As a third (and final) year student at Warwick, I’m no stranger to dipping into my overdraft and spending money that I don’t have. Be it bills, booze, food, or late-night Amazon buys, my maintenance loan is not enough to live on. Whilst I’m grateful for the free soup and breakfast that the uni sometimes offers, it isn’t sustainable. So, what do I do? I look for work. During term-time, my go-to is Unitemps, a website tailored specifically for students with a variety of filters to help you find what you’re looking for. This article is by no means sponsored- oh, how I wish it was– and is intended only to help the girlies (in the most gender-neutral way possible) navigate the site. As a disclaimer, I am not looking for permanent or longer-term roles through the site, so cannot comment on that aspect. So, read on to hear more about my experiences with Unitemps, ups and downs included.
If I remember correctly, I first stumbled upon Unitemps in Sixth Form after getting it confused with Unifrogs, a website my school recommended for post-higher-education options. This meant that I was quick to sign up after coming to Warwick and had already nosed around it. The percentage bar on the main page was particularly useful in helping me complete my profile, and recommending me tasks like adding a CV and more specific search criteria. I was, however, over-confident in myself and used the same CV template that I’d had since Year 8, so probably should have utilised the CV-builder at a much earlier point. Regardless, the option was offered and gave examples so would likely help those struggling to start.
With the user-friendly accessibility and variety of support offered, I was shocked to hear that some of my university peers hadn’t made an account, let alone heard of the site. Was it not as popular as I thought it was? On top of that, my previous partner told me that Unitemps isn’t available where he studies and that they have an internal version. Was I being presumptuous? Regardless, it was enough of a reason to write this article. Hopefully, it will motivate someone to register with Unitemps and make a start with job-hunting. After all, the student life is (devastatingly) expensive.
In the last two and a bit years, I’ve booked numerous roles through the site. These include Mock Interview Staff, Student Ambassador and Arrivals Assistant. They have been on the shorter side, from a one-hour job to a few days long, but Unitemps offers longer roles. Cover Nursery Worker, Casual Steward and Library Support Staff are three that I’ve noticed at Warwick, lasting up to an academic year each. They’re not what I’m looking for but the point is that Unitemps does offer a fairly varied selection. If you are looking for a longer position, I advise you to keep an eye out at the start of the academic year, and perhaps at each term. My Student Advantage (specific to Warwick), Indeed and Facebook groups are other good platforms to check.
The biggest downside of Unitemps is, I’d say, the infrequency of suitable roles. I’ve skipped out on a fair few litter-picking and catering positions because of a lack of public transport nearby. Or, even after filtering the branch to Warwick, I’ll be shown options from Bristol. As much as I love one-off jobs and think the Clifton Suspension Bridge is cool (idk guys, I don’t get out much), I’m not travelling 2 and a half hours on the train, with no overnight accommodation, to spend more than I’d earn.
When something does come up though, it doesn’t take long to attach my CV and write a cover letter. For roles I haven’t done before, I’ll check on Indeed for a sample and take inspiration from it. Often, I’ll reference from the ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ or ‘Skills’ section on the position’s description, tailoring that and Indeed’s advice. In essence, most of the information is already there: I just need to streamline it.