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Posted Aug. 4, 2012

A mistress for a Masters, or how to earn while studying

Current and aspiring postgrad students across the UK breathed a collective sigh of relief when it was revealed that the now-infamous government tuition fee hike would apply to undergraduate fees only .

Loan... groan

However, pursuing a second degree is still a significant financial commitment , and those who take the plunge do so without the option of a student loan, which provides a welcome pecuniary cushion for undergrads with books to buy and pubs to visit. Taking out a bank loan is an option, though a somewhat unpalatable one - in the stringent economic climate the uncertainty of the job market makes the active courting of indebtedness a bit of a gamble.  In recent years postgraduates have been increasingly resourceful in generating income to fund their studies, a rather extreme example being Belle de Jour, whose escorting to finance her PHD in forensic science at Sheffield University is well-documented (the copy of Grazia at my local dentist was responsible for bringing it to my attention).

Work it!

Needless to say many stop short of selling their bodies to improve their minds, but studying and working concurrently has become commonplace whether it be a student with a job or a working professional expanding his/her portfolio of qualifications. For the former a part-time job is often a necessity to pay for living expenses as well as the course itself. This doesn’t always have to mean shift work...

CASE STUDY #1 Lotty Davies, studying for a Masters in Mental Health Studies at King’s College, London, performs in The Strumpettes, a 3-piece ukulele-playing female band that plays hits from the 1920s through to the 1940s.

Lotty says, “ I needed to get a job whatever happened and it just works out that I earn about the same as I would with a regular bar job... it’s really good fun and a creative outlet I enjoy, but I’m not sure I would have been able to do it if we didn’t get paid for it.”

CASE STUDY #2 Alternatively a part-time job can be more career-specific; Lizzie Greenhalgh worked as a Campaigns Assistant in the Campaigns and Public Affairs department at Age UK, a national older people’s charity, alongside her MA in Legal and Political Theory at UCL . She says, ”I'm interested in working in public affairs or policy later and so the job seemed like a great opportunity. My employment experience enabled me to shape my Masters with my future career in mind and a greater understanding of some of the attributes employers look for.”

Evening study option

As well as students funding their way, institutions of higher education are progressively catering to those who want to complement their professional careers with further degrees. Most notable is Birkbeck College, University of London, which describes itself as the only provider of evening higher education classes in the capital, geared specifically for those balancing Masters courses with a career. Students have the option of studying part-time over two years or full-time for one year. Certainly the big attraction of Birkbeck courses is not having to choose between your career and your degree, and this brings with it a whole host of benefits both financial and professional, as outlined by Birkbeck’s Head of Marketing and Recruitment, Jonah Duffin.

“ Our students are able to gain an internationally recognised qualification, while also gaining professional experience to put on their CV, and being able to keep the costs of their study down by earning while they’re learning.”

Earning AND learning

On the face of it ‘earning and learning’ is an ideal scenario; there can’t be many who, in theory, would go down the route of self-imposed penury when presented with the opportunity to seemingly have the best of both worlds.

In practice it’s not for the fainthearted. A full-time job and a part-time Masters course (or vice versa) is an intensive and sometimes hectic whirl of activity when cramming two workload-heavy commitments into the space where just one would be ample to occupy the less superhuman among us. Lizzie succinctly sums up the decision facing working students, “ At times I did worry that work was undermining my Masters experience and I might not be achieving my full potential, but I weighed this concern alongside the benefits of work experience, and the financial advantages of a salary, and decided it was worth it.” The main question is whether doing both at once negatively affects your job or your degree, or indeed both? Does the desire/need to keep two demanding and time-consuming balls in the air mean one eventually gets caught out? Not necessarily it seems. Time-management is key; Lotty believes that the busier you are the more efficient you have to be, but also credits her fellow band-members who work round her course constraints, e.g. exams, when doing their bookings.

CASE STUDY #3 Likewise Birkbeck MSc student Moffat Chawala sings the praises of the college’s facilities and staff in allowing him to juggle his workload, “ The library is well-stocked with relevant materials and there is 24/7 access to the computer lab. The coursework that we were given was challenging but manageable, and the lecturers were very supportive.” 

Anything is possible

So, is it possible to work while studying for a Masters? The answer seems to be YES, but with certain qualifications. As long as you’re organised enough to structure your timetable to allow for both and can cope with the added demands of doing both at once, you should be fine.

It’s definitely not for everyone – I didn’t have a job during my Masters and given my time again would still stick to one or the other, but then maybe I’m just fainthearted. However, get the balance right and you’re cruising. Well maybe not quite, but you’ll likely enrich yourself intellectually and/or personally with (fingers crossed) the added bonus of staying in the black. Not too shabby!

 

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