Let me set the scene. I’m an international student, thousands of miles from home, studying Marketing and Management with Placement at Durham. My degree gives me six contact hours a week.
When you move countries for your education, something shifts in you. The sacrifice feels real – yours and your family’s. The distance isn’t just geographical; it’s a constant, quiet reminder that you’re here for something. So, when I looked at my mostly open timetable, I didn’t see free time. I saw an investment opportunity.
The self-directed nature of my degree doesn’t mean less work – it means the work you put in is entirely yours. No one is chasing you. No one is filling the hours for you. That freedom is a gift, but only if you actually use it.
Societies
Three societies, zero regrets- and one rule that makes it work
Right now, I’m exec across three societies. Before you close this tab thinking ‘this person is unhinged,’ hear me out, because not all societal commitments are created equal. That’s the part nobody tells you before freshers’ week.
I’m a Head of Marketing and Publicity at PalTV, Durham’s student television station and proud NASTAS award winner – the highest honour in student broadcasting in the UK. I lead the marketing team, direct multi-platform campaigns across every channel, and work closely with producers on content scheduling and promotion.
I also work on the three-person marketing team at Durham University Women in Business (DUWIB), a 1,500-plus member community that genuinely changes how women see their careers. Working directly with the president, I help shape how DUWIB shows up across social media: content that spotlights members, celebrates partners, and drives attendance at workshops and speaker panels with top firms.
And yes, I’m also President of a marketing society. Running something from the top and being a collaborative team member somewhere else are very different skill sets, and developing both simultaneously is where the real growth happens.
The balance rule no one gives you
When building your exec portfolio, mix the weight of your roles. One heavy leadership position. One collaborative team role. One you’re genuinely passionate about regardless of prestige. That combination stops burnout and keeps everything purposeful rather than performative. Stacking three president-level commitments will flatten you by week six.
Work
Two part-time jobs and why hybrid changed everything
Alongside all of this, I work two part-time jobs. I’m a Content Creator and TikTok Coordinator for The Durham Student – which means I’m part of the very publication you’re reading right now and a Marketing Intern with Durham University’s Careers and Enterprise team.
My careers internship is the one that people underestimate. I design digital boards displayed across campus, build and execute comprehensive social campaigns, create posters and email banners, and analyse data from surveys, focus groups, and platform metrics, turning feedback into decisions that shape how the department reaches students. I collaborate with fellow interns and the wider team across the full campaign lifecycle, from initial concept right through to publishing.
Both roles are hybrid. And honestly, that has been the thing that makes all of this sustainable.
Working from home means I can batch content work around lectures, edit a reel between study sessions, write copy at midnight if that’s when my brain fires best, and avoid losing two hours a day to commuting. But working in the office means I stay connected – I build real relationships with colleagues, stay in the loop on live campaigns, get visibility with the people who can write me references, and don’t slowly dissolve into a laptop in my bedroom.
For international students, especially — navigating work-hour limits, building professional networks from scratch in a new country, trying to stay sane across time zones – a hybrid role gives you flexibility without sacrificing the experience. If you’re job-hunting right now, it’s the format worth holding out for.
The bigger picture
So how do you actually do it?
I do it because Durham gave me a window of time that most people in the world don’t get: years specifically designed for growth, with infrastructure around you, opportunities within walking distance, and a community ready to say yes. I wasn’t going to watch that pass from my bedroom.
Every role I’ve taken has taught me something a lecture simply couldn’t: how to manage a real team, how to build a brand from scratch, how to write copy that makes people actually show up, how to measure what’s working and change what isn’t. My degree gives me the framework. Everything else gives me the evidence.
You don’t need to do what I do. But if you’re sitting on six free hours a day, wondering what to fill them with, the answer is in front of you. The societies are there. The internships are there. The part-time roles, the hybrid opportunities, the communities waiting for someone to take them somewhere new: they’re all there.
University is short. Durham is full. And if you came a long way to get here, pouring something real into this place has a way of making it feel like home faster than anything else ever could.
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