Wendy part time jobs.doc

							             Wendy                Should students take part-time jobs?


  Nowadays, there has been a rising number of students who take part-time jobs. The

government is concerned about the adverse effects of taking part-time jobs on

students’ school performance and they are considering restricting part-time working.

Most students may ask the question: Why is the government restricting part-time jobs?

In this article, I would like to explore the advantages and disadvantages of the issue

and suggest some ways that the situation can be improved.



  There are several reasons why students take part-time jobs. Most students, who take

part-time jobs, come from poor and under-privileged families. It is sad to say, but

many of these teenagers are one of financial pillars of their family. They have to work

to support their family. Furthermore, it is a fact that our society is materialistic. You

can’t blame kids who want to earn more spending money. Hong Kong is an expensive

city and you need money for entertainment and to keep up with fashion. Also, let’s not

forget that most teenagers love to buy the latest gadget. Moreover, some students want

to be more independent. They want to stand on their own feet and they want to

broaden their horizons through taking part-time jobs and gaining valuable work

experience. In addition, they can make more new friends in order to broaden their

social circle. We should also remember that some parents want their children to know

more about real life. Parents like this believe you need to have a job to learn the hard

facts of life. They believe in the truth of the slogan, “No pain, no gain”. It is hardly

surprising that quite a few kids are actively encouraged to take part-time jobs.



 Moreover, there are other advantages of taking part-time jobs. For instance, students

can gain valuable work experience and can learn valuable life skills. Through having
a part time job teenagers can learn a sense of responsibility, improve their

communication skills and find out about discipline. Also, students can develop skills

that they will need in future jobs like obeying orders and learning how to deal with

customers. Moreover, through taking part-time jobs, students may realize what kinds

of jobs they want to do and it can deter them from dead end jobs.



 In contrast, there are some disadvantages of taking part-time jobs. It may badly

influence students’ academic performance as they often have to work long hours.

They may do not have enough time to do homework and they may not able to

concentrate in their lessons. Also, if students spend a large portion of time working,

they may not have enough time to spend with their family and friends. It may badly

affect their relationship with their family and friends.



  Moreover, there are a lot of business leaders against the legislation of restricting

part-time jobs as it is not in their favour. If the legislation is imposed, those employers

will have to employ full-time workers instead of part-time workers, so their cost of

operating the business will be increased.



  I know there is some legislation that the government could introduce to restrict part

term jobs. They could limit the amount of time that teenagers are allowed to work and

they could introduce a minimum age limit for workers. They could also encourage

employers to treat workers better. Nevertheless, taking everything into consideration I

don’t think the government should interfere. There are more advantages than

disadvantages when it comes to part time work. The government should let market

forces control the labour market.