The Price of After-school Jobs
by When children are willing to sacrifice their education to have luxury items.
The Price of After-School Jobs
A growing number of German youths get jobs not only during vacation but also during the school year. “Nationwide, at least a third of the children 13 years of age and older work on average more than three hours a week,” reports the magazine Der Spiegel. In the German state of Hesse, between 50 and 80 percent of senior high school students take on odd jobs. Rarely do these youths need to help their families make ends meet. Rather, they want such possessions as the latest mobile phones, designer clothes, and cars, as well as the sense of independence a job gives them. But there is a cost. “It is not exceptional for a student to snooze with his or head on the desk because of working long hours the day before or even early in the morning,” notes educator Thomas Muller. “They want luxury now instead of education for tomorrow.” Fellow educator Knud Dittmann adds: “Once children have the consumer mentality ingrained in them, they accept low grades or even having to repeat a year as the price to pay.”
Liked it
