To think today's students don't want to do any of the leg-work themselves?

[Cortina]

I am helping someone hopefully get a job after graduation. She's a lovely girl and we know her family well. She's bright and has been quite committed to her studies (or so I imagined). She expects to do well and asked if I'd help get her a job at a company I used to have some experience of working with many years ago.

Long story short, she's asked me to do lots of detailed statistic based research on her behalf - including going onto the new company website to see 'if I can find out anything new about them' and taking notes or forwarding information to her. She asked this very boldly as if she expected me to do all of this on her behalf. She's lovely, as I said, I was struck that she didn't think this was a strange request or expecting too much at all!

So is there a growing entitlement culture amongst our young (thinking of other stories I've heard recently and some posts on here)? Or is this an unusual example.

Oh look, another "me generation" thread.

Yes, YABU.

Just out of interest, what did you say to her?

YABVU because you are extropolating from your experience of 1 person and passing judgement on all of us.

YABU. I am old mature and I don't want to do leg-work either.

This is one student you are talking about - personally speaking my daughter who has been at University in London for 1 year has managed all her financial applications, accommodation requirements and got herself a part-time job up there by herself. Don't generalise that ALL students are the same - maybe yours is just a lazy mare

Lord, if she were one of my students I would be quite explicit (but kind) and email back along the lines of "just to be clear, you are asking me to do your work for you"?

I do hope you told her no, and that if she wasn't willing to do that research on her own behalf she certainly wouldn't get the job.

Unfortunately there are quite a few students out there who are very entitled and lazy yes, but they are by no means the majority, and I for one give them short shrift.

YABU. Don't tar all young people with the same brush because of your experience with one. Considering young graduates are facing the worst chance of employment in a very long time and are constantly reminded of this daily in the news I think they should be cut some slack. This kind of attitude is unhelpful and a generalisation.

YANBU. I'm a visiting lecturer on a MA course. Judging by the majority (though certainly not all) of students I teach, they do expect to be spoon-fed and are pretty lazy.

Did you quote her a price for the work?That woudl probably have brought her up sharp

I like the idea of quoting her a price! But more seriously making clear that you won't be doing this for her.

You can't extrapolate from one experience.
Most of my sons friends and peers are smart and focussed. But there certainly was much more evidence of parents arranging uni visits, helping chose courses and organising accommodation etc than I ever expected. And the number of students who couldn't do even very basic cooking and cleaning was shocking.
But 16 years ago I had several graduates coming to work for me who expected to get a title, a high pay grade and less work than everyone else. So I am not sure much changes.

As Doninkillerheels says, just reply asking 'are you really asking me to do your work for you?'

I think it's a case of "getting a dog so you don't have to bark yourself" Just tell her she's taking the piss.

I want to help young people as much as possible and certainly not tar them all with the same brush. It's not an isolated observation though. Another anecdote, a friend's husband kindly facilitated about 20 students a week's work experience at the bank where he works.

They were due to start at 9:00am by 9:15am no-one had arrived. He was very surprised. They turned up wearing scruffy clothes etc and weren't dressed appropriately for work. Surely in this case the fault lies with the school. They should know what the expectations are?

Perhaps I am being unreasonable but if I'm not perhaps the blame lies with the adults rather than the children?

My personal thinking is that values have shifted. It's not that students are lazy it's that they've experienced things differently and won't accept a long hours culture or presenteeism in the way we have. They want things to be snappy and interesting because of the way they been taught?

Yabu, my soon to be 22 DD is extremely focussed and hard working and she has done all her own "legwork" when getting jobs, she doesn't expect anyone to do anything for her.
She could have taken the summer off and lounged about at home after finishing her degree and before starting her PGCE in September, instead she is going to be tutoring at International summer school for 4 - 8 weeks, going wherever in the country they send her.
Most of her friends who are not going on to Masters or PGCE already have permanent jobs, hardly the preserve of the "spoon fed or lazy" .

You're making a very sweeping generalisation. Why would a handful of incidents like this lead you to believe that 'our young' have any different sort of attitude towards work than people of your own generation?

FWIW, I'm not sure whether you'd count me as 'our young' (I'm 28, so probably not), but I graduated 5 years ago with a First Class (Hons) BSc followed by an MSc from the London School of Economics. I worked my arse off at University to get the grades that I did in order to get a decent job and when I got one, I put in a minimum of 80 hours a week for four years. I have numerous friends who graduated at the same time as me who have done and are doing the same.

I find this sort of thread so offensive. If your friend's daughter was black would you be asking whether there is a 'growing entitlement culture' amongst ethnic minorities?

Well they're paying enough for their education these days aren't they...

Only (half) joking!

YABU to judge students as a whole based on a slightly odd experience of one. Just tell her you haven't the time and she will have to do her own research.

So you decided 'today's students' are lazy and entitled because of one you came into contact with?

As a mother of a toddler, eight weeks pregnant and currently trying my best to find myself a placement that my university are unable to do, I find your comments incredibly offensive

See my PP up thread. I don't mean to be offensive. My family friend was the trigger - she's not lazy, that's just the thing that struck me as so odd.

If it's something people tend to think and it's blatantly untrue it's worth discussing. As I said I wonder if part of it is that the world has changed? Each generation also apparently has it's characteristics, the baby boomers (they don't get a terribly good press) - Generation X and the one currently etc...

That is an unusual ask of someone, so you can say no or point her in the right direction. YABU, I'm so bored of people who got free university education etc telling me that students are lazy and entitled.

I don't think people do tend to think it though, OP. This thread demonstrates pretty well that you seem to be a bit isolated in that regard.

Fair point, slowestwildebeast.

Right, FeakAndWeeble - I stand corrected if so.

I would be totally judgy and critical of both the examples you have quoted, but I agree with others, there are a lot of teenagers and young adults out there. I meet some like you describe and I meet a lot who are nothing like you describe, so to tar all with the same brush seems unfair.

we're paying massive amounts to go/be students, so if you turn it into a consumer based product people want more for their money.

The government is currently training me to do a career where there will be no jobs, who knows what sort of 'legwork' I'll have to do at the end of it - hence why I'm leaving!

You don't know the difference between one student you know, and ALL students? Perhaps you shouldn't be helping anyone study anything.