Almost half (43 per cent) of university students are now in part-time employment to support themselves financially through university, new research from Santander Universities has revealed.
The research shows that students are collectively working a total of 2.7 million hours each week during term time, with one in 10 employed students working for 15 hours or more.
Students holding down part-time jobs during the university term work on average 11 hours per week. Santander’s research shows nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of students who work during term time feel their studies are suffering as a consequence - a figure which rises to 35 per cent for those attending Russell Group universities, the UK's 20 leading research institutions.
Students enrolled on Business and Administrative courses carry out the most amount of paid work during university, with 61 per cent working during term time and nearly a quarter (23 per cent) clocking up over 15 hours a week, compared to 10 per cent of students overall.
Students studying Creative Arts and Design, Life Sciences, Medicine and Dentistry courses work the lowest number of hours each week to help fund their education, with just eight per cent averaging more than 15 hours a week.
The most popular part-time student job is bar work (11 per cent), followed by waitressing (10 per cent). Just four per cent of employed students work in a call centre.
The research found that Northern Ireland is the university region with the highest proportion of university students who work part-time, with 72 per cent employed during term time. In contrast, only 29 per cent of students studying in Wales and 27 per cent in the East Midlands work during the university terms.
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Course
|
Percentage of students who work during term time
|
Percentage of students who only work during holidays
|
|
Business and Administration
|
61 per cent
|
23 per cent
|
|
Law
|
47 per cent
|
33 per cent
|
|
Creative Arts and Design
|
45 per cent
|
22 per cent
|
|
Humanities and Social Sciences
|
41 per cent
|
32 per cent
|
|
Life Sciences
|
41 per cent
|
29 per cent
|
|
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
|
37 per cent
|
31 per cent
|
|
Medicine and Dentistry
|
29 per cent
|
23 per cent
|
"With tuition fees now averaging more than £3,000 per year and students graduating with average debts of around £23,500, it's little surprise that nearly half of all university students are working part-time during term time,” said Luis Juste, UK Director at Santander Universities.
"At a time when they are busy adjusting to living away from home for the first time, many students find managing their finances a real challenge.
“While it's positive to see students being so industrious and gaining valuable experience in the workplace, it's concerning that a quarter of students who work part-time to help fund their education believe their studies are suffering as a result."
Santander offers a Student Current Account to support students while they study, offering an interest-free overdraft of up to £2,000 and a range of other benefits including mobile, gadget and laptop insurance worth over £240 a year for up to three years. The account also pays in-credit interest of two per cent on balances of up to £500, to support students at times when they have money coming in and are in credit.
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