Cost-of-living bites down on university students

Increasing costs in Australia have disrupted the work-study balance for many students, leading some to resort to side hustles to coast by. Jake Campbell reports. 

As everyday costs continue to rise, university students are resorting to working two jobs and sometimes running side hustles to keep themselves afloat.

First-year university student Daniel Kaveh has been cutting hair in his parents’ garage to support himself, despite working another part-time job and studying full time.

He began providing haircuts in his final year of high school, initially cutting hair in a professional barber shop before transitioning to solely doing haircuts out of his own home. Kaveh said he started his business in year 12 and now needs it to make ends meet.

“I didn’t have a job during Year 12, (and) being a barber allowed me to make money and see my friends at the same time,” said Kaveh. 

Kaveh first worked at a barbershop, but quit working after an altercation between a customer and a coworker, moving his business to his parents' garage. His initial clients were close friends, but word of mouth and posts on Instagram brought new customers.

“He’s significantly cheaper than professional places, and there’s a whole extra level to it; we can hang out while the transaction is being done,” said Patrick Brown, a regular client of Kaveh’s. 

Though he now has a permanent part-time job at a winery, Kaveh said he still relies on his haircutting to pull him through. Kaveh is currently studying Law at Monash University, but has had to balance his time between study, his winery job and barbering due to his financial needs. 

“Thankfully, I’m passionate about both my course and cutting hair, but finding that balance has been really difficult for me,” says Kaveh. 

“Even with the winery job, I’m spending a lot more money at university, so I’ve needed the supplementary income of being a barber,” he said.  

The rising cost of living has become a prevalent issue for Australian university students, with many reporting difficulties balancing work and full-time study. According to a 2017 report from Universities Australia, the average median income for full-time domestic undergraduate students is $18,300, while their median spending is $14,200. 

Standard expenses such as petrol, accommodation and groceries have continued to rapidly increase in price, leading university students such as Daniel Kaveh to work at multiple jobs and often prioritise work over their study to make ends meet. 

Although it helps pay the bills, Kaveh’s enthusiasm for barbering has become a social space for those who see him regularly.

“A regular thirty-minute haircut will take an hour sometimes because we get so caught up in conversation,” Kaveh said.