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Working On A Dream: Educational Returns From Off-Campus Paid Work, Hamish Coates

Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE)

The following analysis investigates Australian university students’ participation in off-campus paid work. During the 1990s, this phenomenon became an increasingly interesting and significant narrative in Australian higher education, with implications for institutions, industries, individuals and the economy as a whole. In 2011, as this briefing shows, undertaking off-campus paid work is an intrinsic and rewarding part of undergraduate life. In recent decades combining paid off-campus work and study has tended to be viewed as a troubling situation driven by economic hardship and a lack of government support that resulted in students being distracted from their studies. As with any complex …