EXTENDED SUMMARY

In different periods of human life, people are named according to the age group they are in. Classifications such as being a child, being young, being old, etc. are characterized as chronological definitions that emerge from definitions arising from the factor of people getting older. However, many structural factors in these processes prevent the person from being included in these classifications. According to the general definition of the United Nations, being a child is between the ages of 0-18. Being young is between the ages of 15-24 and being old is 65 years and older (UN, 2013). From this perspective, it is inevitable that everyone will be a child, young and old at certain periods of their lives. When we look at social life, there are different situations of being a child, a young person and an elderly person and the challenges arising from these differences. The childhood of a child born into a low socio-economic status family is different from the childhood of a child born into a higher socio-economic status family. It is estimated that there are 160 million child laborers in total, with an increase of 8.4 million in child labor in the world after the Covid 19 pandemic (ILO, 2021: 8).

Children’s work affects all areas of well-being in the child’s life as a whole. The child’s involvement in the labor market both in his/her current age range and in later periods will have negative consequences (Qvortrup, J. 1994). Ben-Arieh emphasizes that “seeing children as future adults” or “future generations” leads to a forgetfulness of the moment in ensuring the welfare of the child. Looking after children’s futures can be seen as a legitimate approach. But the idea of focusing on the child’s experiences as a child and the impact of these experiences on childhood experience is a fairly new approach. Because childhood, according to Ben-Arieh, is considered “as a stage in itself” and examining children’s perspectives and priorities and, in fact, accepting children as active members of society and actively involving children in decision-making processes is a method to increase their well-being and affect their well-being (Ben-Arieh, 2005: 576).

The most important issue affecting the well-being of children and young people is the phenomenon of poverty. Looking at poverty as a violation of human rights, it will be seen that it affects the areas of well-being in a multidimensional way (Uyan Semerci, 2012: 440). The phenomenon of poverty, which affects the lives of children and young people as a whole, also makes itself felt in the education process. Especially in the neoliberal era, the commodification of education has made it more difficult for lower classes to access education (İnal and Akkaymak, 2012). They develop different strategies to access education and cope with their poverty. They pursue strategies to engage in part-time, part-time, seasonal work, especially during the periods when education is not in session or when education is in session. This study focuses on one of these strategies: the experiences of higher education youth working in the tourism sector. Higher education youth resort to this strategy to meet their educational material and personal needs during their educational life and beyond. There are studies in which young people are involved in different lines of work while continuing their education or outside their fields of specialization (Usanmaz, 2023; Usanmaz & Kahraman, 2020; Balkız, 2015; Kırlıoğlu & Özdemir, 2023).

The unique aspect of this research is that it focuses on the experiences of higher education youth working in the tourism sector. In this way, it is thought to contribute to the literature in the field. In the theoretical dimension of the study, the concepts of higher education youth and seasonal employment are defined and discussed. Who are the youth in higher education and what is the numerical distribution of young people in higher education with different variables. There are discussions on what are the outlooks of young people in seasonal employment, where they meet their basic needs to cover their educational material and if they become unemployed after higher education.

Seasonal employment in the tourism sector refers to temporary hiring to meet the increased workload at certain times of the year and to relieve the intensity of “guests” during summer vacations. This study examines the seasonal work experiences of young people with higher education working in the tourism sector

in Antalya Belek region. The findings of the study were obtained through in-depth interviews with 21 young people with higher education (students and graduates) between the ages of 15-29 through a semi-structured interview form. The findings were analyzed with descriptive analysis method by giving direct quotations from the participants. It focuses on the main reasons why young people with higher education choose the tourism sector, the challenges they face in the labor market, the skills acquired in the sector and their impression of the sector as educated individuals. According to the data obtained from the findings, the most important reason for the participants to turn to the tourism sector is the opportunity to work seasonally during their education life and in the summer periods when there is no education and training. In addition, the fact that accommodation and food costs are covered by the companies in the sector are the main reasons that lead young people with higher education to this field. In tourism, there are young people who work in jobs that are in line with the specialization areas in which they received higher education, as well as young people who work outside their specialization areas. However, young people’s difficulties in finding a job are often related to a lack of work experience and a competitive labor market.