Gone are the days when the winter vacation meant idling about. Now, more and more college students are looking for part-time jobs to get experience or earn some pocket money.
寒假无所事事的日子一去不复返了。现在，越来越多的大学生利用假期做兼职来积攒工作经验、赚些零花钱。
Most winter breaks are quite short, therefore part-time jobs with flexible schedules are favored.
寒假通常都很短，因此工作时间灵活的兼职工作备受学生青睐。
Eventful role
作用重大
Wang Danning, an industrial design major student at Tianjin University of Science & Technology, works as a hostess during winter vacations.
天津科技大学工艺设计专业学生王丹宁（音译）就在寒假期间当起了迎宾员。
“Such jobs are often introduced to others by people who have related work experience,” says the 21-year-old. “I was introduced by my roommate.”
21岁的她表示：“这样的工作通常是由具备相关工作经验的人介绍的，我就是通过舍友介绍的。”
Hostesses are paid per event, which normally last for one day or several hours. They can earn 150-300 yuan a day.
这份工作按活动次数计酬，活动通常持续一天或几个小时。他们一天能赚到150—300元。
“But it’s not easy money,” she says. “We need to walk in high heels and serve guests.”
她说：“但这并非一件容易的差事。我们需要穿高跟鞋走路、招待来宾。”
After working for several events, Wang now knows many people in this circle who offer her plenty of work opportunities. But she only accepts those that fit her schedule.
在做了几场活动之后，王丹宁结识了很多圈内人士，她也因此获得大量的工作机会。但是她只挑选那些时间合适的工作。
Experience counts
看重经历
Different from Wang, Guan Zhang focuses more on the experiences he can get from part-time jobs.
与王丹宁不同，管昭（音译）更看重从做兼职中获取的经验。
The 22-year-old water conservancy major at Tsinghua University was recommended by his upperclassman to work as a counselor at a winter camp. His major responsibility was to take care of a group of middle school students during their six-day tour around Beijing.
22岁的他是清华大学水利专业学生。通过学长介绍，他做起冬令营辅导员的工作。他主要负责照看参加北京六日游的初中生团。
“That’s perfect for me because I can finish the job before Spring Festival,” he says.
他说：“这份工作很适合我，因为我可以在春节前完成这份工作。”
Guan earns 150-200 yuan a day, but he thinks the value of his part-time job lies more in the personal skills he acquires. Since the camp members are young, whenever he talks to them or give them instructions, he “needs to be patient”.
尽管管昭每天有150—200元的报酬，但他认为这份兼职的价值更在于获得的个人技能。由于冬令营成员年龄都很小，所以每次和他们交流或让他们听从指挥时，他都“需要很耐心”。
“Besides, I’m the first person they turn to when they have a problem. It’s a good opportunity to improve my problem-solving skills,” he says.
他说：“此外，当他们遇到麻烦时，会第一时间向我求助。这正是锻炼我解决问题能力的好机会。”
Skills that pay off
终身受益的技能
Not all part-time jobs have a flexible work time. For seniors, 9-to-5 jobs are better, says Chen Qiujuan, a 22-year-old material science and engineering major student at Beihang University.
并非所有兼职工作都是弹性时间。北京航空航天大学材料科学与工程专业学生、22岁的陈秋娟（音译）认为，对于大四学生来说，朝九晚五的工作会更好。
Chen applied online and landed a 9-to-5 part-time job at Meituan.com. She only earns 1,500 yuan a month, but she’s happy with it.
通过在线申请，她在美团网得到了一份朝九晚五的工作。尽管工资每月只有1500元，但是她很开心。
“I’m graduating this year. This experience will help me get ready for the workplace,” she says.
她说：“我今年就毕业了，这份经历可以为我的未来职场打下基础。”
The company holds meetings every Friday, during which creative ideas are exchanged.
公司每周五会举行例会，会上大家会相互交流创意。
“I found it valuable because I got to know how other people think about or treat an issue. I could never learn such skills without dipping into the real world,” says Chen.
她说：“我觉得这很有价值，因为我可以了解别人的看法以及对待问题的方法。不融入真正的世界，我根本学不到这样的技能。”
Choose carefully
选择需谨慎
Retail, service and training industries normally have a huge demand for part-time employees during the Spring Festival season, says Li Xiaoru, director of the recruiting department at Jilin province’s talent market. But she warns students to be cautious about the employer’s credibility.
吉林省人才市场招聘部李晓茹部长表示，零售、服务以及培训行业在春节期间对兼职员工有很大的需求。但是她也提醒学生要警惕用人单位的诚信度。
“It is sensible to work for a company of good reputation,” she says. “If possible, students should also visit the company and see whether it meets their expectations before making a decision.”
她说：“明智之举是挑选一家声望好的公司。如果可以，学生应该先到公司去实地考察一番，看看这份工作是否符合预期，然后再做决定。”