Ipswich students on difficulty securing summer jobs in town

As term time comes close to ending, many students have noticed it is becoming harder to find part-time work in the town. 

One reason they say is the place they used to work last year has now shut down, while others express there are not enough vacancies going around this summer. 

Many have been busy applying to help them save up for university, go on a holiday or to pay for their day-to-day expenses.

"I have been sending my CV around for over a month, but have not heard anything positive yet," said Joe Wilson, a student at the University of Suffolk.

He added that last year he worked at Wilko, which went into administration in August 2023, eventually shutting down in October.

Joe Wilson used to work at Wilko last year and Superdry the year before, both of which have now closed. (Image: Joe Wilson)

Before that, he spent his summer working at Superdry, at Buttermarket which also shut its doors last June. 

He said: "It was hard enough last year when Superdry closed, but now even Wilko shut down and it's hard to find an alternative anywhere in the town centre.

"Every place I apply to either comes back to me saying they are full or most times I get no response at all."

A number of young people aged 17 to 21 told this paper they have been feeling similar pressures of looking for a job in the town centre. 

"If I can't find a job, I just have my loans to make ends meet next term, which may not be enough," said Sam Johnson.

Sam is an 18-year-old who is just about to leave Ipswich to study at a university in London. 

He said: "You can imagine how expensive London is and I really thought this summer I could save up."

Like Joe, Sam has also sent applications to multiple places, 14 to be specific. 

He added that never before has he found it this hard to find a job in the summer. 

"I thought generally businesses are struggling to find people during the summer, but this time we are struggling so much," he added. 

"And I know it is not just me, my mates also have had similar struggles."

This year, the University of Suffolk Students' Union have noticed these struggles and tried to act upon them. 

In March, their presidents Lewis Woolston and Katie Pickard launched the union's job centre to advertise jobs to their students directly. 

Lewis Woolston, left, and Katie Pickard, right, launched their own job centre to help students find part-time jobs. (Image: University of Suffolk Students' Union)

Mr Woolston, who stands as the President of Education, said: "Young people are finding it increasingly hard to find part-time jobs, especially work that is flexible around their studies. 

"The cost of living is hitting young people particularly hard with NUS reporting that students are cutting back, with some living off 50p per week after paying rent so part-time work has become a necessity for the majority of young people.

"In Ipswich, young people have found it extremely hard to find part-time jobs with so many high street businesses closing down; reducing the number of vacancies available and making the market more competitive."

He wants to dissuade people from the thought that students are not getting jobs because they are lazy, instead that a lot of them cannot find the jobs they need. Students are hoping for some sort of action to be taken to bring life back into the town centre. (Image: Shikhar Talwar)

Other students, such as Julia Hunt and Mary Goodwin, both 17, have stated that distance is another barrier to them at the moment. 

Neither have their cars and so can only look for jobs in the town centre, which is close to where they live. 

Finally, 19-year-old Oscar Powell said: "I would like to see more done in the town centre. I know the cost of living is a nationwide problem, but we cannot be left unemployed for the summer."