Many students are being put off going to university by the rising tuition fees. Wallet Pop UK recently reported that the higher tuition fees coming into force in 2012 could lead to students finishing their degrees with debts of almost £60,000. This may completely deter some students, which is not a negative as there are many opportunities out there if you decide not to continue with further education. Those who want to go to university, however, are stuck with increasing pressure knowing that the next three years are going to leave them with a debt that they could be paying back for decades.
A great idea is to start saving early. It’s difficult to think about saving money when you are moving away from home for the first time, but getting a part-time job will really help you whilst at university. Not only will you gain valuable experience for your CV, you will also be earning money to put into a savings account. This can start earning interest and help you on your way to paying off your student debts in the future.
In a recent SimplyHired.co.uk poll, we asked “If you will be a university student next year, how has the prospect of increased tuition fees changed your plans for working during term time?” Of poll respondents, 34% said that they were not planning to work and now they will have to. This is a large proportion of the expected thousands of students going to university this year. Forty-seven percent answered that they were planning to work, but will now have to work longer hours and only 6% answered that they are not planning to work.
This data is extremely important as it highlights that students can no longer afford to focus solely on their studies. University used to be about gaining life experience away from home whilst undertaking further education. Students will now have to make increasingly difficult decisions about juggling their studies and their work. Sixty-one percent of respondents believe that they will have to take part-time work during term time on their days off and in the evenings. Thirty-seven percent believe that they will have to work between 10 and 20 hours a week. For students this is extremely high, with some planning to work 5 hours a day, on top of their lectures, tutorials and work. This will leave little time for extra-curriculars that are highly important on a graduate’s CV.
The highest percentile of prospective students answered that they are interested in retail work whilst at university. Retail is a great option for part-time work. You often get to choose your shifts and if you start working in your first year of university, you will have the chance to progress throughout your three-year study period. Retail work also offers students transferable skills that will be useful when they begin applying for graduate roles. They will learn about the stock of the shop and they will also deal with money on a daily basis. In the future, merchandising, buying, selling and even marketing roles will be happy to see retail work on your CV.
Do you have plans to work during university? Tell us about it in the comments.
