No Jobs and No Fee Reductions Leaves Students Demanding Compensation

As a major employer of young people and students, Yoopies UK has

uncovered the discontent amongst students regarding the lack of

financial support they have received in the pandemic. Our survey of over

600 students revealed that many had faced economic and employment

difficulties over the past 12 months and an overwhelming 91% did not believe

that paying full fees for online tuition was justified.

Student satisfaction and difficulties faced according to our survey:

70% of respondents noted that their jobs had been negatively affected by

the pandemic during the last year: from reduced hours and rates of pay to

complete loss of work, student jobs have undoubtedly faced problems.

We discovered that 73% of students had experienced financial difficulties

during the pandemic, yet over the last year student expenses have either

remained the same or decreased only marginally in most situations. Access

to jobs however has decreased significantly as 81% of students in our survey

responded that it had been harder than usual to find employment this

year. Due to their academic commitments, students are more constrained

when searching for employment than other adults which has put them at a

particular disadvantage this year due to the lack of part-time and casual

work available.

High levels of dissatisfaction amongst the student population was the most

notable result from our study, as when asked, ‘Do you think paying full

University fees for online learning is justified?’ 91% of respondents

answered ‘No’. Students as a group feel that they have been short changed

by online academic provision from universities as it does not match up to the

quality of learning they received in person and they have far less access to

the many resources available in usual circumstances at university. Finally we

asked students whether they had received any reduced rent from their

university accommodation or private rental in their university city or

town, an overwhelming 91% answered ‘No’, despite the Government

advising students not to return to University for large proportions of the year

and teaching being rolled out remotely in the majority of cases.

Why have students in particular been affected by the pandemic?

Many students rely on part time or temporary jobs to supplement their

student loan or personal incomes and enable them to cover the ever

increasing costs of University life. For those who worked in the tourism,

entertainment and hospitality industries in particular, they have faced

financial hardships when attempting to cover their university fees. In

addition to struggling financially, students are not satisfied with the quality of

teaching they are paying for as almost all learning is taking place online with

severely limited access to resources compared to usual, yet University fees

remain the same.

What are the implications for students and universities?

Over half a million students alongside the National Union of Students have

signed a petition demanding a reduction in fees from £9,250 to £3,0001. The

Union commented that “students have been consistently exploited and

ignored during this pandemic” which is a feeling shared across the student

population. If there is no change from the Government the implications could

be severe with students facing higher levels of debt and Universities suffering

a damaging reputation of being unaffordable thus putting off potential

applicants in years to come.

Methodology for the study:

A sample of 603 students responded to our survey on “Student Jobs during the pandemic”.

Survey results were obtained between 28th Feb-4th March, 2021. Study was carried out by a

self-administered online questionnaire on a CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) system.

Any publication, in whole or in part, must use the following complete statement: “Student

Jobs during the pandemic – a Yoopies study” and no resumption of the survey may be

dissociated from this title.