisable for people petrified by dogs; it goes without saying. This role needs people with excellent social skills in terms of client relationships. It may not be an easy role to secure as clients may be skeptical about trusting people with their pets. The average salary is anything between £9 to £14 per hour.
- Private Tutor: This is a lucrative role compared to the others and can fetch as high as £25 per hour. The schedule is flexible, and you could be tutoring elementary, high school or university students on academic subjects like Mathematics and Physics or even unique skills like Piano playing or Coding.
- Store Manager or Retail Associate: This involves managing stores, keeping them aesthetically appealing, inventory management and customer relationship. Average pay is £9.50 to £13.50 per hour.
- Warehouse Operative: Involves unloading and packing items to be delivered to customers, Proper stock taking, moving stock around using lifting gear like forklifts as well as receiving deliveries of goods and supplies. The wage is around £9.30 per hour.
