Used And Abused

By Charlotte Lewis

We all know what it is like to look at our bank statements and gasp with horror. However, loan day soon arrives and we go on an almighty shopping spree or buy a mountain of alcohol. For the first few weeks of term, it feels like there is an endless supply of money resting in our pockets. Then suddenly it hits us: we have delved into our overdraft or we have managed to spend hundreds of pounds on items we don’t even remember purchasing. Either way, we all experience a moment during our university lives where money is a dangerously growing issue. Some of the lucky few manage to pull strings with parents, whilst others begin living by a strict budget. The most common response, however, is to start looking for a job.

Last term I had a problem with money. I had tried to live by a budget but somehow money just seemed to vanish and my situation wasn’t helped by the fact that I needed to start saving to go travelling during the summer. I knew that the only way to get enough money together was to start looking for a job. After weeks of trailing the streets with my CV and much to my surprise and delight I got offered three jobs. At this moment many of you will be thinking that I was extremely fortuitous and that is how I felt at the time.
Although, I soon began to realise that I was not lucky at all and that my job offers and many other jobs offered to students are an appalling example of exploitation.

One of the places which contacted me was a hotel in Fulford, where I was asked to come for a trial shift. I was extremely excited about this opportunity and went there with high hopes. The ‘trial’ shift soon turned into a nightmare. I was made to work an eight hour shift until 2.30 in the morning, told that it was unpaid and received comments from the manager which were extremely unprofessional such as ‘you have the right look for one of our waitresses’. This is just one example of student exploitation.

Other examples of such bad practice either I have experienced or have heard of include being made to work twelve hour shifts without breaks, being paid cash in hand without filling out proper forms and having to do the jobs that no other employee wants to do. This is not just the representation of a few. Many friends and co-workers have told stories of undeniable manipulation. Frighteningly, it seems to be a general consensus among most students. When considering our circumstances, our desperation for jobs and our lack of experience, we do seem like easy prey.

It is evident from the volume of stories and experiences that this is a real problem that needs to be sorted. Businesses look to minimise their costs in everyway possible and when hiring a student who has clearly little experience of the world of work and who is obviously in need of extra money they see an opportunity to do this. The attraction of free labour or a member of staff who is willing to work outside the legal boundaries because they aren’t aware of the misconduct, is obvious. This is a worrying but increasingly true issue.
In the end, everything comes down to the importance of money. Businesses exploit students to stay afloat in poor economic times and students let employers exploit them because they are unaware or are just in desperate need. But remember: before agreeing to work for anyone, make sure you have your say.