40% of students in tertiary education work: ST survey

University undergraduate Pakshalikhaa Reddy, 20, works part-time as a retail assistant at a toy shop to fund her "social and lifestyle needs", such as birthday meals with friends, travelling and going to concerts.

- 

She receives $100 a week in allowance from her mother, but also tries to earn at least $500 a month from working one day a week during the weekends.

Ms Reddy is not alone.

In a survey of 500 parents with school-going children, 40 per cent of parents with children in postsecondary education such as in the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), polytechnic or university say their children work.

Of this group, about half work part-time during the school week, while close to 60 per cent work during the school holidays. Others earn money from being content creators, or have their own side hustles.

The percentages do not add up to 100 per cent as respondents can choose more than one option in the survey.

The Straits Times commissioned the survey, conducted by market research firm Milieu Insight, to find out how much allowance parents give their school-going children and issues related to spending, saving and working.

The top three reasons why these students work are to gain work experience before joining the workforce, to supplement spending for their lifestyle, and to gain financial independence.