The paid employment of medical students in 1981 and 1989

A survey on paid employment of students in four of the six years of the medical course yielded a 95% return rate. Ninety-four percent of students responding to the survey were in receipt of a student allowance. Eighty-six percent were in paid employment during the 1988-89 summer vacation, working on average for a little over nine weeks. One-quarter of the sample worked during the May vacation, averaging seven days. Twenty-two percent had termtime jobs during the winter term and 20% worked the week before the survey, averaging a little over 8.5 hours for the week. The results are compared with results from an identical survey conducted in 1981. Reasons for taking paid employment are discussed in the context of current changes to course fees and national employment patterns.