Surviving the summer

by Panruetai Chitrakorn

As the summer break approaches, many students look forward to vacations, spending time with friends and of course sleeping in.

It’s a glorious feeling knowing you won’t have to set foot in that block of bricks called ‘college’ again for another three months at least.

Karen Tsang, a second year student at King’s College, is renting a flat with Emily Cheng, who studies at UCL. Both girls are international students and their apartment contract expires soon.

When asked about her future plans, Karen responded: “Emily’s going to Spain for a year, so I need to start looking for a new place by myself.”

She added: “I would really like to find a place before summer; the hunt is less competitive then.”

Kieran Ho, a BA Womenswear student at the London College of Fashion, is more relaxed about the situation: “I’m going to house-hunt after I get back [from my holiday] in September. It’s so much easier that way.”

Fortunately, London offers many lifestyle choices for both local and foreign students; they can opt to apply for halls of residence, rent a place by themselves, flat-share (with friends or strangers) and there is even the possibility of staying with a host family.

But housing is not the only issue. For such a lengthy holiday with no financial support, money has often been a predicament for students. Some find themselves having to resort to extra withdrawals from ‘the bank of Mummy and Daddy’.

Others may want to take an independent stand and earn money for themselves in a job unrelated to their study – for example, in retail or restaurants.

City University student Rachel Aimes has made it her goal to find work every summer, whether it is an internship or a part-time job. “I like to help my parents out financially, especially in times of recession,” she says. “Though I prefer a paid job, internships still are important because they lead to networking opportunities, which can help me find a future job.”

The problem, however, is that there are often too many applicants and not enough jobs – especially in the creative industry. Some cynics believe that design students are wasting their time. But even if the jobs aren’t out there, students and graduates have the option of going freelance.

If your financial status allows you to carry out valuable but unpaid work, then do. However, if you are on a budget, what about bills and finding a place to live? For those staying at student halls or others who are flat-sharing, the contract may have ended by then. Do you renew your contract or do you move on and find a new place?

If you are a foreign student: what happens when you go back to your home country, which may be on the other side of the planet? Do you continue to rent an empty house or do you keep your things in storage?

Depending on your circumstances, these are the kind of questions you may need to ask yourself and start planning ahead now.

Some are more fortunate to find a study-related opportunity, like rising stars Helen Amy Murray of Chelsea, Textiles alumnae (famed for award-winning sculptural fabrics) and embroidery talent Charlene Mullen (commissioned by Calvin Klein and Givenchy) who encourage up and coming designers to pursue their dream.

Personally, once I’ve found a solution to all these incessant questions, the holiday has almost come to an end. So why not plan ahead this year and make your summer as worthwhile as possible?