Your child’s ability to be a successful university student and undertake part-time work at the same time depends on several factors including their motivation and time management skills, and the flexibility of both their specific course and workplace.
As university students it is important to ensure they can balance study, work, rest, leisure activities and any other commitments they may have, such as caring for others, because when people become busy it is usually the commitment they have most recently taken on (in this case, study) that is the first thing to be neglected..
We recommend your child speaks with their Director of First Year Studies and reads the Statement of Assessment Methods for each topic to establish how many hours of contact (in-class) and non-contact (out-of-class) study they will be expected to do.
It can also be useful for them to map out a timetable that includes not only study, but also how much time they spend on other activities including work, travel, and even everyday things like sleeping, eating, showering and housework/chores. If their timetable is so full that no time remains for leisure, they should think about what activities to discontinue.
If you are concerned about supporting your child financially while they study, we recommend investigating financial assistance including scholarships and Centrelink. Financial counselling and loans are also available from FUSA’s Student Assist unit.