I really wanted a part-time job, because I needed the money to finance my study

I’m Precious Arturu from Ireland and Nigeria and I'm a fourth year student Global Project and Change Management. I’m currently working part-time for clothing brand L’Origine where I work as a project manager. Within this company, which is interested in different cultures, I organize events, look for new partnerships, monitor the ambassadors, do some administration, and I’m one of the main contacts for people who want to model for us or want to use our clothes and styling. I’m very happy with this job because it fits perfectly with my study. It's very flexible. When I’m busy studying I can work fewer hours, but I normally work 20 hours per week, often from home.

When I started to study at Windesheim, I really wanted to have a part-time job, because I needed the money to finance my study. Not immediately, because I first wanted to know how much time I needed to study, and I needed time to get into the rhythm. I started to work after my first year, and I recommend new students to do the same. At least don't start a job during the first semester. It’s just too much and you need time to get used to everything.

My first job was for Temper, a company which had all kind of temporary day-jobs. When you wanted to work, you could choose between restaurants, production, hotels, etcetera. It was very flexible. Besides this, I also worked in a clothing store, a hotel and in delivery (also quite popular among international students). So all in all I had quite a few jobs. In the beginning of year three I found my current job. Or actually, they found me through my network! They knew me because of a project I was doing for school, and they wanted to have an African project leader in their team. To find a job in Zwolle as an international student is not very easy, but really doable. When I wanted to do something else, I just called a few employment agencies, told them I spoke English, and always found something suitable.