This tireless university student told how she has been conquering her education while balancing six jobs on the side.
Ever-working Gina Brand decided that she wasn’t going to take university lightly and has made it her goal to earn her keep while studying, while also funding the life she aims for.
The student has been using her earnings to fund her lifestyle at university, fund travelling experiences across the world and has also put some aside for a house in the future.
Gina, from Blackburn, UK, said: “Working six jobs has been rewarding and challenging, but was always worth it when the pay checks come in.
“I balance work, studies and a social life very well. I pick up as many hours as possible to allow myself to treat myself on holidays as well as making ends meet.
“I try my best to save money but being a Uni student it is hard to save so working multiple jobs helps.”
She added: “I am quite good with my money, so I try to put some aside. I am saving for a house, annual car insurance and also holidays and travels.
“In the summer I am going to Sri Lanka for four weeks to volunteer on a marine and wildlife conservation project, so I have been saving towards.
“My family loves that I am proactive and work as hard as I can in many aspects of my life. My friends are also very supportive of my jobs.”
Gina is now completing her final year in business and marketing at Northumbria University, working towards an impressive first, but that hasn’t stopped her grafting on the side.
While she says university work will always be the priority, she has undertaken six different jobs which have allowed her to reach her goals, which involve working behind a bar, in a warehouse, in hospitality, as a student representative, as a student brand manager and also as a content creator.
During term time, which is filled with work for her course, Gina manages to undertake 16 hours a week in hospitality, alongside four hours a week as a content creator and a couple more hours a week as a student representative and brand manager.
This she says, added over £200 a week into her pockets, with tips/bonuses, where out of term time, she worked around 40 hours a week, mainly with her warehouse job, that pushed her earnings up to over £400 a week.
She added that her coursework can add up to another 12 hours a week which she believes works in tandem with her jobs, and allows her to keep on thriving with her education.
Gina said: “I decided to work six jobs alongside Uni as it enabled me to obtain an income to support my expenses and to go towards travel in the semester breaks.
“My jobs are split between Uni and my home town, enabling me to earn an income wherever I am.
“My Uni schedule is up to 12 hours a week, so it works well alongside Uni until assignment season creeps in.
“I continuously put Uni first and when assignment season begins, I drop hours and put more work into Uni.”
She explained: “The commute to my jobs is small. Back home, I work via an agency for my warehouse job and the furthest I have travelled is 20 minutes to work, usually it’s 15 minutes.
“My bar job back home is a 10-minute drive. My student rep job is on campus and as a student brand manager, I work similarly to an estate agent and show students around properties which are all based in close proximity to Newcastle Centre, so the commute is small.
“My content creator role is based on campus taking different videos of the Uni’s food offerings. My hospitality job is also with an agency so the location varies.
“I am enjoying my jobs, every day is different in most of them, and I enjoy working with my friends. I love my job as a student brand manager as I am able to conduct viewings and participate in marketing events.”
The student explained how she is on track for a first class degree, as she averaged a first 75% in her second year and achieved 87% third year so far.
Gina added: “In my career, I am aiming to pursue a marketing role, particularly I would like to work with a marketing agency to facilitate collaborating with various businesses on different projects.
“I save up every year for volunteering projects also, I volunteered in Fiji, Bali and this year will be Sri Lanka.
“The money also goes on daily expenses, but I’ve saved a couple of thousand towards buying a house.
“In its peak, I was earning £250 a week in term time and tips and bonuses when I successfully let a property.
“Now I earn around £150 a week. In the Uni semester breaks I earn £430 a week from the warehouse!”