Working Students at Monash
Posted on: October 14, 2009
By Abeer Yusuf
Sunway, Selangor- A random survey conducted online confirms the case of working students in Monash. Out of the 41 participants of the survey, 85 percent were non-working students, but most professed to have friends who were working students.
Dr Yeoh Seng Guan, senior lecturer in the School of Arts and Social Sciences pins the trend down to the students’ necessity.
“A number of factors are involved- but what remains the motivating factor is that these students work because they have to, not because they want to.
They may need the money to pay for their pocket expenses or to help custodians with fees. Alternatively, they may want to build up their portfolios.”
For students Shangari Subramaniam, 21 and Tang Eu Jin, 22, it was the calling that mattered more than anything else.
Subramaniam, a scholarship student who juggles both school and work, spends 42 hours studying and 28 hours performing every week. While she claims it is hard to do both and sacrifices sleep in order to compensate for lost time, the need to act is much greater.
“It’s all for the feeling you get when you’re on stage. And if you know that you’re good at something, you know you have to do it. I know that I have talent, so I am obviously going to take advantage of it. No matter where I am in life, whatever I’m doing, I will always have the time to act.”
Shangari, bottom left, performing in Kaki Blue
The actor, who has done stage shows like Kaki Blue and Sybil, manages by studying on buses while travelling to shows and studying right before rehearsals begin.
Tang Eu Jin, stage name Jin Hackman, performing
Tang, on the other hand, an award-winning rapper and final year Arts student doesn’t find the situation difficult to manage, but concedes that organisation is necessary. “I organise myself by using a NetBook to stay on top of things. I make a to-do list about everything I need to do, or I’ll be all over the place. Sometimes I use it to do my essays right before I go on stage.”
While this development may seem a big step for Monash, Australian students find it surprising that so many students here don’t work.
James Skerett, an Arts student on exchange here says, “For us it’s abnormal to not work while studying, while here it’s the opposite”. Sarah Marcius, also on exchange, confirms this, saying “It’s weird for us to not have to work. I see students here as slackers and spoilt.”
Dr Yeoh acknowledges this difference in system and admits that the dominant system in Asia dictates that parents be in charge of taking care of their childrens’ education needs, while in Australia, parents let go of this responsibility at an early age.
“Time isn’t money here. Time here is childhood prolonged.”
Marcius agrees saying that her parents can’t afford to contribute to her living expenses while Skerett claims, “I took up a job as a telemarketer only because my parents wouldn’t pay for my pocket money”.
Communications Lecturer, Dr Yeoh Seng Guan
On why this trend is picking up here in Asia, Dr Yeoh cites privatisation of education as the main reason.
“Privatisation of education has increased university fees by a great margin. Despite savings and insurance policies, parents can no longer afford to pay for private liberal Western education on their own. There are also fewer scholarships to go around.
On top of that, in today’s world just having a degree doesn’t cut it. One needs to have an edge above the others, proof that they can do better than all the other applicants at a job interview and work experience always shows nicely on a fresh graduate’s CV.”
To support the students, Dr Yeoh believes the administration can change it’s stance from a head-count based, physical presence system to one where students are offered more flexibility- offering options such as videoconferencing, e-mails, DVDs, and Blackboard in place of compulsory attendance. “After all, if there is a demand for such a service, it only serves the University’s profit objective to provide for customers.”
But flexibility or not, for all working students, studies remain the first priority. Attending regular classes is a must for Skerett, while Subramaniam cuts down on performances during exam time. Tang also doesn’t take up any media appearances when faced with a major assignment or exams.
“At the end of the day, working outside university is a handicap. There’s always an ulterior motive behind it- career, money, free time, something,” says Skerett.
Below is an audio slideshow of the interview with Tang Eu Jin:
Google Map:
1MONASH 
Leave a comment