Students ‘struggling to find summer work’

Posted 29 Jul 2009

Students considering TEFL jobs abroad may be further enticed following new research which suggests summer jobs at home are becoming increasingly hard to come by.

A survey by the National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland found more than 80 per cent of university placement staff reporting changes in the jobs market said the number of employment opportunities for undergraduates was down, the BBC reports.

It has raised fears that many students will graduate with increased debt or be forced to drop out of further education altogether.

Liam Burns, the president of the NUS in Scotland, told the news source: "If they don’t have that opportunity to top up their bank accounts over the summer months then they are going to return and there still will not be part-time jobs available during term-time either.

"Ultimately that will mean students will start dropping out."

Meanwhile, securing a TEFL job abroad could help increase employment chances as recent advice from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) urges graduates to get work experience.

Tom Hadley, director of external relations at the REC, insists academic achievement alone is no longer enough to persuade employers in the current jobs market.

Category: Teaching and Learning