Case Studies in Catering

Case study by Allison Mulimba

Seeing Sir Ian McKellen naked is one of the bizarre things expected in my job. However, it is a small price to pay when it comes to working full-time and studying at university simultaneously. I am a 21-year-old journalism and history student at Queen Mary University of London.

I work seven nights a week behind the bar at the Palace Theatre. My job has given me the opportunity to see Ian McKellen as King Lear and now Sanjeev Bhaskar of Goodness Gracious Me fame in Spamalot.

Balancing both work and studies is hard. My lack of motivation to start essay writing means that the temptation to have a glass of wine at the pub next to work instead of attempting that essay on Stalin frequently proves too much.

There is not much I like about my job. I especially hate seeing the disgust on people's faces when I tell them a pint is £5 and a glass of shiraz £8.70. It is no wonder that theatre owners looks so smug. My job does have its perks. We get good tips

and attend parties, where the champagne flows.

Although I am originally from Hertfordshire, I live in London, which makes it essential for me to have a job. It is impossible to rely on just a student loan and students like myself find that they have to work as many hours as possible to live in moderate comfort while trying to obtain an education. Without my job I could not pay rent, eat or fund my penchant for new shoes.

Working while studying is tiring - my social life is non-existent and I struggle to meet deadlines, but it is fine as long as my essays are done and I am wearing pretty shoes while writing them.

Case study by Ben Curtis

Every weekend, my days begin at 6.30am. After a splash and go in the bathroom I stumble over beer cans, wine bottles and hungover housemates as I reach for the front door – not so much to freedom but for the tube ride to work. Aside from my first year, I will have worked eighteen hours every weekend, swapping the world of Hitler and Stalin at university for Barbie and Star Wars at Toys ‘R’ Us – the loan doesn’t even cover my rent and so paid work, along with parental support, is a necessity.

I was transferred from my home-town store to one nearer university during my second year. My first consisted of asking my parents for money on a fortnightly basis, and with the introduction of bills and an increase in rent, work was the only option. If I hadn’t done this, I probably would have had to commute to university from home and miss out on the whole experience.

Working has its advantages and disadvantages: more money to socialise, the satisfaction of fending for yourself, the discipline that comes with waking up early. But you must be careful – too much work and your degree suffers, so you must erode the temptation to make the most of additional Christmas hours. Also, your job must be largely stress-free and flexible. If the company is malleable you can balance the number of hours you work with deadlines and holidays. Finally, when I work additional hours during holidays, I take home less than the minimum wage after tax deductions - don’t expect huge rewards.

Work is like a trip back from the student bar: it’s a balancing act. Get it wrong and your worries will stretch to more than a hangover but get it right and you can profit from a broader university experience.