Only 2% of young Romanians aged 15 to 29 work while studying. How do they manage to get by?
Romania has the lowest percentage of young people between the ages of 15 and 29 who work while studying. The 2% percentage places us at the bottom of the European Union.
ANA MARIA BARBU
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We find ourselves in this situation because Romanian parents tend to excessively pamper their children, unlike Nordic parents.
Stefania is from Sighisoara, and on October 2, she started her courses at the Faculty of Food and Tourism in Brasov. She moved into an apartment for which she pays 400 euros per month.
Reporter: Will you also have a job?
Luca Ștefania, student: "Well, I don't know; I'll see how the schedule is".
Reporter: Where will you get money for rent and other expenses?
Luca Ștefania, student: "Well, from my parents".
Mihaela is in her third year and has not had a job so far.
Mihaela, student: "I had a scholarship for the first two years of college".
Reporter: Do your parents also help you?
Mihaela, student: "Yes, they have always helped me a lot with my studies".
Many students are in this situation. Eurostat data shows that only 2% of young people aged 15 to 29 in Romania work while studying, most of them out of necessity.
Young man: "I had my first job at 16".
Reporter: What made you choose a job at such a young age?
Young man: "Honestly, it was out of necessity...".
Young man: "I have two jobs, as a waiter at a hotel and as a barista at a cafe in the area. I couldn't afford to go to college here; the rent is high".
In this regard, we are last after Hungary, Slovakia and Greece, while the European Union average is 25%. In Romania, parents financially support their children for a longer time due to the desire to protect them, while in countries at the opposite end of the chart, such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany, adults encourage early independence of their children.
Aida Chivu, Human Resources Specialist: "In Romania, you still live with your parents even after marriage. It's very hard to pay someone part-time and bear full-time costs; the system doesn't encourage it in any way".
In the Netherlands, for example, students who work at least 56 hours a month receive a 380-euro allowance. In Denmark, those who work 10 hours a week receive an 800-euro monthly scholarship.
Romulus Oprică, sociologist: "In Romania, as in Greece, young people are very close to their families, and families believe that providing a good future for their child means giving everything they need on a silver platter. From an educational point of view, this is wrong because young people need to be taught to be responsible for their own future".
Eurostat highlights that these variations among countries stem from their respective national education systems, the accessibility of training, the characteristics of the labor market and cultural factors.
