Much of the recent research on students and work has concluded that part-time student work has increased since the cost of living crisis began.
The Sutton Trust found that 27 per cent of students have taken up a job or increased hours to meet financial commitments. These national findings are mirrored locally: Bath Spa students’ union found that 48.3 per cent of their students currently worked, with 24.8 per cent actively looking for part-time work. Manchester students’ union’s report revealed that 32 per cent of their students work part-time. And Canterbury Christ Church students’ union found 63 per cent of their students in paid employment said it negatively affects their academic studies.
This was predictable given the rate of inflation and the failure of the student maintenance loan to keep pace with it. It is no longer only students from lower socio-economic backgrounds working throughout the term; middle-class students are also taking on term-time work – so much so that a few weeks ago, Jim Dickinson asked if all students are part-time now.
