Pay as you learn: the effects of part-time paid employment on academic performance

Increasing numbers of full-time undergraduates are supplementing their income by seeking paid employment during term-time. This article presents some preliminary findings from a research project which explores to what extent academic progress is affected by the part-time, term-time paid employment of full-time undergraduates. It begins by considering changes made to the student funding mechanism over the past few decades and briefly contextualises the study in relation to other relevant studies. It then presents the initial findings of the study and discusses these in the light of the implications raised for: students; the institution; academic staff; employers.