If you are a high income household, do your uni student DC work?

[Newmeagain]

I don’t think I am wrong here, but have started to doubt myself.

My DD is doing a very demanding uni course with long contact hours, so is not working during term time. But I strongly encouraged her to get a summer job before she started uni and again this summer. She is also having a couple of trips so not just working.

It is not essential for her to work as I have a good salary and her father (exH) is very well off and gives her an allowance. But she tells me that quite a few of her uni friends and friends from school are not working.

i get that she doesn’t love her minimum wage job, but when I was growing up (not UK) it was a bit of a “rite of passage” for all students, even from upper middle class families, to have a job waitressing, supermarket cashier, etc. For the experience and to be earning some of their own money.

am I wrong?

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/teens-from-upper-income-families-are-far-more-likely-to-work-summer-jobs-than-poor-teens-whats-going-on-e695fca2
Richer/more upper class uni students are more likely to work these days. There was a lot of attention on this last year; because it's very hard to get a job now compared to when people in their 30s/40s were students, it tends to be those with connections/better family support who do get the jobs now, whereas back in the day, it was the other way round.

You’re not wrong and it will put her above others in a competitive job market when she finishes uni. The fact she can demonstrate turning up, being reliable, working with others, etc.

It’s not about the money - it’s about debeloping skills to put on a CV for a job after uni. Unless they are going to inherit the family firm or have enough to be trust fund baby then it’s this you need to stress otherwise they will quickly realise they have no chance in an extremely difficult job market

I think it makes sense for a student to work some of the time. Although I worked a lot while studying (my parents were very low income) and fellow students and lecturers were a bit baffled by it when I said I was struggling with deadlines due to work. I couldn’t eat if I didn’t.

Working over the holidays or a few hours a week should be no problem at all though! We recently interviewed some graduates for a vacancy and the ones that had worked stood out a mile (in a good way!).

But if he can talk constructively about what he did and learned, that will be seen as a positive, it will lift him above those who, when asked how they spent their time over the summer talk about gaming and hanging around with their mates. There must be something related to helping caring for a relative who's had knee surgery and also the physical work of gardening, that's relevant to a sports degree and the careers he plans to go into.

My eldest now 23 - started working after GCSE & saved as much as she could. We supported her and she used her savings, she chose not work the first uni year during term time. Was able to return to her old job back home for the long summer. In second year she found a balance with working , uni and social life.

My second child has recently finished GCSEs and did there first shift on Sunday. She is the only one working out of her friendship group. She is desperate to learn to drive and has an amazing trip planned next year which she needs to help pay for.

It helped my eldest budget and figure out what she could afford during uni.

It definitely seems to have helped my eldest in the job market, when she applied for her grad roles 2 years ago.

Working now will help her get a job after university

It’s so hard to find a job - so I have encouraged my kids to volunteer at kids summer camps.

Both mine worked from 16 to leaving uni in the same jobs, although at Xmas, Easter and summer hols only when at uni.
Both got grad jobs and competitive internships and were questioned quite intensely about these jobs during interviews for both.
High income household with no student loans needed.

Thanks for all the comments.

There have been a few references to internships - in my DD’s area those are not a thing but if they were then yes, I assume she would be doing an internship.

P.s. just wanted to add that I agree that summer jobs are incredibly hard to find at the moment. My dd got hers through a friend but before that she tried and found it so hard. Her experience has been that where we are most hospitality and retail jobs either go to friends/acquaintances or, in the case of large companies (eg Pret) they don’t want to employ students.

The internships are a national thing.

most big companies that have a graduate scheme take summer interns. If you do well on the internship you get an automatic job after graduation/ a free pass on the first few rounds.

they are very competitive and people go to a lot of effort to get them.

https://www.brightnetwork.co.uk/application-deadlines/jobs/internships/

it’s a very good way to kickstart your graduate career.

My daughter too. She doesn't hear back from most. Had one interview, didnt get it. No other interest

I worked in catering, retail and factory jobs between school and graduation. I gained so much more than money. I have enormous respect for people in those roles and zero time for anyone who treats them badly.

@Octavia64 - I meant in my dd’s area of study and professional pathway, as she is studying medicine.

I think university students are inclined to discount the value of their minimum wage jobs. They think “what’s the point in me being a waitress when I want to be a doctor ?”
But there is genuine value in demonstrating your ability to show up consistently, on time, and work hard at something dull. It says “I’m persistent. I’m reliable. I’m not too proud”.
The job market is brutal right now and being able to demonstrate that you have held down a job, any job, has CV significance. When she is chasing her first ‘career’ role, having held any type of position beforehand could work in her favour. Many of her competitors may have no work experience at all. Work skills do not all come from academia. Anything public facing requires customer service skills and doctors need those just as much as salesmen

DS had a paper round at 13, in sixth form he worked in a pub kitchen. He then worked at the regional airport for just over a year. He graduated last year with zero debt and in to a job paying close to 40k PA as completed a degree apprenticeship. He was encouraged to work by me,I did the same as a kid but needed the money. We are a higher income household though now retired but it was all about work ethic. That work experience was why he stood out on his apprenticeship application, they are ridiculously competitive.

I had a couple of my students do the GEM, graduate entry medicine programme after obtaining degrees, both of them worked in care when studying in my dept. Has she ever done any care work? you need a strong stomach and better to find out if you are equipped for it.

Every young person should have a stint working in hospitality. In fact, everyone should do it just to experience how shitty it is dealing with the general public when they want food and drink.

I've never met a uni student who isn't happy to do a min wage job! They are aware that's all they can do because they've got no experience

Having interviewed for entry level jobs a few times I would say that the young people who have worked in part time jobs have so much more to draw on than those who haven't, it's always worth it, if you can get one. Plus earning your own money independently is great.

DS didn't work during first term at uni. It seemed sensible to get used to things and get into the studying again after a gap year. I've always encouraged working as a concept but if he got an unpaid internship next summer, I'd be happy with that as another useful skill/cv entry.

Im over 60 and from the UK. It wasn't the done thing to work during term in my uni years. Strangely, you could get unemployment benefit during the summer vac if you didn't have a job. I never did this, but I knew lots of people who did this and no intention of getting holiday jobs.

Yes, my DS is at uni and works in the holidays.

She previously had a part-time job. Now she does volunteer work related to her career path. It is a requirement for even applying for the next phase of her degree and doesn’t leave her time to work.

We don’t need her to earn money, so long as she is establishing a good work ethic.

Oh ok, fair. Sorry I thought you meant your local area.

i guess in that case I’d be looking at the criteria for F1 placements and be trying to get ahead.
i hear bad things about the placements system

My 4 have always worked in the summer holidays since they left school They didn’t get their own car either until they could afford it themselves. We have money and could have funded them but it has been the making of them. They are now all working in professions. The older 3 have self funded masters degrees. The youngest has just finished but I would imagine will
do a masters in due course. They did a mixture of things, retail, bar work, waitering, barista, etc. Apart from independence, money management etc they really really benefited from the people skills they learned