Why Working Full-Time While Studying Abroad Can Be A Costly Mistake

Article Featured On: The Times Of India

Despite the growing rate of student employment, not much is known about its effect on academic progress and performance for international students. This was perhaps why countries like Canada removed the cap on off-campus work hours for foreign students. Last month, the Canadian government permitted international students to work beyond the typical 20 hours a week from November 15, 2022, to December 31, 2023. This follows Australia which lifted restrictions in March this year. Such moves were made to address the acute labor shortages as COVID subsided. 

However, at the same time, the government expects students to balance their coursework and off-campus work. Ironically, international students can’t reduce their education loads or transition from full-time to part-time status. Otherwise, they will lose their eligibility to work off-campus. 

Based on our observations and surveys, we recognize that many Indian students opt to work to cover their everyday and educational expenses. The costs that go into attending an overseas university have also gone up significantly in recent years. It is primarily the reason why more international students report earning income while studying. And now that the limit has been removed, they will be able to earn more than before. 

Increased independence, the opportunity to acquire employment skills, and improved financial management are the obvious benefits. However, working beyond 20 hours a week can have severe implications on academic performance and student well-being. To begin, the typical study load for an international student is around 30-40 hours. Now if the student additionally works full time, their overall workload will reach 80 hours a week which is extremely high even for some of the highest-paid professionals like investment bankers and consultants! Obviously, this effort level is unrealistic and therefore students end up compromising on their study load by either cutting down on self-study or skipping classes.

The result is a greater number of students failing their courses and, thus, incurring additional costs to retake them. Moreover, it can lead to a delay in graduation, and when the time-to-degree ratio increases, it also impacts their overall earning potential in the future. So on the net, it is a losing value proposition for the student.

Secondly, students who work full-time tend to have less time for out-of-class academic activities or extracurricular involvements. They miss out on building their network and relationships which are harder to replicate at a later stage in life. This has a direct impact on the general and social well-being of these students, as they have a weaker support network around them.

The priority for any international student should be studying and not working. And also, the purpose for them should be to get exposed to international work culture and not monetization. When they do well in their studies, students can not only get excellent scholarships for future studies, but it can also help them get good references from their professors. Furthermore, good grades will ensure they get excellent starting packages and increase their possibility of getting job offers under the PR visa categories. 

If a student can afford it, we always recommend that they utilize their resources on additional courses and skills to increase their present qualifications instead. They can also take up internships in their related field to gain local experience, even if they make less money. Alternatively, they can opt for hybrid programs that allow students to reduce their overseas education expenses by as much as 30%. There are also platforms that offer students exclusive scholarships and low-cost loans to further incentivize their study abroad goals.