How much should you care about your part-time job as a student

How much should we care about a part-time job whist we are already mentally scraping by to earn a degree?

If you’re lucky enough to not need a part time job, this article isn’t for you! This is a review on the practicalities of working whilst at uni, the ups and downs, and a glimpse into how some students balance their working life with their degree. Balance is an optimistic word here.

We all know that it is impossible for anyone to attend university without a form of financial support. Many students can dip into the never-ending cash flow that is the Bank of Mum and Dad. It’s great that parents who can afford to help are willing, but not everyone has that opportunity. Most students must rely on part-time work to boost their financial situation. And by “boost” we mean “just about keep afloat.”

To put this crisis into perspective, a third of the people who drop out of university list finances as the main reason for leaving, which is not exactly a niche issue. Everybody has an equal right to earn a degree, but not everyone has equal opportunities in obtaining it. Money should not be, but frequently is, a barrier to education, despite everyone politely pretending otherwise.

Class divide at university is becoming noticeably more toxic where the question of caring about part-time work is concerned, which feels like an understatement if you’ve ever compared schedules with someone who doesn’t work.

Barry Will, president of the student association at St Andrews University in Fife, explained how part time work is often a necessity for students today: “The richer students can fly through it and the poorer students are constantly struggling through each year of their university degree”.

Balancing part-time work alongside your studies is widely considered a major weight on anyone’s shoulders, especially when it starts to feel less like balancing and more like juggling knives.

It can become difficult to keep up with class preparation or attend every lecture when your boss expects a high standard from you at work. We all have the same 24 hours in a day… theoretically.

The University of Lancashire found that at least a third of students develop or worsen existing depression, anxiety or stress when working alongside a full-time degree. This is includes statistics for both international and home students. How can anyone achieve their best when they are struggling? The mental health aspect of balancing uni with work adds a whole new dimension to the debate, one that is difficult to ignore once you are in it.

We asked some students for their opinions on the issue. One student, Joe*, explained: “It is now obvious for working students that universities are essentially going backwards in terms of the opportunities for disadvantaged students. Universities are once again becoming the playground for the elite, those who can “fly through it” without any need for part-time work”. Wow, right to the point.

The University of Glasgow also detailed how students should think about whether they have “enough time” to work, as though time is the main variable here. Another student told The Glasgow Tab: “Time is not the core issue. The issue is that students cannot afford not to work whilst studying.” Many students say that loans and scholarships are no longer enough to cover basics of living.

Lucy*, a second year student, pointed out that universities such as Oxford and Cambridge highly discourage students from having part-time work, however, Glasgow simply has a 20-hour advisory limit, and does little to nothing to support its students.

via Wikimedia Commons

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The University of Glasgow requires students to pay for a multitude of course-related costs, and yet, they do not class part-time work as a reason for affected assessments. Extenuating circumstances – formally known as “Good Cause” – does not allow “commitment to part-time work” as a valid excuse for needing an extension, even when it is clearly impacting students.

A University of Glasgow spokesperson said: “We recognise that many students undertake part‑time work for a range of reasons, including to support their living costs, and we are mindful of the pressures this can place on students alongside their academic commitments.

Anyone who has a part-time job knows you are one step away from burnout whilst trying to balance your studies. Can you really experience the “university life” when you’re stuck at work and everyone else is out at Sports Wednesday? Student loans barely afford rent, and certainly don’t quite stretch to gym memberships and nights out, let alone anything resembling balance.

For those of us who rely solely on part-time work – no loans and no handouts –  it isn’t exactly easy to participate in the “university experience”. Don’t get me wrong, if we could afford the “university experience” then we would hop on the band wagon and have fun with everyone else! Enjoying our twenties will have to wait until after we get our degree, pending financial recovery of course.

Don’t even get me started on how difficult it is to even find part-time work!

*Names have been changed for anonymity 

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