So I’m a residential assistant at a hall of residence for a university in New Zealand. If you don’t know what that is, we’re basically uni students with a few years under our belt, acting as mentors and event organisers for first years. I’ll be honest, I love the job a lot – I get to work with young adults in their formative years, the facilities are nice, and I have an amazing team that I work with directly. The job can be tough – I’ve been to emergency rooms several times with residents, dealt with severe mental distress, and put my health on the line during the pandemic to keep our students fed and cared for.
Part of the deal with the job is accomodation. I have a room, I get fed, and I don’t have to worry about power or wifi. I get this all at a discount, but even so my pay doesn’t cover the cost. Part of the reason I took up the job was so I wouldn’t have an insane student debt, but I’m still leaning on living costs to afford the rest of rent as well as things like doctors fees and school supplies. I study 40 hours a week, then do 19 hours as an RA, and I’m exhausted. I can’t pick up an extra job, I don’t have time.
It took half a year of drilling to get upper management to give a pay bonus for helping with covid, but even with that bonus I’m not breaking even. My team leaders say they’re powerless. I’m disheartened and frustrated. I know they can afford to pay us more – the uni is hardly poor.
I was wondering if any of you had any thoughts on this? Sometimes I wonder if I’m overreacting.