Report
to the People
18th
November 2002
School Work
People say that, like your first kiss and your first hangover, your first job is one of those memories which stays with you for the rest of your life.
I certainly still recall my own first rung on the career ladder, as a media marketing officer (alright, paperboy) responsible for supplying the good people of Branchton with their Telegraph after school. And I also remember, at the end of a hard week’s work, getting my first pay packet and spending literally hours deciding in which sweetie shop I would invest my 9 bob. (That, for the benefit of younger readers, is a whacking 45p in new money – thank God for the tips.)
Whether it’s giving you an introduction to the world of work, more financial independence or, in today’s competitive job market, an extra line for your CV, working while at school does have its advantages. Indeed, an evening or weekend job can also encourage you to stick in at school by, to be blunt, showing you just how mind numbingly dull some jobs can be.
But, as a new study shows, moderation is the key.
Research by Jim McKechnie of Paisley University’s child employment research team indicates that, while working a couple of hours a week can actually boost academic achievement, working more than 10 hours poses a threat to your exam results.
So the question, then, is how do we help students in the all important 5th and 6th years to strike the right balance between work and school?
I put this point to the Deputy Education Minister, Nicol Stephen, during Question Time in the Parliament last week. How, I asked, is his department working to encourage students to gain valuable work experience and at the same time protect them from over-work and exploitation?
He replied that this important issue was looked at during the education and enterprise review. The Parliament, he said, can influence the way ahead, as can local authorities and schools. But parents and pupils must play an important part.
This, I suppose, makes sense. If you want to show that you are mature and responsible enough to work, then you should be able to show that you are mature and responsible enough to fit your job around your studies – not vice versa.
A common sense approach, backed up where needed by protection against exploitation, can help students both develop the people skills and gain the exam results which will prove invaluable when they enter the workplace for real.
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