The Lived Experiences of Young People, between the ages of 18 and 30, currently Queen Margaret University (QMU) Students and Employed in Low-Paid Employment in Scotland
Abstract
The main focus of this research was to look at how working in a low paid occupation
on a part-time basis affected the lived experiences of students at Queen Margaret University.
Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from four participants using a
phenomenological approach as the basis of the research. The participants were collected
through personal connections and their identities were kept private. The findings from this
research have shown that the participants face stigmatisation both inside and outside of the
organisation they work due to people judging their choice of occupation and full-time staff
judging them for being part-time. It was also found that many participants face poor working
conditions based around how they are treated by the places they work and how management
treat them, specifically when it comes to taking time off and how this affects them
financially. Finally, the one positive finding has shown that within these roles’ colleagues
lean on each other and gain the most support from each other and this is the main reason
people stay in these roles. These results are important as they help inform our understanding
of the lived experiences of young people as they undertake their journey through university
and the world of work at the same time.