The number of students working at least 20 hours per week in a part time job to fund their time at university is on the rise. A survey produced by student insurance specialist Endsleigh that said around 57% of students were having to work around their full time courses, to support their basic student amenities.
The stats come in around even, with 55% of students saying they spent their extra cash on food, bills and rent, where as a further 62% said they used it for going out or spending their free time with friends.
After speaking to current student Tom Bell, he gave an insight into what it is like for a student working to help fund their way through university. He states that the amount of hours he works per week can vary, so he isn't getting a set amount of money per week anyway. He has to fit this in around his studies, whilst also having to stay on during the holidays in order to keep his job for when he comes back to university, just to get a bit of extra cash.
It is quite common for students to have to find money from elsewhere as they gradually run short. If getting a job isn't an option for them, like it wasn't for Hannah Stradling, a graduate from university, they have to break into pots of money they might not want too. She said she had been saving since her 9th birthday, and having to use all her saved money on rent and household amenities which wasn't exactly what she was expecting.
It is thought that a lot of students finding part time work is put down to more and more international students coming to the UK. They do not receive funding and so finding a part time job is sometimes their only option. There is an upside to having part time work, and that is the effect it has on your CV. Bell said it was useful for him as he found a lot of the skills he had picked up at work were needed in full time employment as well.
The survey also showed that although a higher percentage of students are getting part time work, they are also still relying largely on their loans. The money they receive through their job is still not enough to cover rent and food a lot of the time. Despite the large amount still relying on their parents for money, 44% work to help fund themselves and a further 40% work to stop themselves getting into more debt than necessary.