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.