Attitude toward working while attending university

I'm not a student, but I hope it's OK to post this on this forum. (If mods want to move it elsewhere, that's fine with me.)

I was reminded of the following when I was posting about my uni experience on the CV forum:

I have always considered it to be normal to pay for your education by working while attending university.  I got my bachelor's degree attending classes in the evening part-time, while working full-time. The other students in my classes also worked while studying, some worked full-time while going to uni full-time, some worked and went to uni while rasing small children.  Some US universities had work-study programs where you could attend classes part-time and work part-time in a job related to your field of study.

A while back, at my current job here in the UK, I attended a research debrief on something to do with personal finances/savings.  The topic of paying for your child's university education came up, and I mentioned the possibility of the child paying for their own education.

Everyone else in the room responded as though I had made the most ridiculous statement ever - that it was absolutely impossible to work while attending uni. (Which isn't true based on my personal experience.)

Is that attitude representative of the UK as a whole, or was it just the people who happened to be in the room?

Is it a social class thing, perhaps?

I know in Scotland this attitude used to be more common.  When I worked there in '99 my boss didn't think students should work.  I believe the idea used to be that students didn't need to work and should live on grants.  Of course, students aren't supported as well anymore. 

I can't speak to the UK on this, but I will say that both times I have been in college (now and for my graphic design degree), I have worked full time. Most people I know work and attend school, even if they've got their tuition paid by parents. I'm curious to learn about the UK differences in this (if any) as well. great topic!

There are students working in our shop, they work about 5 hours per week.  I think most take out overdrafts, that is how my friends in Scotland supported themselves in 96.

I agree with bookgrl- overdrafts seem to be an essential part of student life here.  Most of the students I knew while studying abroad in the UK (and also here for my graduate degree) didn't work during their studies...it seemed to be the exception rather than the rule.  My fiance is still an undergrad and uses his student loan + his £2,000 overdraft to support himself without working...use of the overdraft is so attractive because there's no interest charged as long as he's a student or recent graduate.

Quite a few of my friends worked through university (5-15 hours per week, evenings and weekends), but that was mostly to pay for their social life. I didn't have a job during term time, but I worked full-time during the Christmas and Summer vacations, earning £2,000-£3,000 to support myself during the rest of the year - I've never had to go into an overdraft, although I seem to be in the minority on this one.

Before the top-up fees were introduced and we only paid just over £1,000 per year for tuition, the government basically said that the parents were responsible for providing the tuition fees (they can fill out income assessment forms to determine whether the goverment will contribute some of the costs).

Accomodation can usually be paid for out of our student loan, so the only thing most students need to earn money for during term time is food/clothes/alcohol etc. Now that the top-up fees have been introduced, students can get top-up loans to help with tuition, but along with the normal loans, this adds up.

At the end of the day, the students do end up funding a lot of their degree through paying back student loans - I currently have an outstanding £15,000 loan, which is increasing by about £40 every month. I won't be able to start paying this off for at least another 4 years as I will be starting my PhD in a few months time. I have a feeling I am going to end up giving the government a lot more than I borrowed by the time I've cleared the debt!

It doesn't seem fair considering that when my mum attended university in the 70's, the tuition was free and she was awarded grants for living costs which she didn't have to pay back - she basically got a free university education.

Sorry to sidetrack, but what is an "overdraft" in the terms of how you're implying it? I understand it to be when you exceed the balance of a bank account, which usually results in overdraft fees. Does this have something to do with the UK method of student loans?

Sorry to sidetrack, but what is an "overdraft" in the terms of how you're implying it? I understand it to be when you exceed the balance of a bank account, which usually results in overdraft fees. Does this have something to do with the UK method of student loans?

Overdrafts are basically an extra limit on UK current accounts- basically, the bank is giving you permission to exceed your balance by a certain amount without penalty.  It's very different from the way we understand overdrafts in the States.  A negative bank balance isn't necessarily cause for alarm, it just means you're using your allowed overdraft!

I figured it was something like that. Thanks Andrea!

Sorry to sidetrack, but what is an "overdraft" in the terms of how you're implying it? I understand it to be when you exceed the balance of a bank account, which usually results in overdraft fees. Does this have something to do with the UK method of student loans?

Basically, yes, but student bank accounts here offer no interest overdrafts of up to £2,000, so you can exceed the balance by £2,000 and pay back exactly that - no extra interest fees.

A few of my friends have taken out the £2,000, put it in a high-interest account for a year so they can pay it back at the end of the year and keep the added interest!

I'm totally jealous of my fiance and his overdraft- it's basically a £2K credit limit with no interest fees and you have ages to pay it back (well, as long as you don't go too deep in the hole!)

Sadly, international students don't get access to such privileges.

A few of my friends have taken out the £2,000, put it in a high-interest account for a year so they can pay it back at the end of the year and keep the added interest!

Sneaky but clever!

I'm totally jealous of my fiance and his overdraft- it's basically a £2K credit limit with no interest fees and you have ages to pay it back (well, as long as you don't go too deep in the hole!)

Sadly, international students don't get access to such privileges.

Bummer

When I was an undergraduate (in the US) about half of my fellow students had a part-time job. I only worked (like crazy btw!!) during the breaks to fill up my account - but in all honesty I could have worked part-time if I wanted to during term-time. I paid for all of my day-to-day living expenses (not tuition) from the wages I earned during the breaks.

I'm about to start graduate study full-time and I intend to work part-time. I don't know how many hours I'll work per week yet - I'll wait to see what my academic workload and schedule is like first.

How princessy for anyone to suggest that it's "impossible" to work and go to university at the same time Of course, when you're a student your overriding priority is academic success, and if work gets in the way of that then cut it back or eliminate it - but most people can handle both to some degree or other.

I find this topic interesting.  I first went to Uni in the UK in the 1980s when full tuition was paid and I received a full living grant as well.  Then I went to Uni again in New Zealand in the 1990s when I had to pay my own tuition (some I paid out of my savings and some I took out a student loan for) and received a small living allowance, supplemented by part time work.  I did much better the second time around and did not find I was under any greater pressure than when I had the full grant, I just cut back on my socialising.  I didn't receive any financial support from my parents either time, except for the odd bit of money for birthdays which I usually spent on textbooks.  I do think it's very unfair that students in this country now have to pay huge fees etc which we never did in the past, but I don't think that should be barrier to anyone continuing their education.

When I was at uni in the UK in the 90's, I had an interest/charge free overdraft (most student accounts had this), and a loan, and a grant, and in my first and second years I had part time pub jobs.  We had no fees back then, so money was only needed for living expenses, books, and alcohol.  In my final year I gave up my jobs so that I actually had time to study, and survived on credit cards.

Many universities do frown on students taking part time jobs; in my experience it is the older ones (Oxbridge etc) who are particular down on this, and who don't really understand the concept of needing an income.

My parents helped out when they could and when I was desperate (the end of term begging calls resulting in mum taking me around Sainsbury's!), but were not wealthy enough to just continue to pay for me as they had when I was at school.

Vicky