Part-time employment among university students has become commonplace internationally. Research has largely focused on the impact of part-time employment on academic performance. This research takes an original approach in that it poses the question whether students can acquire core skills relevant to teaching from their part-time employment. The research was conducted in a university college of education. A case study approach was adopted using an opportunistic sample of 285 students drawn from two BEd programmes. The project is based on an interpretive paradigm, focusing on students' perceptions of their part-time employment. The research methodology included a questionnaire containing both closed and open questions, a follow-up focus group discussion and two case histories. The results showed that the majority of students believed that they had acquired core skills from their part-time employment. The findings of this research raise important issues about how university courses can effectively build on such learning experiences. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)