Part—Time Jobs for Students Studying Abroad： Dreams Far Away from Homes

Doing part-time jobs has become a trend for international students as more students choose to study abroad. “To Read Sagacious Books” is no longer the only mission of students. In foreign countries， from luxury shop at high street to fried chicken cook-shops， Chinese students are busy everywhere. Many students wouldn’t tell their parents they work part-time because their parents may worry about them. The students believe what they gain from this kind of experience is more worthy than making the parents worried. The students interviewed by the reporter all claimed they not only made money in the study-work program， but also had a valuable experience that cannot be acquired in school.

隨著遠赴他鄉(xiāng)留學(xué)的人數(shù)日益增多，留學(xué)生“打工熱”已然成為近年的一大趨勢，“一心只讀圣賢書”不再是唯一任務(wù)。在外國，從奢侈品專賣店到炸雞薯條小店，隨處可見中國留學(xué)生忙碌的身影。然而很多留學(xué)生會害怕家長擔(dān)心，并沒有把自己打工的消息告訴家里人，因為他們覺得自己的收獲比一些莫須有的擔(dān)憂更值得擁有。記者所走訪的曾在當(dāng)?shù)夭宛^做過兼職的中國留學(xué)生都一致認(rèn)為，半工半讀下來，賺到的不僅是外快，更是一份在學(xué)校無法得到的寶貴經(jīng)歷。

Ding Yue， majoring in Business Analysis and Management in Loughborough University

“In order to check my work， the boss touches the floor with bare hands.”

丁玥，拉夫堡大學(xué) 商業(yè)分析與管理專業(yè)

“為檢查我的工作，老板竟然親自用手擦地”

24-year-old Ding Yue went to the UK when she was an undergraduate student. Compared with other graduate students， she has two more years of living experience abroad and several more working experiences.

Ding Yue has relatively open extracurricular time， and she started to work part-time since her second year in the UK， holding the attitude of experiencing more and learning more. The most unforgettable working experience for her happened in a fast food restaurant when she was in the last year of her undergraduate. She was the cashier and responsible for preparing food. Ding Yue said the working experience at a local restaurant helped her improve her listening and speaking of English very quickly. Although it was a little bit tiring， but it was still a pleasant thing to find she could communicate with people of different races gradually.

今年滿24歲的丁玥早在大學(xué)本科時就來到英國讀書，比起其他來英讀研的留學(xué)生，她比大家多了兩年留洋經(jīng)驗，也多了幾段海外勤工儉學(xué)的經(jīng)歷。

由于課余時間相對比較豐富，精力充沛的丁玥抱著不虛度光陰和豐富閱歷的目標(biāo)，從到英國第二年就開始在外面找兼職。她最難忘的是本科時在英國當(dāng)?shù)氐囊患铱觳偷甏蚬さ娜兆?。那時候的丁玥是本科最后一年，課業(yè)比較輕松，她找到了位于學(xué)校當(dāng)?shù)氐囊患艺u快餐店做兼職，工作是負(fù)責(zé)配餐和收銀。丁玥說，在英國本地店打工讓她的口語和聽力水平急速提高。雖然每天上班苦了點，但看到自己慢慢地可以跟不同種族文化的人交流，也算是“累并快樂著”。

The owner of the diner was a white man at his 50s. Ding Yue thought he was a mild boss because he always joked around with his staff， until one day after a thorough cleanup， the boss touched the floor many times in order to check whether there was dust left. Ding Yue realized how foreign people treat their work and life differently. Ding Yue said， “I was completely freaked out. That was really uncalled for.” Fortunately， she worked very carefully that day and the boss didn’t find anything unsatisfactory. Another student worked there got scolded for some small mistakes and he was just like a buddy to the boss in daily life.

When she talked about life in the UK， what made Ding Yue proud was that she got a lot of tips from the customers. What made her moved was the boss offered to give her a break when the final exam came. Thanks to the considerate boss， no students working there had failed a course.

快餐店的老板是當(dāng)?shù)匾晃?0多歲的白人大叔，平日和員工相處得很好，也會開開小玩笑，丁玥覺得這是個溫和的老板。直到有一天快餐店大掃除后，老板檢查工作時，丁玥才真正領(lǐng)會到外國人對于工作和生活分別對待的態(tài)度。這位平易近人的老板為了檢查負(fù)責(zé)擦地板的丁玥工作是否到位，竟然蹲下來用剛洗干凈的手在地上左摸摸、右摸摸，看是否有過多灰塵。丁玥形容當(dāng)時的自己“被嚇傻了，完全沒想到老板會這樣做”。所幸的是她那天的清潔做得非常用心，逃過一劫。而另一個平?？雌饋砗屠习逑窀鐐儍旱男T工則因為一些小疏忽而被訓(xùn)斥。

談到自己的海外打工經(jīng)歷，丁玥覺得自己最得意的是在中餐館打工，收到了許多國際友人的小費。而中餐館的老板因為害怕耽誤她的學(xué)業(yè)，在學(xué)期末的時候主動提出讓她安心學(xué)習(xí)的建議也讓她感動不已。因為這樣，周圍的“工友”也都沒有“因工誤學(xué)”。

Chen Huan， majoring in Finance in the University

of Leister

“Taking mom and girlfriend to travel around Europe with the money made by himself”

陳歡，萊斯特大學(xué) 金融專業(yè)

“用自己賺的錢帶老媽和女友游歐洲”

Chen Huan studied in the University of Leister from 2012 to 2013. His working experience was a legend to his friends： After paying the tuition fees and the accommodation fees of the first term， Chen Huan still had ￡300 left. After he finished his program， there were ￡4000 in his saving account. The money he made not only paid his own bills， but was also enough to take his mom and girlfriend to travel around Europe respectively. All these seemed impossible in other students’ eyes， but Chen Huan made it.

The courses in finance were relatively less stressful compared with his undergraduate program in China， and the extra free time gave Chen Huan the idea to do part-time jobs. He worked as a waiter in the biggest Chinese restaurant in Leister and was responsible for reception， selling drinks， cleaning， and night shift. In order to balance academic life and working， Chen Huan only worked from Thursday to Sunday. The busy hours were from 5p.m. to 11p.m. He would also avoid night shift if he had class next morning. In busy seasons， Chen Huan could only catch some sleep when he finished working in the afternoon and the whole night. His time-control ability allowed him to be a good student as well as a good employee. Chen Huan was a Merit Graduatein the program.

于2012—2013年在英國萊斯特大學(xué)就讀研究生的陳歡，他的打工經(jīng)歷在身邊朋友看來簡直就是一個“傳奇”：在交完學(xué)費和第一學(xué)期的住宿費后，陳歡身上還有3000多磅，而在課業(yè)全部結(jié)束后，他存下了4000磅的工資。陳歡這一年的工資不但滿足了他自己所有房租和生活費的需求，而且在2013年暑假，他還分別帶著自己的媽媽和女朋友在歐洲玩了一圈。這一切在其他留學(xué)生眼里簡直就是不可能的任務(wù)，但陳歡卻做到了。

金融學(xué)院的課程，比起陳歡在國內(nèi)讀本科時候的強度降低了很多，突然多出來的空閑時間讓陳歡產(chǎn)生了出去打工的想法。他找到了萊斯特最大的中餐館去做服務(wù)生，主要負(fù)責(zé)KTV的接待工作，也會銷售酒水、打掃衛(wèi)生和值夜班。為了避免工作和學(xué)業(yè)沖突，陳歡將自己的班主要排在周四到周日，主要工作時間是下午五點到晚上十一點，而值夜班也會岔開第二天有早課的日子。最忙的時候，陳歡在結(jié)束五點到十一點的工作后，又緊接著干完了整個夜場，再回家補上一覺。憑著對時間的妥善管理分配，陳歡在賺到不少錢之外，學(xué)習(xí)也絲毫沒有耽擱，畢業(yè)成績拿到了“優(yōu)秀”。

Apart from economic benefits， Chen Huan thought the luckiest thing was to make many good friends. His coordinating ability and responding ability were also improved. Every time he dealt with a “drunken scene”， his social skills made a qualitative leap. As a graduate student who is slightly older than others， he became the “big brother” of many other fellow students. They would share little secrets with him and gave him the name of “Duck Soup for the Soul”. Chen Huan now has the shining reputations of being successful in both studying and working， excellent cooking skills， a filial son and considerate boyfriend. He is definitely the “Good Man” in his social group. The surprise brought by working part-time cannot completely comprehended by other people.

除了幫家里減輕了經(jīng)濟負(fù)擔(dān)外，陳歡認(rèn)為這一年打工下來最幸運的就是結(jié)交了許多好朋友，協(xié)調(diào)能力和應(yīng)變能力都有所提高，每次處理“醉酒現(xiàn)場”更讓他覺得自己的交際能力得到了“質(zhì)的飛躍”。身為稍微年長的研究生，有許多本科的弟弟妹妹跟陳歡熟絡(luò)之后就會把他視為知心哥哥，向他傾吐內(nèi)心的煩惱，更給他贈名“心靈老鴨湯”。學(xué)業(yè)事業(yè)雙豐收、精湛的廚藝、孝順兒子和貼心男友，陳歡在朋友圈內(nèi)儼然是“新好男人”的代名詞，這些由打零工為他帶來的一系列驚喜，是別人無法體會的。

Qiu Xibei， majoring in TESOL， University of Exeter

“Working part-time makes me

a man-like girl.”

仇西貝，?？巳卮髮W(xué)

對外英語教學(xué)專業(yè)

“打工激發(fā)了我的女漢子特質(zhì)”

After submitting the graduation dissertation， Qiu Xibei moved from Exeter， a city in the south of England， to Newcastle， a city in the north， to live with her former roommate at college， and they decided to work together to make some money. She came to a buffet restaurant owned by an ethnic Chinese. She was responsible for guiding people， folding napkins， and collecting plates.

People in Newcastle have a heavy accent， and it became the first challenge confronted by Qiu Xibei. Fortunately， her English major experience made her adapt quickly to this accent， and she gradually acquired this new skill of understanding Newcastle English.

Most Chinese students studying abroad haven’t done much housework back home. They are lazy and afraid of troubles. Qiu Xibei is not an exception. Qiu Xibei told the reporter that she nearly did nothing physical at home. However， working at the restaurant made her more like a man-like girl. She washed dishes， held many plates at one time， and did not feel exhausted after a day’s work. These changes surprised her. She joked that “maybe I can carry a big bag of rice easily when I go back home.”

在交完碩士畢業(yè)論文后，溫婉的江南妹子仇西貝從英國南部城市艾特塞克搬去了北端的紐卡斯?fàn)枺谀抢锖痛髮W(xué)室友一起居住，兩人也商量好一起打工賺生活費。她來到一個華裔老板開的自助餐廳做樓面工作，主要負(fù)責(zé)引導(dǎo)客人、折疊餐具、收盤子等。

紐卡斯?fàn)柺且粋€口音很重的城市，紐卡斯?fàn)柷灰彩怯⒄Z學(xué)習(xí)者的一大挑戰(zhàn)，所以聽懂當(dāng)?shù)厝苏f的話成了仇西貝的第一個挑戰(zhàn)。幸好身為英語專業(yè)的學(xué)生，扎實的專業(yè)底子讓她很快適應(yīng)了這獨特的語音語調(diào)，慢慢地掌握了紐卡斯?fàn)柷贿@項“新技能”。

大部分留學(xué)生在國內(nèi)家里都不怎么干家務(wù)活，怕麻煩也懶得動，仇西貝也不例外。她告訴記者，之前在家里幾乎沒有做過什么體力活，但在自助餐廳打工的日子竟然發(fā)現(xiàn)自己越來越像“女漢子”了：洗碗刷鍋樣樣在行，端盤拿杯的數(shù)量也日益增多，干一天活竟然慢慢不覺得累了……這樣的變化讓仇西貝自己都覺得很吃驚，她笑著告訴記者“說不準(zhǔn)回家扛一袋大米上樓都不帶喘呢！”

Although she only worked there for a short period of time， her many abilities were affirmed. The restaurant did not permit waitresses to take tips. One handicapped old lady avoided the supervisor and walked through the whole restaurant to give her tips. The time when she left the restaurant was before Christmas and it was the busiest time. Many co-workers snatched a bit of leisure to prepare farewell gifts and cards for her， even including her manager. Xibei said only foreign and old staffs can enjoy this treatment， so she was flattered and very touched.

Xiebei would like to observe various people at work， and she has learned many useful table manners that she did not know before. These unexpected gaining made her love her job more and would like to learn more from it.

雖然在餐館干的時間不久，但仇西貝的工作得到了各方面的肯定。餐館不允許服務(wù)員收小費，有一次一個殘疾人老奶奶為避開領(lǐng)班的視線，竟開著殘疾車?yán)@了大半個餐廳找到仇西貝，把小費塞到她手里。她離職的時候正逢最忙的圣誕前夕，但外國同事們知道她要走的消息都忙里偷閑給她準(zhǔn)備禮物，寫祝?？ㄆ?，甚至連經(jīng)理都參與了進來。西貝說這種待遇一般只有外國老員工才會享受到，自己在受寵若驚的同時也非常感動。

打工閑暇細(xì)心的西貝喜歡觀察各種客人，在平日的觀察中她甚至學(xué)到了不少中國人不太注意的自助餐禮儀。這些意外的收獲讓她對自己的工作更加喜愛，也更樂意從中學(xué)習(xí)更多。

Wang Fei， majoring in Occupation Career Education， Hokkaido University

“Being in charge of a kitchen of McDonald’s all by himself is a fulfilling task”

王飛，北海道大學(xué)

職業(yè)生涯教育專業(yè)

“一人負(fù)責(zé)麥當(dāng)勞后廚是件

很有成就感的事”

The policy of student employment in Japan regulates that one can only work no more than 28 hours a week， with travel allowance and the wage is guaranteed. Wang Fei hoped to practice his language， know more about the local culture， and make some money， so he decided to work in a busy McDonald’s.

Staying in Japan alone to pursue his dream， without families and friends around， Wang Fei thinks working dispelled his sense of strangeness and fear. He blended in very fast. Different from working in a Chinese restaurant， working in a McDonald requires fluent language and communication skills. At the beginning， he only did some work that requires less linguistic communication. As he got more successful with work and language， he started to do more challenging work.

Wang Fei has got used to being excellent because he has been a merit student since he was a child. Being a student in the famous Hokkaido University made him even more proud. However， the practical work was not as easy as he had imagined. Wang Fei said he could not handle criticism very well since had been used to being apprised. He was incompetent at work and usually got criticized by the supervisor. Just like a proud cock that lowers its head， Wang Fei started to accept criticism and had a better understanding of himself.

因為對日本留學(xué)生打工政策早有了解，一周不能超過28小時、有交通補助、不會克扣工資，再加上希望練習(xí)語言和深入了解外國文化和社會，賺點錢補貼家用，王飛決定去當(dāng)?shù)厝溯^多的麥當(dāng)勞打工。

為了心中的夢想只身一人來到日本，周圍也沒有親戚朋友，王飛認(rèn)為打工很大程度上消除了自己對外國的陌生和恐懼感，讓自己很快融入新環(huán)境中。與在中餐館兼職不同的是，在麥當(dāng)勞需要語言流利，交流順暢，所以他剛開始只是做些清洗等對語言要求不高的活。但隨著和店里當(dāng)?shù)厝说墓彩略絹碓巾樌?，語言能力也明顯提高，他很快就開始做些別的工作。

王飛從小成績優(yōu)異，能力出眾，在國內(nèi)一直都是學(xué)校的佼佼者，再加上申請上的北海道大學(xué)在日本也是老牌名校，身上具有優(yōu)等生天生的優(yōu)越感是理所當(dāng)然。而真正動手干活后卻發(fā)現(xiàn)和在學(xué)校的表現(xiàn)相隔甚遠。王飛說，以前在國內(nèi)因為自身條件不錯，容易高估自己并且產(chǎn)生自滿情緒，所以接受批評的能力也較弱。但打工后他慢慢發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的動手能力很差，所以經(jīng)常被同事或領(lǐng)導(dǎo)批評。就像一只驕傲的公雞慢慢垂下高昂的頭，王飛開始虛心接受批評，對自己的認(rèn)識也進一步加深。

When the reporter asked what his proudest thing is during work， Wang Fei thought about it for a while and said， “It seems that I don’t have anything that I’m especially proud of. When I just arrived in Japan， I could barely talk in Japanese. After a month， however， I was qualified for any position in McDonald’s. Sometimes I can take charge of the kitchen all by myself. I made hamburgers， fried chickens， and chips. It’s kind of fulfilling.”

The original intention of students who study abroad was to realize their academic goals， which can make them more competitive when they find a job in China. However， when those “super students” leave their parents and their warm homes， they have to be adaptable and learn to be independent in a very short time. Those changes make them happy and also make them understand that the meaning of being far away from home is not only learning， but also growing. This is another comprehension of dreams.

當(dāng)問及打工期間最令自己驕傲的事時，王飛思考良久說道：“好像沒什么值得驕傲的事情吧，如果一定要說的話就是剛到國外時，語言不通什么都不知道，但是經(jīng)過了一個月我竟然能勝任麥當(dāng)勞的任何職位了。有時候自己還可以一個人負(fù)責(zé)后廚，做漢堡、炸雞、炸薯條什么的，還挺有成就感?！?/p>

留學(xué)生出國學(xué)習(xí)的初衷可能都是實現(xiàn)自己的學(xué)術(shù)愿望，在回國就業(yè)時相較而言會更有優(yōu)勢。但在國外求學(xué)期間，這些國內(nèi)優(yōu)秀的“學(xué)霸”們在脫離了父母的懷抱和家庭的溫床后，不得不在現(xiàn)實中飛速獨立。這些改變在令他們倍感喜悅的同時，也讓他們明白，遠離家鄉(xiāng)的意義并不僅僅是學(xué)習(xí)，而是成長。這是對夢想的另一種詮釋。

Appendix： Policies on student employment in some popular countries

附：熱門留學(xué)國家打工條例

US： 20 hours per week is permitted， but only on campus. Work permit is not needed.

UK： 20 hours per week is permitted. Any person under the age of 18 is not allowed to work.

Ireland： 20 hours per week is permitted， with the minimum wage standard of 7 Euros.

France： 20 hours per week is permitted. Working is prohibited in the first year of language course.

Belgium： 20 hours per week is permitted.

Denmark： 15 hours per week is permitted.

Netherlands： 10 hours per week is permitted.

Canada： 20 hours per week is permitted for public school students. Students of language schools and private schools are prohibited to work.

Australia： 20 hours per week is permitted （no limitation in holidays）. Tax number has to be applied for in advance. Working exceeding the regulated hours will lead to withdrawal of visa.

New Zealand： 20 hours per week is permitted， and 40 hours in summer vacation.

Japan： 28 hours per week is permitted. Students are prohibited to work in the business related to sex industry， which， once found， may lead to repatriation.

Singapore： 16 hours per week is permitted for students in public schools. Schools need to issue “Working Permits” in advance.

美國：每周允許打工20小時，且限制為校內(nèi)打工。無須打工卡。

英國：每周允許打工20小時，未滿18歲者禁止打工。

愛爾蘭：每周允許打工20小時，最低工資標(biāo)準(zhǔn)7歐元。

法國：每周允許打工20小時，但第一年語言學(xué)習(xí)時嚴(yán)禁打工。

比利時：每周允許打工20小時。

丹麥：每周允許打工15小時

荷蘭：每周允許打工10小時

加拿大：公立學(xué)校就讀生在校外允許打工20小時，語言學(xué)校學(xué)生和私立大學(xué)學(xué)生嚴(yán)禁打工。

澳洲：每周允許打工20小時（假期不限）。但必須事前申請稅號。若被發(fā)現(xiàn)超時打工，將有可能被吊銷簽證。

新西蘭：每周允許打工20小時，暑期可為40小時

日本：每周允許打工28小時。學(xué)生禁止從事風(fēng)俗營業(yè)相關(guān)的工種，一經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)將有可能遣送回國。

新加坡：公立院校每周允許打工16小時。事前需由學(xué)校出具相應(yīng)的“打工卡”。