Plenty of leisure time, parents have to deal with it and “it’s very good for you”. These are words that every student must have heard at some point. But not all superstitions are true: according to the Federal Bureau of Statistics, 73% work alongside their studies.
As a student, you will encounter all sorts of fun and interesting superstitions as you progress through your studies. Okay – leisure time and financial situation are partially true if you look at the length of semester break and student income is usually not very high. However, according to the latest media release from the Federal Statistics Office, three-quarters of students work 9.5 hours per semester week in addition to their studies.
Less free time than expected
Admittedly, one or the other would require 9.5 hours a working week, but the course itself costs 35.4 hours. If you add up the total weekly time required for work, study, homework and family work and volunteer work, the amount will be 52.0 hours. Total time load increases with age: it ranges from 48.4 hours on average for the youngest age (maximum 20 years) to 60.8 hours for the oldest students (over 35 years). While the time required for study or for students with children decreases with age, the time required for profitable employment and household and family work increases.
All prejudices have not been removed
But prejudices cannot be completely eliminated: although 73% of students have a student job and account for 40% of their own employment budget, family debt remains the most important source of income. This means that not all the prejudices of the students have been eradicated, but one can say that they are trying to become more financially independent. Especially 26-30 year olds prefer source of income from lucrative employment over family support. For students from a family where at least one parent has a university degree, family support is responsible for about two-thirds of the income. For those students whose parents have low educational qualifications, family support is less than half the income.
One-third of students apply for grants or loans
Compared to family support and lucrative employment, the contribution of studies to students’ budgets weighs less: grants and loans correspond to an average of 4% of income. For recipients, however, they are of great importance. In the spring semester of 2020, 27% of students applied for training grants from the public sector, universities or private organizations. Contributions have been approved in 43% of cases. If you need more information about funding and scholarships, I highly recommend this article.
“Hotel Mama” has been booked for a long time
About 41% of students live with their parents. As a student, you can live longer at home, but this is where you save the most. No wonder, because the cost for an apartment and the search for an ideal house in a shared flat alone can fall on your nerves and leave a hole in your wallet. But when you start distance learning, you have almost no choice and you have to move away from home or live as a passenger. This means that 21% of students live in a flat-sharing community and about 10% live in a hall or alone. At eduwo you will find many helpful tips and tricks for living as a student.
It’s deceptive that you don’t get rid of some superstition. Of course students do not earn enough to be able to manage a large amount of life. But one thing is for sure: almost no student wants to finance their life voluntarily. No one should be prevented from continuing their education due to financial constraints, which is why there are companies like educa or stipendium.ch which can be very helpful in financing education and training. Among other things, it is definitely advisable to consider a student job, as these jobs have a small workload and are therefore ideal for students’ weekly schedules.
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