Paula Benevene*, Tamaras Arias Padrò*, Calogero Iacolino* *Università LUMSA, Roma (Italia) Combining school and work: the perspective of a group of Mexican teen-agers

Main guiding hypothesis Not all the economic activities carried out by a teen-ager are to be eliminated; Regular school attendance and study’s regularity may be considered as a strong indicator of the student-worker’s quality of life; Collecting data and information directly from student-workers might offer further elements to consider, when dealing with child work

Aims of the research to find out the opinions and the evaluations of minors living in a developing country who combine study with an economic activity; to verify the possibility for a teen-ager to carry out an economic activity, without compromising study and his socialization, so that it could be at the same time a positive experience for the youngster’s growth.

Participants 34 Mexican student-workers, who work and attend school regularly 73.5% (N=25) males and 26.5% (9) females; Aged years old (Mean: 13.0); Grades attended by participants vary from the 4° elementary class to the 2° year of high school.

Work schedule Two groups: 55.9%(N=19) work during the week, even in schools’ opening periods, mainly 4 hours a day, for six days a week; 44.1% (N=15) work exclusively during the week-end, from 5 to 5.5 hours a day.

Instrument: semi structured interview Youngsters were asked to talk about: Their tasks and duties, work schedule, money earned; Use of earned money; The reasons why they work; Their assessment of work and school experiences; The desire and the feasibility to combine school and job.

Hypotheses submitted to verification 1. Student-workers are not forced to work; their work is not motivated only by money ; 2. Satisfaction towards their work does not necessarily implicate school dissatisfaction; 3. They assess their working experience only partially in relation to the earned money and value very much the quality of interpersonal relationships developed within the job. 4. Work can be a formative opportunity in terms of work socialization, economic socialization, making new friends and promotion of a greater autonomy.

H. 1 Student-workers are not forced to work; work in not motivated only by money 88.3% (N=30) affirmed to have chosen to work entirely in a free and autonomous way; 67.6% (N=23) affirmed they were not influenced at all by parents in deciding whether to work or not. Only one child reported to have been pushed to work Parents’ influence is practiced mostly through the support and the encouragement of the child towards the job.

“ I began to work because sometimes my mother was not able to buy us a notebook or something; or at times I wanted money and they didn't give it to me and my mother told me 'work in Soriana', and I came here to Soriana” (Abraham, 11 years)

Why did you start working? To become economically independent (50%; N=17); To help my family (20.6%; N=7); Pleasure for carrying out an economic activity (20.6%; N=7); To have an alternative to idleness (14.7%; N=5)

"I didn't want to ask money to my parents" (José Cesar, 13 years); "I wanted to earn my own money, I was ashamed to ask my parents for it" (Guillermo, 12 years)

It is that I like to work, it is not out of necessity. But I like to work." (José Carlos, 15 years). " (I work)… because at home I didn't do anything. I was as an idle without doing anything there" (Mauricio, 13 years).

"I began to work because we needed it. Many people tell me that I come to work to help my parents, and I say 'I am paying them, for what they have given me, money, food'; this is the way I am paying them for all they have done for me. At the beginning it was out of necessity, now because I want to“. (Julio Cesar, 11 years)

H. 2. Satisfaction towards work does not necessarily mean school dissatisfaction Almost all the interviewees (N=33; 97.1%) declared their own pleasure towards job; an analogous percentage affirmed to love school (N=32; 94,1%).

Work satisfaction, School satisfaction 64.7% (N=22) "wouldn’t change anything about their job"; 35.3% (N=11) “do not find bad things about their own job” 23.5% (N=8) affirmed that school does not have anything unpleasant ; only two interviewed (N=2; 5.9%) said that probably they won’t continue studying after the conclusion of compulsory education.

Work versus School? Both families and children, do not seem to see work as a removal from study; many parents and siblings showed initial worry for the studies when youngsters started to work. Besides, all the interviewees affirmed to succeed in reconciling school with job, despite the fatigue it implies; Majority of participants (N=23; 67.6%) declared to prefer the "study and work" option rather than "only working" or "only studying",

H. 3. Assessment of work is partially in relation to the earned money; quality of interpersonal relationships means a lot The most frequently quoted “good thing” of work is socialization (N=10; 29.4%); Negative aspects of work concern: severity of the superior (N=11; 32.3%), arguments among colleagues (N=3; 8.8%), clients’ rudeness (N=3; 8.8%), unfair treatment (N=1; 2.9%); Vice versa, perceived salary is not mentioned neither among negative aspects nor among positive ones; only one boy referred to the salary considering it very low.

H. 4. Work can be a formative opportunity in terms of making new friends Work appears to be a socialization factor as much as school: the majority of participants declared to have friends among their colleagues (N=29; 85.3%) an analogous percentage sustained to have friends among schoolmates (N=24; 70.6%).

H.4. Work can be a formative opportunity in terms of promotion of a greater autonomy and economic socialization 50.0% (N=17) said to have begun working in order to become economically independent; 26.4% (N=9) expressly affirmed to consider economic independence as a positive aspect of their work

Use of earned money 82.3% (N=28) uses earned money to personal expenses (to pay the bus, buy food while they are away from home, to buy their own clothes) 35.2% (N=12) contributes to his/her own scholastic expenses 32.3%(N=11) saves a part of what they earned, 20.5% (N=7) “gives money to mum”

"I buy my clothes, anything. Sometimes it is important to work. So you learn to give value to things. It is not the same if your father buys your shoes, because after a bit you throw them away, but if you buy them you give them such a value, because you know that you have paid them, with your sweat, your money" (Fernando, 15 years)