VietNamNet Bridge – After school hours, many students rush to restaurants, pubs, bookstores or shopping malls, where they begin new working shifts. Work can bring them money, which allows them to keep studying, and valuable experience which will be useful in their later lives.

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In a sweaty shirt, Linh told Nguoi lao dong’s reporter: “I served as a waitress at a wedding party in Tan Binh district, for which I earned 150,000 dong”.

Thu Thuy, an attractive student with a nice smile, who studies at  the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanity, said she has had two-years of experience  working as a waitress at wedding parties. “Sometimes I had to serve at three or four wedding parties which made short of breath. However, the job can bring me two million dong a month,” she said.

Phuong Thuy, a “colleague” of Thu Thuy, said that she is now a third year university student. Her parents are working in rice fields in a poor area of Nghe An province. Therefore, they can only give Thuy 1-1.2 million dong a month.

The sum of money is really too small to cover expenses in HCM City, while everything is getting more and more expensive. Thuy shares room-for-rent with a friend for which she has to pay 400,000 a month. She also has to pay at least 800,000 dong a month for meals and basic needs.

“Besides, I still have to spend money on foreign language learning, books and birthday parties. If I did not work, I would not be able to live and keep studying in HCM City for four years,” she said.

Even the students, who live in HCM City with their well-off families, also want to go to work. Minh, who lives in District 10, related that though his parents give him pocket money every month and pay for all his needs, he still decided to take a job at a wine company. Every day he goes to restaurants and pubs to introduce the products of the company. If he can find buyers, he will enjoy a commission which is equal to 20 percent of the sale prices.

All the students said that it is not easy to earn money. Thuy related that two years ago, she took a job as a waitress at a restaurant. At first, she was happy with the job, because she could earn 50,000 dong per night, while she also could get tips from clients. However, one night, a drunk man took inappropriate liberties with her. As she was too frightened, she dropped meals on the customer. As the result, she was fired immediately. 

Hanh, a student, who lives in District 9 in HCM City, related that when she was working for a bia hoi (draft beer) restaurant on Thong Nhat Road in Thu Duc district, she accidentally broke a tray. As the result, she was forced to pay 1.2 million dong to the restaurant’s owner, though the tray was worth 400,000 dong only.

Working proves to be the only choice for many students. Ta Linh admitted that since she began working, her grades have become worse. “However, I have no other choice. In order to survive in the big city, you have to work hard,” she said.

Source: Nguoi lao dong