Managing your finances as a student

Children's Nursing Postgraduate Diploma student Hannah shares tips on managing your money as a student. 
One thing I wish I’d known before I started my nursing training is how little time I would have to keep on top of my finances. There is loads of advice out there about getting the best student bank account, finding the best deals, and budgeting for university. Whilst it wasn’t the most exciting prospect in the world, if I had spent more time on this during the summer before I started my course, it would have saved me stress later on.

Juggling academic studies with a professional qualification is a challenge in itself, and although I always planned to work part-time to support myself through the course, it hasn’t always been easy to find the time. The good news is, there are periods of the course when working part-time is very compatible with university commitments as our timetables are published well in advance, and there is no shortage of casual work available if you can’t commit to regular hours. I work for King’s as a Student Ambassador and Exam Invigilator, so I can sign up for work that suits me, and of course my employer understands that my university course is my top priority! But, there are times when it can be harder to fit work in, for example when assignments are due, and in particular when I’m on placement the shift patterns are not always predictable. This makes it much harder to get work in the diary too!

If I was to do one thing differently, I would have budgeted to reflect that some months I would not be able to work, this would have taken the pressure off during really busy months and alleviated some of my financial worries. There are lots of places to get help with financial planning if you need it, but if in doubt the King's Money Advice website is a good place to start.