Working a Part Time Job While Enrolling to a Doctoral Program

In James v. Department of Labor, 119 Ill. App. 3d 524, 528, 456 N.E.2d 879, 75 Ill. Dec. 58 (1983), the plaintiff was enrolled in a doctoral program which required three hours of classes on two evenings a week, clinical training from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, six to eight hours a week of studying, and extended studying on Saturday and Sunday at the end of semesters. James, 119 Ill. App. 3d at 527. The plaintiff had worked approximately 16 to 20 hours each week at her former employer. James, 119 Ill. App. 3d at 526. The Second District held that the evidence demonstrated that the plaintiff was employed on a part-time basis while enrolled in "an almost full-time educational program." James, 119 Ill. App. 3d at 528. The James court went on to find that the time requirements of the plaintiff's studies were greater than those of her employment. James, 119 Ill. App. 3d at 528.