A Real Story of Studying in Canada While Working Part-Time
Kuljit worked 20 hours a week throughout his diploma at George Brown College in Toronto. Here is the honest breakdown — money, time, stress, and what he would do differently.
Kuljit — George Brown, 20 hours a week, and honest math
The WhatsApp groups for Punjab families with children in Canada are full of one recurring question: "Can my son/daughter really support themselves while studying?" Kuljit Dhaliwal, who just completed his Hospitality and Tourism Management diploma at George Brown College in Toronto, has a simple answer: "Partially. Let me show you the actual numbers."
The Numbers — Honest and Unfiltered
- Hourly wage (grocery store, first year): CAD 17.20/hr
- Hours worked per week: 20 (student permit limit during academic sessions)
- Monthly gross earnings: approximately CAD 1,376
- Monthly take-home after tax: approximately CAD 1,180
- Rent (shared room in Scarborough with 2 others): CAD 700/month
- Food: CAD 280/month (mostly cooking, occasional eating out)
- Transit: CAD 130/month (TTC Metropass student rate)
- Phone, internet, personal: CAD 90/month
- Monthly shortfall (covered by family remittances): approx. CAD 20–80 depending on month
The takeaway: working 20 hours a week in Toronto covers roughly 70–80% of living costs. The remaining 20–30% needs to come from savings or family support. The tuition — CAD 14,000 per year — comes entirely from savings or a loan in India. Working part-time does not cover tuition.
People back home hear 'Canada' and imagine their kids come home rich. I want them to understand — it is a decent life, it is dignified, but the first two years are genuinely hard. The reward comes after.
— Kuljit Dhaliwal, Toronto
What He Would Do Differently
Kuljit wishes he had applied for on-campus jobs in his first semester rather than taking the first off-campus offer he found. On-campus jobs — library assistant, lab monitor, student union positions — are less stressful, have flexible schedules tied to academic calendars, and are explicitly designed around student commitments. He got an off-campus grocery job because it paid faster, but the scheduling clashed with two afternoon labs for three months.
He is now in his PGWP period working full-time at a hotel management company in downtown Toronto. His salary has doubled. He calls this phase "the payoff." He means it.