summer jobs - for students abroad uk and europe

Now that local authority grants for students have been phased out in Britain and university tuition fees have been introduced for many of you, the summer's a good time to earn some money. But, as you'll discover, there's more than money to be gained from working over the summer.

Summer work experience can help you develop the important soft skills graduate recruiters look for in prospective employees. Your ability to work as part of a team, your communication and organisational skills, your ability to make effective decisions are just a few examples of these.

If you're one of the lucky few who doesn't need to work over the summer, then why not try travelling? Learning about other cultures and meeting different people is another good way to develop skills, particularly interpersonal and social skills, and you may never have an opportunity to spend so much time abroad again.

So, whatever you're doing this summer, whether it's temping, working in sales, looking after children, teaching English or voluntary work, make the most of it and, above all, have fun!

Minimum wage

If you're concerned about wages, here are some guidelines to help you. As of October 2009, the minimum wage in the UK is £5.80 an hour for those aged 22 and over; £4.83 an hour for those aged 18-21 and £3.57 for workers under the age of 18. But there are some cases in which the minimum wage does not apply - if the worker is undertaking an apprenticeship scheme, for example, or if they're working for a family business.

If you'd like further information about wages, please visit HMRC's national minimum wage website or call the National Minimum Wage Helpline on 08457 6000 678.