VietNamNet Bridge – It is now the busiest time for university students in a year. They have been over head and ears in work to earn money for the Tet celebration. Besides, they also have to prepare for the semester exams.

Nguyen Thi NgocTrinh, Director of the Hanoi Youth Job Center, said that it is a little more difficult this year to look for part time jobs, because fewer enterprises have the demand for seasonal workers.

As busy as a bee

Despite the piercing cold, the group of Ngo Thi Mai, Nguyen Thu Quynh from the Hanoi Law School and Pham Thi Hoan from the National Academy of Public Administration still had to work hard.

They have to be present from 7 am at the Giang Vo Trade Fair and Exhibition Center every day. Hoan was seen carefully displaying products at the kiosk of a wooden socks company. She said that she has 10 days for preparing for the semester exams, and she decided to spend the time to make money.

Up to 10 university students are working at the kiosk of the company. One of them said she goes to the exhibition center by bicycle, which takes her nearly one hour. Another said she has to get up at 6 am and then take a bus to work.

Meanwhile, Hoan said she has been working all year round, or she would not have money to fund her study. Hoan needs some VND3 million a month to cover her basic needs when living in Hanoi and pay tuitions. However, her parents can give her VND1.5 million dong a month only. Therefore, she needs to earn money herself to continue studying.

Thu Quynh from Hung Yen said she feels lucky when having found a part time job. Her parents can give her only one million dong a month, therefore, she has to work at any time she can to earn more money.

Quynh admitted that she has not much time to prepare for the semester exams, because she has to spend time working. If Quynh works from 7 am to 8 pm, she can earn VND200,000 a day. As such, she just has to work one week only to earn the sum of money the parents can give her every month.

Meanwhile, Ngo Thi Mai, Quynh’s classmate, said this is for the first time she has an extra job. Mai said she wants to earn money herself which she can use to buy new clothes to wear on Tet days and buy Tet gifts for family’s members.

“Vietnamese always try to have good food and beautiful clothes on Tet days,” she said, smiling.

Tran Thi Van, a first year student of the Hanoi Architecture University, said that she is living in Hanoi with her uncle; therefore, she has to help him sell goods in the high sale season. In general, Van can only spend half a day on studying, while the other half a day she needs to spend at the uncle’s shop and she can return home at 8 pm only.

Extra jobs are the main source of income for students

According to Van, she can earn some VND700,000 from every sale campaign at trade fairs. The sum of money proves to be modest to celebrate Tet. A coach ticket to her home village costs VND200,000 at least, which means that she has only VND500,000 more to buy sweets, clothes and many other things for family members.

Van admitted that she doesn’t have time to review lessons for exam preparation. “We have to stay late at night to learn, or we go to exams with empty heads. However, we have no other choice,” she said.

Gia Dinh