Students 'forced' to work while studying

Friday, 01 September 2006 12:00

The number of students being forced to do paid work to help them finance their studies is rising.

A new report from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) finds top-up fees, personal debt, and high rental prices are making it harder than ever to afford to go to university.

"More and more students are being forced to look for paid work not only because they need the cash to survive each term at university, but also because they want to avoid running up massive debts by the time they graduate," said TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.

Currently some 630,718 students are working while studying 'full time' for a degree - up 54 per cent in the last ten years, the TUC finds.

And while working during term-time is helping with student debt, it is not good for an undergraduate's education.

The TUC report finds 40 per cent of students think working affects their degree.

Students from families of manual workers are more likely to work than those who come from managerial and professional backgrounds, but not by a lot with 55 per cent of students from professional backgrounds working compared with 61 per cent from manual backgrounds.

And the new report adds that students are mainly employed in low-paid sectors such as retail and hospitality.

Some 40 per cent of students work in shops with 21 per cent taking jobs in bars, hotels, and restaurants.

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