Last updated: January 2026
One of the best things about being a student is the long holiday periods. With time off over winter, Easter and summer, there’s a tonne of time to travel, catch up with mates, or just decompress after a brutal term of stressful exams.
Holidays are also the perfect opportunity to grab some extra cash or beef up your CV. Okay, it might not be quite as exciting as heading off for a summer of interrailing or spending a month backpacking around Southeast Asia… but there are loads of temporary holiday jobs for students, whether you stay in your student city or head back home.
Temporary or seasonal work is the perfect way to fund your future travels or save up for your first car. Knowing how to find and secure these jobs easily is a great way to grab some extra money during student holidays.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through how to find and secure these top student holiday jobs.
Seasonal and temporary jobs are ideal for students because they typically align with university vacation periods. Winter and summer are the best times of year to jump on these. This is where tourist attractions, shops and restaurants are busiest, so they’ll typically hire extra staff to help out with the holiday period.
Finding a temporary job over the winter, especially during the run-up to Christmas, is one of the best student options. People tend to shop a lot more during this period, so a lot of retail stores will hire extra Christmas temps to handle the rush.
There are loads of opportunities for temporary summer jobs that are ideal for students. This includes big events, festivals, and tourist attractions, which all tend to ramp up as soon as the sun comes out.
If you want the best roles, you’ll have to move fast. Start looking for seasonal jobs a few months before you want to start working – some Christmas temp jobs are advertised as early as September or October, and, if you’re interested in summer work, you might need to start looking as early as spring.
You can use job search sites, like Indeed or Student Jobs, to search for seasonal work in your student city or hometown. This will give you a good sense of what jobs are out there and what the pay is like.
Before you start firing off applications, check what each job actually involves. Some seasonal jobs have pretty wild shift patterns, including nights and weekends. Do a bit of digging, so you don’t end up stuck in a job you hate.
Here’s a list of common industries that hire seasonal workers:
There’s no reason you need to choose between going on holiday abroad and working over the summer – there are loads of summer jobs abroad designed for university students. Working abroad will earn you some extra money, give you a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and look amazing on your CV!
Here’s a rundown of a couple of popular holiday jobs abroad for students…
Working as a holiday rep is hard work, but you also get paid to spend your summer holiday working abroad in sunny destinations – think Magaluf or Ibiza! Your duties might include looking after guests, handling any complaints, and acting as a local guide.
Loads of summer camps in Europe and America will be hiring camp counsellors for the summer period. There are activity-based summer camps or ones where you teach English. You can get paid decently, but remember, you’ll usually have to cover the cost of your flight to get there!
This is a classic working abroad job, and unlike working at a summer camp, you’ll likely only be looking after one or two kids. Being an au pair is ideal if you want to learn a new language or brush up on your existing skills!
Managing money as a student is a balancing act, especially if you’re not sure how much you will pay each month for your utility bills. Getting a temporary holiday job is a fab way to earn some extra cash, but if you’re still struggling with money management, we can help.
Split the Bills is a bill-splitting service trusted by thousands of students – we do all the hard work of setting up utility accounts and direct debits. All you have to do is pay one neat payment each month, making it super easy to budget because you know exactly how much you’ll have to pay each month! Simple.
It’s super easy to sign up, and you can choose a package that suits you. Find out more about what we do today.
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