Publication Date

3-2011

Abstract

The following analysis investigates Australian university students’ participation in off-campus paid work. During the 1990s, this phenomenon became an increasingly interesting and significant narrative in Australian higher education, with implications for institutions, industries, individuals and the economy as a whole. In 2011, as this briefing shows, undertaking off-campus paid work is an intrinsic and rewarding part of undergraduate life. In recent decades combining paid off-campus work and study has tended to be viewed as a troubling situation driven by economic hardship and a lack of government support that resulted in students being distracted from their studies. As with any complex sociological notion, the story becomes much more complex on closer inspection. The following analysis shows, in 2010 off-campus paid work would appear to have become an intrinsic and often rewarding facet of undergraduate life.

 
COinS