"I want to be self-independent. I belong to a middle class family and my father pays my tuition fees. Sometimes I don't feel good to take this from him," Shahid said. "So I want to earn whatever the amount is."

Just a few years ago, it was unthinkable that a university student will work in shops. But the mentality of students has now changed and many of them are now doing such jobs after their class hours.

"We often try the follow the western culture but never accepted the idea of doing job while studying," Shahid said. "In the western countries even the students from affluent families do not hesitate to work."

"In Dhaka, many students now want to do part-time job. But there is not enough job opportunities for them," he said.

In most cases they become private tutor but in recent time fast food shops in the city are providing them with such employment opportunities.

Md Rahat, a student of Daffodil University, works in Pizza Hut at Gulshan. "My parents encouraged me when I opted for this job," he said.

The students, however, cannot work as fulltime staff because of their classes. "We had two students of a private university who worked in our Uttara outlet, but they left after a few weeks," said Nurul Hasan, supervisor of Best Fried Chicken (BFC) in Dhanmondi.

The full-timers who work eight hours a day get a fixed amount while the part time staff who work four to five hours are paid on hourly basis. The payment is still low that discourages the job aspirants.

"Many students want to do such job but the payment is low," said Saleh Ahmed, salesperson of Tongue and Tummy at Bashundhara City.

In some cases the students cannot sustain in job because of class timing. "They have classes during daytime while they need to study at home in the evening," said Faisal Ahmed of Western Grill in Dhanmondi.

On the other hand, some of the fast food shops do not employ students to work as part-timers. "They bunk off frequently, especially when they have exams," said Nurul Hasan of BFC.

Many other students are interested to work but they cannot as their parents do not permit them. "My father thinks I will fail to concentrate on studies if I work," said Emon Rahman, a student of Dhaka University.

Akku Chowdhury, manager operations of Pizza Hut, said they have employed 12 students. "We always offer an orientation when they (students) come to work with us. There is no use of the word 'waiter' here and we make them feel that they are team members," he said.

He said the students can work in the evening shift from 6:00pm to 11:00pm. "They get Tk 20 or more per hour," he said.

"The amount is small but you can earn more from tips provided by customers," said a former staff of Pizza Hut.