Going Higher: 'Don't expect tips from locals'

Ralph Kennedy has just graduated in peace studies at University of Bradford where, although it is supposed to be the cheapest student city in the country, he could not get by without working

"LIKE MOST students, I mismanaged my money in the first year and had to look for jobs to work my way out of that. The first one I had was in a veggie cafe in the city centre. I worked there as a waiter from Christmas to Easter in my second year doing three shifts a week. But the pay was only pounds 2.50 an hour.

"That summer I stayed in Bradford and worked at another cafe in Saltaire. The pay there was pounds 3.50 an hour. What you have to look out for in catering in Yorkshire, though, is the absence of tips. The locals are not generous and sometimes tips are not passed on to staff.

"My last job was at the Yorkshire Post in Leeds, cold calling for subscriptions. They paid pounds 3.75 an hour plus commission. But the travelling took time and I had to give it up in the end to finish my dissertation. You have to balance your university work and the need to earn."