Students work part-time for less than $1 per hour

This year, the National Day holiday ran from August 31 to September 3. However, many students chose to work part-time at wages below the minimum level instead of returning to their hometowns or traveling to enjoy the festivities.

During the holiday, part-time wages can be unrewarding. One student I know, who works as a server at a bubble tea shop, said they had to show up for work as required by the business.

"I normally make VND17,000 per hour. During the holiday, the manager gave each employee an additional VND100,000-200,000 per shift, depending on daily sales," the student said. However, meeting colleagues was enjoyable and partially offset the low wages, they added.

Another student chose to work during the holiday to boost their income rather than socialize with friends.

"My current wage of VND22,000 per hour was doubled for the holiday, so I decided to stay on for extra work. Since there were no school obligations during the holiday, I could work seven or eight hours a day," the student explained.

However, the holiday brought in more customers than usual, increasing the workload and pressure on each employee. The student shared that although these jobs require few skills and little experience, they take up a lot of time.

Working at cafes and bubble tea shops does not significantly benefit their studies or future job prospects and usually provides less than VND2 million a month. Nevertheless, students still take on these part-time jobs to cover their personal expenses.

It is evident that despite any incentives or wage increases based on experience, many students still end up working for a fixed wage below the minimum. Many employers hire workers without labor contracts and fail to pay wages according to labor laws.

Students often face difficulties in demanding fair wages, largely due to their inexperience in negotiation and lack of knowledge on how to protect their rights. This allows many employers to exploit them by paying below the legal minimum.

Additionally, most students negotiate verbally with employers, and the absence of a written contract makes it challenging for them to protect their rights in case of disputes.

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*This opinion was translated into English with the assistance of AI. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress’ viewpoints.