Students 'exhaust themselves' by working two or three jobs at the same time

Tan Hieu "embraces" every position while working part-time at a coffee shop - Photo: NVCC

Work overtime, go home after midnight

Busy working from 5pm to 11pm from parking, bartending to waiting tables, that is the case of Tan Hieu, a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Ho Chi Minh City National University.

The shifts are not fixed, morning shift from 6:30 to 12:00, noon shift from 12:00 to 17:00, evening shift from 17:00 to 23:00. Hieu has been working continuously from Monday to Saturday, for almost a year now.

Sharing the reason for going to work, Hieu said he wanted to have more money to cover living expenses. However, Hieu often has difficulty balancing his time between work and study, especially during exam season.

Working three jobs at the same time, Danh Danh, a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University), sometimes feels "exhausted". Currently, Danh is working as a cashier at a canteen, a bartender at a coffee shop, and a voiceover collaborator.

Danh confided: "Sometimes I sell water until 11pm, then go back to the bathroom and take a shower and it's already the start of a new day. I read or study a foreign language until 1-2am, and the next morning I often can't get up to study."

Although tired, you said your family's circumstances are still difficult, both sisters are studying at universities far away, and your elderly parents are often sick.

Danh especially loves voice-over work because in addition to earning extra money, this is also Danh's future direction, so he always looks for opportunities to practice.

Meanwhile, Phuong Ngan - a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law - is working two part-time jobs, as a tutor and as a waitress at a coffee shop.

Every day, Ngan spends 6-8 hours working part-time. Although her current part-time job is not related to her major, Ngan sees this as an opportunity to gain experience.

Recently, Ngan has been feeling unwell because she has been working too much. Last week, because she had to stay up until 2-3am, Ngan lost 4kg. She plans to quit one job and invest more in herself and her health.

Phuong Ngan works hard to share tuition fees with her parents - Photo: NGOC LAN

Be careful when working overtime

MSc. Tran Nam, head of student affairs department, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University), said that part-time jobs help students practice professional skills, adapt to the labor market, cover expenses, become independent early on, and make students feel independent and self-reliant.

He said many universities have networks to introduce jobs for students through the establishment of online job portals, specialized units, employers, and businesses to introduce jobs to students. Some universities regularly work with relevant agencies to protect the rights of students working part-time...

MSc. Nguyen Thi Xuan Dung - Director of the Media Center, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) - noted that long hours of part-time work can easily make students tired; pressure from work, management, and customers affects health and psychology;... and in reality, many students neglect their study tasks.

"In particular, one thing that cannot be ignored is the ease of encountering multi-level fraud. Because students, especially first-year students, do not have much experience, they can easily encounter situations and jobs that are not as expected, and are not equipped with the skills and mentality to handle them," said Ms. Dung.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sinh-vien-vat-suc-lam-them-hai-ba-cong-viec-cung-luc-20240402145851559.htm