u/Idont-knowwhattodo_

I’m doing my Master’s and almost done with my research now, so I’ve been seriously trying to find a decent part-time/admin/office type job.
But honestly… even Aldi/Lidl cashier jobs are rejecting me 😭
What’s making it worse is the amount of effort these applications take. Filling long forms, repeating the same info from CV, doing personality tests and assessments just to get an automated rejection email the next day. It’s genuinely exhausting at this point.
I’m not even being picky anymore. I just want something stable with decent experience instead of constantly applying into the void.
For students/international students who actually managed to get jobs in the UK:
what finally worked for you?
did you apply online or in person?
are agencies better?
how do you even get past these assessment stages?
Starting to feel like finding the job is harder than the degree itself 💀

I swear every student job I see is warehouse, cleaning, kitchen, or delivery stuff. Nothing wrong with that, but I’m trying to get something more office/admin based to build actual experience too.
I’m an international student in the UK, can legally work the allowed hours, decent with emails, Microsoft Office, customer service, admin tasks etc. But every “entry-level” office role somehow wants 2 years experience + full flexibility 😭
For people who actually managed to get receptionist/admin/office assistant type jobs while studying:
where did you find them?
did you use agencies?
did LinkedIn/Indeed actually work?
any CV tips that helped?
At this point I’m convinced these jobs only exist in theory 💀
Would genuinely appreciate advice from people who’ve been through it.