Why students should work during their vacation
In some countries, young people have jobs while they are still studying. Sometimes the students with jobs are high school students who are living at home. Their parents provide them with their basic requirements and, often, some pocket money. The students, however, may want to augment this pocket money with money they have earned themselves.
They may, therefore, take a job for a few hours outside school hours. Perhaps they may deliver newspapers before going to school in the morning. Perhaps they may work for a few hours on a Saturday in a local shop.
There is nothing wrong with this, provided that the students work for just a few hours, their work does not interfere with their studies and they have enough time for rest and sleep. In fact, such part- time work is often quite a good thing, as it gives the students some financial independence and teaches them the value of money. They may well appreciate money more if they have earned it. Of course, if there is any suggestion that a student’s school work or health is suffering because of the time spent on the part- time job, then the student should give it up immediately.
University students, too, often have jobs in some countries. Students may have to pay for accommodation as well as tuition fees since many of them do not study in their home towns. Fewer governments now give grants to students and many students have to get loans, which they repay after they have graduated and have taken up a job.
The result is that many students are very hard up. Understandably, they do not wish to get into any more debt than they absolutely have to. Some of them, therefore, decide to take on a part-time job.
This is all very well, provided this work, whether part-time or full-time, is done during university vacations. Such vacation work can be advantageous to students. They not only earn money to pay for the expenses incurred in term time, but they also gain valuable work experience. Employers often prefer to employ new graduates who have experience of some kind of workplace.
Unfortunately, much work done by students in some countries is performed during term time rather than during their vacations. I do not think that this is a good thing. University studies are even more intensive than school studies and students need to focus most of their attention on these. It is difficult for them to remain focused on their studies if they have to rush off to do part-time jobs.
Then there is the problem of the jobs themselves. Most of these student jobs have to be done in the evening, so as not to interfere with attending lectures. This evening work is often obtained in restaurants or bars. Such work is frequently very tiring and the students do not finish their shifts until very late.
Inevitably, the next day the student workers will be tired and not able to concentrate very well. Also, students often have to work on assignments, such as essays, outside the hours spent at lectures. Many students work on these in the evenings, but working students may have to get up early to do so. They often do not get enough sleep and they have very little time for relaxation or leisure.
Students who work part-time during term time cannot possibly do as well in their studies as they would if they did not work. It is disgraceful that they have to work and so may fail to realize their potential.
