No rest: Claire Jackson, of Dunedin, opted for a summer of
study to escape a lack of jobs and the Student Hardship
Benefit. Photo by Bruce Munro
This summer, Claire Jackson has been forced to swap three
Rs for the three Ss.
Instead of rest, recreation and a little extra revenue she
has been lumped with stress, skimping and study.
Ms Jackson is one of hundreds of students in Dunedin and
thousands nationwide who have been unable to find work during
the summer break.
In previous summers, the commerce honours student has worked
in factories, supermarkets, vineyards and shops.
But not this year.
"I tried at Student Job Search for a few weeks," Ms Jackson
said.
"I also applied at vineyards and orchards in Central Otago
but was told they were all full."
She then applied for the Student Hardship benefit but found
it impossible to live on the $161 a week grant.
In the end she enrolled in a paper at the university Summer
School so she could access the $225 a week student allowance.
"Normally I'd get to have a holiday but not this year."
Bookmark/Search this post with:
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.