London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

'It's tough to find money for the bills'

'It's tough to find money for the bills'

Student Ellen Walsh had two part-time jobs before lockdown and was bringing in £1,200 a month to help pay for her living costs at university.

Then, suddenly, that income dropped to nothing when the coronavirus outbreak struck.

"It has been very tough trying to find money for the bills I had to pay, as well as the equipment I needed to buy to try to finish my degree work at home," said Ellen, who is studying popular music performance.

"I could get payment holidays but needed some kind of part-time job to get back some of what I lost."

She has since managed to get her weekend work back at a skate park, but not her supervisor role at a collection of rehearsal rooms.

Going into her third year at Solent University in Southampton, she will be travelling home to Bournemouth every weekend for the job, which she admitted was not ideal for her studies.

She said that many of her student friends were also "looking for part-time work wherever you can get it".

Their financial concerns, amplified by the coronavirus pandemic, have been laid bare in a survey of more than 3,000 people studying and usually living away from home.

The National Student Money Survey, by website Save the Student, found that part-time work was a vital source of income for 74% of those students asked, which as the same proportion as maintenance loans and slightly higher than those asking for contributions from parents.


Jake Butler said coronavirus had created further concern for student finances


Jake Butler, Save the Student's money expert, said: "Students are heavily reliant on the income from part-time jobs and parental support to get by. If these sources of income are at risk, as I fear they could be for many due to the pandemic, more students may feel like they have no choice but to look at last resorts to make money.

"We could be heading towards a rocky end to the first semester and I would encourage students to prepare."

That could include investigating the option of scholarships, grants and bursaries, although the survey suggested only 39% of those asked were aware of the range of student funding options.

'Our house has been empty'



Rhiannon is a student at St Andrews


Rhiannon, a student at St Andrews studying international relations, is paying £525 a month for a room in a shared house.

"Our house has been empty since March. I would have stayed at home, and cancelled my rental contract. I actually tried to negotiate with my landlord in June because of the uncertainty and the landlord was completely inflexible," she said.

Students have become slightly better at managing their money in comparison with previous years, according to the survey.

However, parents still remain the most likely source of emergency cash, it suggested.

Others, unable to ask parents to contribute more, eventually decided they had no other option but to drop out.

Some 18% of those who dropped out did so as a result of money worries, although this was dwarfed by the 55% who did so owing to mental health concerns.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×