Oxford students are taking on paid jobs during term time, despite measures taken by the University to discourage part-time work.
A Cherwell investigation has shown that the majority of students who work during their time at the University do not have serious financial troubles, but appreciate being able to make some money to spend on recreational activities. Others cited various reasons for working, such as social benefits.
The students take up a variety of jobs, ranging from staffing Oxford’s cafes, through representing major companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, to working in departmental libraries.
One second-year student who works in Argos had previously worked for the company before coming to Oxford. He said, “At home all my friends have part time jobs while at uni so it’s the done thing to try and get by. I really enjoy working and it’s nice feeling good at your job when you’re maybe not doing so well at a particular week’s work.”
He claims working does not interfere with his studies saying, “I can balance my time and know how I work so it usually levels out.
“There are certain weeks which can be quite heavy and it’s definitely not fun getting up after a Bop and heading straight to Customer Services but I am glad I work. It gives me a sense of achievement and use, separate to my degree. I don’t understand why there is such a stigma attached to the subject at this university.”
However, a spokesperson from the University emphasized, “Students are discouraged from working during term time as terms are short… the holiday periods are therefore long, giving many students the opportunity to take up paid work outside term time. If a student is worrying about finances the University and colleges would prefer they came to talk about the wide range of financial support available.”
Many Oxford students choose to work for catering companies, both in the holidays and during term time. Working hours are flexible and the majority of staff are students.
One student explained her reasons for deciding to work for an Oxford-based catering company. “We had a lot of free time in Trinity as our exams were in Hilary and we didn’t have any tutes. Then someone mentioned this company and I thought why not?”
The student, who is a scholar, believes working does not interfere with her studies, especially as her work is flexible. She thinks students should be able to work if they want to. “I think it’s a bit harsh that there is a strict rule, because to be honest there is not that much time, and I think students would only work when they have time.”
While this student does not have pressing financial problems she added, “I guess I think its a bit unfair that someone who needed the money quite a lot would feel intimidated by the rules. I know the university claims there’s a lot of support, but I’m sure that there are still people struggling. And to be honest, Oxford claim we should be working just as hard in the holidays so does it really make a difference when we choose to earn money?”
Some students are employed as campus representatives by high-profile companies, such PricewaterhouseCoopers. These students are paid well, up to £10 an hour and are expected to represent the firm by handing out fliers and organising events for up to 10 hours a week.
One student who worked for a major firm in Oxford told Cherwell he took the job on mainly for the freebies and because he enjoyed the “freedom to organise events or whatever I wanted in Oxford.”
He appreciated the flexible hours of the job and said the responsibility was probably similar to being president of a medium-sized society in Oxford. However, he said extracurricular activities do not have “pressure to do the hours” and are “not the same responsibility”. The student decided to give up because he felt working was interfering with his academic work, though he stressed this is probably different for people at various stages of their degree.
Other jobs taken up by students include tutoring for companies such as Bright Young Things and freelance work over the internet. Tara Isabella Burton, a second year Oriel student has earned $2053 in the last six months through elance.com commissions. Her tasks included editing a novel and writing articles for travel websites.
While Oxford strongly discourages students from working outside of the University, many students are employed by their college or University faculties.
One third-year student who works for her faculty library for an hour and a half a week said she decided to work because “the job was advertised and I thought it would be a good, constructive thing to do in Oxford that wasn’t related to academic studies. The pay is good too.”
Liam Milner, a St. Anne’s student, described his experiences of working for the college telethon. He worked for two weeks and was paid £7 an hour for his efforts. Students were also provided with free accommodation by the college.
He said, “The main bulk of the telethon didn’t really interfere with my work, because it was mainly in the evenings and left plenty of time during the day for working. I thought the extra weekend was a little more problematic, however, as it rather got in the way of what could’ve been a far more productive couple of days.
“One thing I would say is that I don’t think I could do any regular work for college, working behind the bar for instance, because I think it would get in the way with both work and socialising. The telethon was fine though, and I couldn’t turn down £500 for two weeks work.”
Some students operate their own companies during term time. Duncan Turnbull from Brasenose and Lincolnite Oliver Bridge set up their own companies before coming to the University and now they continue to manage them on part-time basis. Turnbull even confessed to the Financial Times that the tutors at Brasenose college provided him with additional support by allowing him to take time off, while he should have been studying.
Students are divided over whether working can realistically be balanced with studies. One third-year St. Hilda’s student commented, “There is a difference between existing and enjoying life. Grants and loans provide students with enough money to eat but students want to be able to have nights out and buy new clothes, especially at Oxford where we have so many wealthy students supported by their parents.”
“I think that if someone has time to work during term time they obviously have an issue with either their university work or their social life,” said another third year Orientalist.
Sarah Reder, a second year student said, “Some students play a few different sports and dedicate up to fifteen hours a week to extracurricular activities. Why can’t a student with financial incentives dedicate the same time to paid work?”
