Are you curious about what a typical week looks like for an Education student? Look no further! In this blog, I’ll be sharing my weekly schedule as an international student living in the UK. From attending seminars and lectures to exploring different cities on the weekends, I’ll take you through my experiences and offer insights into what it’s like to be an Education student. So, join me on this journey as I make the most of my remaining student life and strive to balance studying cultural experiences and leisure time.

Weekly Schedule

I have four seminars and one lecture class each week. The lectures are delivered online, so I usually watch them at home before attending classes.

As an extracurricular activity, I teach Japanese as a volunteer at a language society. Although I continue to teach Japanese on other platforms as an online part-time job, I also volunteer at my university. I enjoy meeting people who want to learn Japanese, and while it can be challenging to come up with lesson plans, I have fun teaching them. Starting this semester, I will also be participating in a different volunteer activity called Enterprise Challenge. This involves analysing qualitative and quantitative data to help organisation develop and positively impact society through volunteer work. Although my major is in education, I wanted to try an extracurricular activity that was slightly different from my field of study. I wanted to start a part-time job in person, but I couldn’t because the volunteer work was surprisingly busy. However, since next year is my final year of university, I have decided to definitely try working in the UK to gain some work experience.

During weekdays, I study, exercise, and keep myself busy. On the weekends, I relax or finish any assignments I haven’t completed yet. I manage my time well to balance studying, cultural experiences, and leisure time. Since the study abroad period is already shortened due to the pandemic, I prioritise cultural experiences outside assignment periods. Recently, I made a pact with some friends to play badminton once a week, starting this semester. We’re still pursuing it and establishing a habit with friends has been a fresh experience. My weekend plans vary each week. Sometimes, I travel to London from Manchester, and sometimes I take mini-trips within the UK, for example to York.

Studying abroad is all about creating your own story. So instead of lamenting about the pandemic, I focus on making the most of my experiences each day. I shared one week of my life as an education and international student. Although I’m studying abroad, I still live alone and lead a simple life. Nevertheless, I cherish my experiences, like volunteering or going to cafes with friends, which I can only have here. I want to make the most of my remaining student life and have fun!

(I also run my own blog, where I write about my study abroad experience. This blog is all in Japanese, but if you are curious, you can translate and read it!)

Written by Akiko, current undergraduate Education student at The University of Manchester.

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