Aidan Donoghue: Victoria University Students Association Engagement Vice President on the research into uni students who work while studying

A new report by the Education Ministry shows more tertiary students than ever have been working while studying and most had better pass rates than the ones who didn't work.

The report said that in 2024, students in low-intensity work had a course completion rate of 88 percent while those in moderate-intensity work had a slightly lower pass rate.

Meanwhile, those who did not work at all had the same pass rate as those in high-intensity work - about 83 percent.

Victoria University Students Association Engagement Vice President Aidan Donoghue says this is surprising - and he'd be interested into a deeper dive on these stats. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you're a unique student listening to this and you
haven't got yourself a part time job, you may be
missing out because there's a new report from the Education
Ministry that's found that students with low and moderate intensity
work tend to actually have better pass rates than people
who don't work at all. Aiden Donahue is president of
the Victoria University of Wellington Students Association and is with
US high Aiden, good evening. Did this surprise you?

Speaker 2 (00:22):
It did, Actually it was against my intuition, but yeah,
the reports of the findings of the report was very
interesting to read through.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
What do you reckon? What do you put it down to?
Is it like if you're in the zone, you're in
the zone, you're working and you're getting stuff done rather
than lazing about.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah. I can only speculate my two views on it
is either if you're in a position where you don't
need to work and you might feel you know, you
have safety nets, you might make it feel more comfortable
dropping out, or the opposite is you might have not
been able to afford university and been made to have
dropped out. So it could be a combination of both.
But I'd be really interested to dive deeper in that
and see what the actual causes are.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Now, the other thing that said is too much work
is also not good because if you're working at too
high an intensity level, obviously then your study suffer. What
do you reckon that level would be?

Speaker 2 (01:10):
I think anything above maybe twenty twenty four or thirty
two hours a week. I mean, you know, UNI, if
you're a full time Shuton, you are expected to do
quite literally full time, and so having that balance of
you know, eating, sleeping, studying, repeating, working, it's tough to juggle.
So for students, you know, hitting that you know, zero
to ten hour mark is ideal, but you know, other
things force you to maybe look at more hours. What

(01:32):
are you doing I'm doing full time at the moment,
full time work. Yeah, this role is full time, but
I'm doing my master's at the same time.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Oh as in like working for the Students' Association is
full time? Yes? Is it forty hours? Is it?

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (01:47):
How are you balancing that?

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Then? Great question. I just I've done all my course work,
so it's just my dissertation I've got to do by February.
But yeah, it is a challenge, but it's not something
I'm used to before My undergrader was about twenty five
hours at macas so it's just what you've got to
do with Mack.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
He's good on ye Aiden, you'll do well right, Thanks mate,
Really appreciate. Aden Donahue, Victoria University of Wellington Students Association President.
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