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Chapter Five Pupils' decisions about part-time employment

5.1 In this chapter we consider the pupils' decisions about whether or not to participate in part-time employment. As we noted in chapter 3, in this research we distinguish between 'current workers', 'former workers' and those who had never worked. We begin by considering the reasons for working among pupils who were currently in a job, or who had worked in the past, the former workers. We then go on to examine the reasons why the former workers had stopped working part-time. Finally, we focus on the group of pupils who had never had a part-time job. In the introduction we noted that relatively little is known about this group. For example, have they had tried to find a job, and if not, the reason why they have not done so. As well as extending our picture of pupils' part-time employment in Scotland, it is important to any discussion of the possible recognition of part-time work to have a greater understanding of these different groups of pupils and the reasons behind their involvement, or not, in part-time employment.

Why do pupils work?

5.2 In the survey we asked both former and current workers about their reasons for working part-time. Pupils were given a list of reasons for having a part-time job and asked how far each reason applied to them. They responded on a four point scale ranging from 'very much' to 'not at all'. Figure 5.1 lists the reasons and shows the 'very much' responses from pupils who had ever had a part-time job. Money is the key reason they gave for working, followed some way behind by the chance to gain independence. Career related reasons were not a major motivating factor for most pupils.

Figure 5.1: Ever worked pupils: reasons for working (% very much)

5.3 There were no major differences in the reasons given by pupils who were former workers compared with those currently in a part-time job. Money is the key factor for both current and former workers with some variation in what were the most important ways in which to spend their earnings.

5.4 Pupils' reasons for working did not vary depending on where pupils lived ie in rural, urban or a large urban area. We had wondered if, for example, pupils in rural areas might give more weight to the social aspects of part-time work ('the opportunity to meet new people/make new friends') but this was not the case. There were some small differences in pupils' responses according to stage of schooling, gender, enterprising attitudes, attainment, social class and planned post school destinations and we note these below.

Financial reasons are central

5.5 It is clear that to earn money (for a variety of purposes) is central to pupils' decision to work part-time. Nearly three quarters responded that 'to earn money to pay for their social life/going out' is a reason that applied 'very much' to them (Figure 5.1 and Table 9, Appendix 1). Around two-thirds reported that earning money to pay for items such as clothes, toiletries, CDs, music and magazines was a very relevant reason for them. Saving for major purchases was a key reason for around a third. Only 18% indicated that earning money for alcohol and cigarettes was a motivation for having a part-time job.

5.6 The reason, 'earning money to contribute to the household budget' did not figure strongly in pupils' reasons for working part-time, only 6% responded that this was a reason that applied 'very much' to them (Figure 4.1 and Table 9, Appendix 1). When we looked at this further, we did find some small variation according to attainment. Among those who had ever had a part-time job, the lowest attaining pupils were slightly more likely to state that 'earning money to contribute to the household budget' was a reason that 'very much' applied to them compared with the highest attainers (12% vs 3%, Table 10, Appendix 1). It might be expected that there would be some difference in response to this question about working to contribute to the household budget according to pupils' social class background but the variation by social class was very small, no more than a 4% difference (see Table 11, Appendix 1).

5.7 Money was an equally important reason for both young men and young women who had ever had a part-time job. But there were some small differences, for example, the chance 'to earn money to buy clothes, shoes and toiletries' is seen as more important by young women than men (69% vs 58%, Table 9, Appendix 1).

5.8 Similarly, the key reason of money applied across all year groups. While older pupils gave more importance to earning money to fund major purchases and to buy alcohol and cigarettes than did the younger pupils, money was the most important factor for all pupils who had ever had a part-time job (Table 12, Appendix 1).

Part-time work is a way to gain independence

5.9 Almost a third of pupils who had ever had a part-time job responded that 'to gain independence' was a very important reason for them to work (32%, Figure 5.1 and Table 9, Appendix 1). It was the next most relevant reason after money for both current and former and especially so for the current workers (current workers 36% vs former workers 22 % 'very much' responses, Table 9, Appendix 1). The role of part-time work as a way to gain independence was more important to older pupils with 41% of S6 pupils rating it as very important to them compared with 28% of the S3 pupils (Table 11, Appendix 1). Gaining independence was also given more weight by young women than by their male counterparts (37% vs 25% 'very much', Table 9, Appendix 1).

5.10 We also found that those pupils who scored highest in terms of their enterprising attitudes ⁷ were more likely to see the opportunity to gain independence as an important reason for having a part-time job (44% high score vs 23 % low score, Table 13, Appendix 1). The weight given to this reason increased in line with how enterprising pupils perceived themselves to be.

Employment/career related reasons are less important for most

5.11 The reasons for working that are related to employment or career emerge as less important, especially those reasons that are about part-time work as a way of trying out specific careers, jobs or courses. The more general reason 'finding out what work is like' was seen as a very relevant reason for just over a fifth of those who had ever had a part-time job and a similar proportion answered that 'to build up a track record to help get a better job in the future' was very important reason for them working (22% and 19% 'very much', Figure 5.1 and Table 9, Appendix 1). Former workers gave somewhat less weight to career related reasons than current workers, especially the idea of working to build up a track record (13% vs 22% 'very much').

Figure 5.2: Ever worked pupils: career related reasons for working part-time by SG level (% answering very much)

5.12 Part-time work for low attaining pupils and to a lesser extent those planning to enter the labour market straight from school (and these groups overlap), appears to serve a more career related function than for other pupils. While money was still the main motivation for them, lower attaining pupils gave more weight than did the higher attaining pupils to the reasons 'to gain experience for a particular job or course', 'to try out a specific career' and 'to build up a track record to help me get a better job in the future' (Figure 5.2). Those who planned to find a job or training place after leaving school also gave more weight to these reasons (Table not shown). However, differences in responses in relation to employment/career related reasons according to pupils' social class were minor (Table 11, Appendix 1).

5.13 We also found that pupils who had assessed themselves more highly in relation to how enterprising they are in their attitudes gave more weight to career related reasons for working (Figure 5.3). Nevertheless, earning money was also the central reason for their decision to have a part-time job as for other pupils.

Figure 5.3: Ever worked pupils: career related reasons for working part-time by their enterprising attitudes score (% answering very much)

5.14 Older pupils gave less weight to part-time work as a way to try out a specific career or to gain experience for a particular job (Table 12, Appendix 1). Pupils of all ages/stages were just as likely to see a part-time job as a way to build up a track record and to find out what work is like.

5.15 To explore the issue of part-time work and careers issues more fully, we examined the reasons current workers gave for working and the type of jobs in which they were employed. While money is the prime motivation for working part-time it is also evident that employment/career-related reasons are more important to pupils in certain types of jobs than in other ones. Pupils currently employed in care work, hairdressing, farming and manual trades all gave greater emphasis to employment/career-related reasons. For example, 45% of those employed in manual trades responded that 'to gain experience for a particular job or course' was a key reason compared with 14% of current workers overall (Table not shown). A similar pattern of response is evident in respect of the other career related reasons: 'to find out what work is like, 'to try out a specific career' and to 'build up a track record to get a better job in the future'.

Parental wishes are not an important reason

5.16 Only a small minority of pupils who had ever had a part-time job indicated that this was largely because their parent or carer wanted them to work, only 12% responded that this was 'very much' a reason for working (Figure 4.1 and Table 9, Appendix 1). However, pupils who were currently in a part-time job and who did identify this as a reason for working were likely to be employed in farming and manual trades; these are jobs where pupils were also more likely to be employed by their parents.

Why do some pupils stop working part-time?

5.17 We indicated in the introduction that research has shown that pupils move in and out of employment. Little is known about their reasons for leaving employment. To address this gap pupils in the former worker category were asked about the reasons they stopped doing their last part-time job. Such information is pertinent to the question of recognition and issues of pupils' continuity of employment.

5.18 Pupils gave a range of reasons for stopping work, some of which are inter-related (Figure 5.4). We identified three main categories of reasons from their responses:

• dissatisfaction with the job (31%)
• time issues and the impact on other aspects of their lives (28%)
• where their job came to an end (21%).

Figure 5.4: Former workers: why stopped work (% main reason)

5.19 In the case of dissatisfaction with the job, 31% of former workers gave this as a reason for stopping work (18% disliked the job/employer/other workers; 11% were dissatisfied with the pay; and 2% stopped work because of bad employer/poor working environment). Time issues and the impact of this on other aspects of pupils' lives comprise the second category of reasons for giving up part-time work. In total 28% fell into this category (14% want to concentrate on school work; 7% indicated that work took up too much time; and 7% indicated that hobbies/sports take up your free time).

5.20 The final category of reasons for giving up work related to the cessation of the job: 21% fell into this category (for 11% a seasonal or temporary job ended; for 7% the employer did not have enough work; and 3% were sacked). In the previous two categories pupils were making the decision to stop work, in contrast pupils in this final category were not necessarily stopping work from choice although it should be remembered that some pupils may opt for seasonal work knowing that it will stop at a specific time.

5.21 The main reasons that pupils stopped working did not vary much in respect of gender, stage of schooling or attainment level. Differences between young men and young women in the most important reasons for stopping work are slight (Table 14, Appendix 1). Across the year groups, the only difference in the pupils' main reason for stopping work is in relation to wanting to concentrate on school work. S5 and S6 pupils were more likely to give this as their most important reason than those in S4 and especially S3 (S5 23%, S6 21% vs S3 6%, S4 13%, Table 15, Appendix 1). When we examined whether pupils' reasons for stopping work differed according to their Standard grade level, we again found that the main difference concerned the reason 'to concentrate on your school work'. The importance given to this reason rose in line with pupils' attainment level; it was the most important reason for 7% of those in the lowest attainment group compared with 15% of pupils in the high attaining category (Table 5.1).

Table 5.1: Former workers: stopped work to concentrate on school work by SG attainment (% main reason)

Some of those who had never worked part-time had tried to get a job

5.22 The survey findings show that just over two fifths of pupils have never worked (41%). However, we should not assume that this was a matter of choice for all of them. Over a fifth of those who had never had a part-time job had, in fact, tried to get one (22% had applied for one or more jobs (Table 16, Appendix 1). Young women were slightly more likely to report that they had made application(s) for part-time employment than were young men (25% vs 21%, Table 16, Appendix 1). There are quite striking differences by year group in this respect. Among the S6 pupils who had never worked, 44% stated that they had applied for part-time employment and 32% of pupils in S5 responded that they had done so (Table 5.2).

Table 5.2: Never worked pupils: if ever applied for a part-time job by stage

5.23 The extent to which pupils in the 'never worked' had tried to find employment also varied slightly according to their Standard Grade level. Pupils in the highest attainment category were least likely to have applied for a job (Table 5.3).

Table 5.3: Never worked pupils: if ever applied for a part-time job by SG attainment

5.24 Although a smaller proportion of pupils in rural areas had never had a job (Table 3.3, chapter 3), among these pupils who had not worked part-time, we found that a slightly higher proportion from rural areas had applied for a job compared with pupils elsewhere. The difference is small but it is statistically significant (Table 5.4).

Table 5.4: Never worked pupils: if ever applied for part-time job by location

The reasons why some pupils do not try to get a part-time job

5.25 We asked those who had never had a part-time job and had never applied for one to give the most important reasons why they had not made any job applications (Figure 5.5). In rank order the main reasons were:

• wanting to concentrate on their school work (33%)
• there were no jobs available (19%)
• hobbies/sports took up all of their free time (19%)
• they 'can't be bothered' (10%).

5.26 Parental disapproval is not an important reason why pupils had not applied for part-time employment (2%); while the responses in respect of the disapproval of their teachers or school as the most important reason did not reach 1%. Given that money is by far the main motivating factor in pupils getting a part-time job, it is interesting to see that having enough money does not emerge strongly as an important reason for not working.

Figure 5.5: Pupils who had never applied for a job: reasons why not applied (% main reason, multiple response analysis)

5.27 Some differences between young men's and young women's reasons for not trying to get part-time work are evident. For young men time on hobbies/sports was more likely to be cited as the main reason for not trying to get a job (m: 23% vs f: 11%, Table 17, Appendix 1). In contrast, wanting to concentrate on school work figured more strongly for young women (f: 38% vs m: 27%). There was also a gender difference in the reason 'can't be bothered': 14% of young men gave this as their main reason for not applying compared with 6% of women (Table 17, Appendix 1).

5.28 The main differences in the reasons for not trying to get a part-time job among pupils at different ages/stages of school concern the availability of jobs and the desire to concentrate on their school work (Figure 5.6 and Table 18, Appendix 1). A higher proportion of pupils in S3 and S4 gave the lack of jobs as their main reason for not applying than did older pupils in S5 and S6. This may partly reflect the age restrictions on some jobs, S3 and S4 pupils wish to work in sectors where the minimum age is sixteen years. It is also clear that the decision not to look for work was much more driven by the wish to focus on school work among S5 and S6 pupils, this was by far the key reason for their non-involvement in part-time work (Figure 5.6 and Table 18, Appendix 1).

Figure 5.6: Never worked pupils: the main reasons why they never applied for jobs by school stage

5.29 Pupils' main reason for not trying to get a part-time job did vary depending on their attainment. Figure 5.7 illustrates the differences in respect of the most important reasons (full data in Table 19, Appendix 1). Lower attaining pupils were less likely to give the desire to concentrate on their school work as a reason for not looking for a part-time job and more likely to respond that there were no jobs available. In other respects their responses were similar and pupils from across the attainment groups were just as likely to give 'can't be bothered' as their main reason.

Figure 5.7: Never worked pupils: the main reasons why they never applied for jobs by Standard Grade level

5.30 There are small differences in pupils' reasons for not trying to get a part-time job according to their social class (Table 20, Appendix 1). A higher proportion of pupils from a working class background gave the lack of available jobs as a reason. The desire to concentrate on school work instead of working did not vary much according to social class. Pupils whose mother or father was in the 'missing' category were somewhat more inclined to respond that they 'couldn't be bothered' to look for a job.

Figure 5.8: Never worked pupils: the main reasons why they never applied for jobs by location

5.31 Considering the reasons given for not applying for a job, we found some variation in the main reasons given by the never worked pupils in respect of their location. A slightly higher proportion of those in rural areas cited the lack of jobs as their main reason compared with pupils in other locations, especially those in large urban areas (25% vs 19%, Figure 5.8 and Table 21, Appendix 1). The desire to concentrate on school work figured somewhat more strongly for pupils in large urban areas than pupils elsewhere.

Overview

5.32 The desire to earn money is central to pupils' decisions to work part-time. Earning money was largely to fund their social life and the purchase of clothes, CDs, books etc rather than to contribute directly to the household budget. While there was a slight difference in respect of earning to contribute to the household budget according to pupils' attainment (a slightly higher percentage of the lower attaining pupils cited this reason), there was little difference in respect of social class. The data suggests that while financial reasons are a key motivating factor, there is no direct link between poverty and pupils' decisions to get a part-time job. Moreover, we should be cautious about how we interpret the motivation of money, we have other data to suggest that it should not be interpreted simply as an instrumental motivation. In the survey, part-time work as a way to gain independence emerged as the second most important reason for part-time work and, in the group work with pupils conducted as part of this research, it was clear that for some pupils having an income of their own was a means by which they can establish their independence. The two most important reasons that pupils gave for having a part-time job, to earn money and to gain independence, are inter-related and suggest that for pupils, part-time work may contribute to helping them establish an independent adult identity. For most pupils, specific employment or career related reasons are less important reasons for having a part-time job.

5.33 The reasons why the former workers had stopped working fall mainly into three categories: dissatisfaction with their job; time issues; and where their job had come to an end. Some pupils left their job because they disliked some aspect of it - this is pertinent to the question of recognition of part-time work - might recognition mean pupils stayed in a job with which they were dissatisfied? For other pupils, the impact of the time involved in working on other aspects of their lives was a reason for giving up their job. Pupils in S5 and S6 were more likely to stop work to concentrate on their school work than were pupils in S3 and S4; similarly this was the main reason for giving up work for a higher percentage of those in the highest attainment group than in the low attaining group. These differences suggest that some pupils were exercising a degree of self management and recognising the need to balance the demands of school and work.

5.34 The third category - where pupils' jobs had come to an end - raises questions in respect of the matter of recognition of part-time work. Some of these pupils had been in seasonal or temporary jobs and as such their jobs were time limited - is the limited duration of some jobs likely to pose particular issues in respect of recognition? While some pupils who had taken on seasonal work or temporary work, might have chosen to do so because it would stop at a particular time, others had not stopped work from choice and this too is relevant to the question of recognition.

5.35 The data highlights that pupils who have never worked are not a homogenous group. Some had not tried to get part-time employment but the reasons behind this varied. For some it was for negative reasons - a perceived lack of jobs - while for others it was a positive decision because they wanted to focus on school work or other interests instead. Another group of pupils who had never worked had, in fact, applied for job(s) but had not succeeded in finding employment. Decisions about the recognition of part-time work and possible approaches to doing so, need to take account of the diversity of the never worked group of pupils.

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