PART-TIME jobs like tutoring or baby-sitting are a good choice for students who want to earn some pocket money during the summer vacation. But few people think about the possible dangers in the temp job world that some media have reported.
One recent piece of news from China Youth Daily was of a female student at a Zhejiang university. She was killed on July 3 when she was working as a tutor and baby-sitter in a suburban area of Linhai, Zhejiang Province.
Her employer was a suspect in the case. It was reported that the killer killed her after he failed in raping her.
In another report of an incident just 10 days before that, a 19-year-old student was killed with a chopping knife while trying to get work as a tutor.
The employer was also said to have failed in a rape attempt.
Last year, China Youth Daily reported on yet another female student in Guangzhou who was raped in June by a man pretending to be looking for a tutor.
"College students are tempted by the attractive pay and are not very careful in their search for part-time work. Females are easily tricked and sometimes harmed," says Li Guozhong, director of Peking University's career guidance centre.
A tutor can make 30 to 40 yuan per hour on average in cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. In other cities, like Lanzhou, the pay can be 10 to 20 yuan per hour. For some jobs, such as a tourist guide, a student can earn 1,000 yuan a month.
That seemingly easy money attracts some eager college students who are dizzy from the job search.
The girl who was killed in Linhai, Zhejiang Province was offered 2,500 yuan for the month-and-a-half tutoring and baby-sitting job.
"Students themselves should be wary of high pay. Sometimes, pay that sounds unreasonably high can help them see through the deceit," counsels a woman at Nanjing University's career centre who gave her name as Li.
She pointed out that people who get a job by themselves face a higher risk than those who get one through places accredited by the civil administration departments or run by universities.
"The universities have detailed information about the employer. Besides, if a student is cheated, there is a place to turn to for help," said Beida's Li Guozhong.
It is also important for students to increase their sense of security, he added.