How much work can students take on along with full-time study?
You may need to help your child determine the best number of hours he or she should work to ensure a healthy balance between work and study.
Find out what the recommended work-hours are for students in different year groups.
Just how many hours a student can work depends on a number of factors:
- School year
- Family responsibilities
- Outside school interests
Independent research conducted for the New South Wales Teachers Federation (Think: Insight & Advice, "You're Gold If You're Fifteen Years Old", 2007) showed that half of all students in Years 10 - 12 work more than ten hours per week. These levels of part-time work are mirrored in overseas research.
The same research also showed that students who work the most hours are also the most likely to go to school feeling tired, fail to hand in assignments and to say that part-time work negatively impacts their overall school performance.
As a result of this research, the New South Wales Teachers Federation advises that full-time high school students and their parents/carers should monitor their academic performance carefully if students work more than fifteen hours per week.
The time of day at which the hours are worked can also impact on school performance. Late night shifts, combined with long hours spent at work are the most corrosive to school performance, according to the research. The most at-risk students according to the table below are the 23% of Year 12, 14% of Year 11 and 17% of Year Ten students who work more than 16 hours per week because they are also the ones most likely to work late night shifts.
The New South Wales Teachers Federation advises that high school students and their parents/carers should monitor academic performance if students work more than two shifts after 9 p.m. on Sunday to Thursday evenings.
Parents/carers can help students maintain solid school performance by monitoring both the number of hours and number of late shifts students work.