In pursuit of excellence, the academic environment buzzes with challenges—expectations to meet, restless nights fueled by poured coffee, and endless deadlines. Balancing academic and personal goals may overwhelm, pressure, and frustrate students, which allows some to see the opportunity to offer academic assistance, and for others to avail them.
While labeling academic services as encouraging academic dishonesty is troubling, it is crucial to acknowledge the realities faced by students: the lack of educational support and the burdensome deadlines brought by the output-oriented system.
Do More or Do Better
With a simple goal to earn money, Sian and Trisha discovered that offering academic services provides financial independence, allowing them to pursue their studies without relying on their families for support.
The two first-year students at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) have been providing these services for over a year since beginning their college journey.
“As time [went] by, I started to think, ‘What if I make them pay me a small amount in exchange for doing calligraphy for them?’ then that’s what I did. My classmates also agreed with my idea so I received 5 to 10 pesos for each calligraphy I did for them. I did that for a year then the pandemic came in,” Trisha highlighted.
“Need ng extra income,” Sian added.
Trisha has been providing academic services for four years. She started when classes shifted online due to the pandemic and when her parents stopped giving her allowance since she was just staying home. Meanwhile, Sian, who began offering academic services a year ago, was encouraged by a friend and found it to be a worthwhile endeavor.
“It helps me cover my expenses because one commission usually ranges from 100 to 300 [pesos] and with that money alone, I can already buy myself a meal. […] I typically receive one to three commissions a day and that money can already cover our monthly bills,” Trisha narrated.
Sian, moreover, presented academic services as "lifesavers," whether for unforeseen expenses or when facing a shortage of personal necessities for himself.
The Other End
A student from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig (PLP), Hisui, shared the reality on the other end of academic services. Hisui acknowledged the prevalence of these services especially during the pandemic.
On the other hand, she initially grappled with concerns about how using academic services might impact her educational pursuits. While acknowledging their utility in managing workloads and time, she emphasized that “excessive dependence on commissioned materials can hinder educational development and subject comprehension.”
She also highlights the ethical implications of using such services. The specter of plagiarism looms large, posing not just a risk to academic integrity but also threatening long-term repercussions.
"Using academic commissioning services can be a double-edged sword," Hisui said. "They offer quick access to expertly-curated materials, potentially saving time and boosting grades. However, relying too much on these services risks hindering genuine learning and critical thinking."
The Competition
Being an academic server requires significant effort and time to gain recognition. Sian and Trisha go beyond offering a single type of service, providing a variety of tasks to meet the diverse needs of potential clients.
“For graphic designs, I offer editing posters, slogans, brochures, comic strips, DP blast (frames), pubmats, wallpapers, and the like. I also offer video editing like vlogs, educational videos, short films, trailers. For write-ups, I offer writing essays, scripts, reflection papers, news articles, research, transcription, making reviewers, and more. I also offer making [report] presentations, websites, and providing notes,” Trisha said.
“Any task that requires creativity, paggawa ng essays, [at] mga Filipino-related task,” Sian added.
The two price their services based on the difficulty of the tasks. Trisha charges ₱0.8 per word for essays. Sian, on the other hand, sets his prices starting at ₱300, depending on the difficulty, urgency, and the quantity of services requested.
Competing in this field poses a significant challenge for them. Clients often prioritize academic servers with impressive credentials. And with numerous competitors boasting successful backgrounds, maintaining a leading position proves challenging.
This is true for Hisui; she emphasized the rigorous background checks for clients to verify the authenticity and legitimacy of academic services. She highlighted that trust is paramount when seeking academic assistance as it directly correlates with the quality and reliability of the final outputs.
“I ensure to engage individuals for commissions whom I trust and who possess reliable, valid, and concrete academic backgrounds or credentials in their respective fields,” explained Hisui.
The Force Behind
Behind the constant pressure to boost the services of clients, social media platforms work day and night to provide avenues for academic service providers to reach target consumers and for potential customers to find trusted offers.
Sian uses a "tracker" to maintain clients' trust in his services. This allows them to confidently identify him as a reliable academic server.
“Through my comms sheet, doon nila makikita ‘yung mga info about sa services ko, sa mga rates ko, sa mga inquiry process na ginagawa ko, at kung ano-ano pa,” Sian said.
As technology becomes more prevalent and social media takes center stage, students like Sian, Hisui, and Trisha are mastering challenges, finding demanding yet effective services to meet their needs.
Mahirap? Kakayanin!
This kind of service often sparks controversy, raising doubts about the validity and transparency of fulfilling academic requirements. The reality goes beyond mere transactions between servers and clients. Official agreements are made, and connections lead to desired outcomes.
However, for Sian and Trisha, this ideal scenario does not always materialize. They have also experienced being scammed or "ghosted" when it came time for clients to settle payments, disregarding the time and effort invested to meet their expectations.
Time management emerges as a prominent challenge in this line of work, especially given that Sian and Trisha are balancing their academic commitments and other responsibilities alongside client requests.
Sian finds it challenging to meet clients' expectations, particularly as there are often demanding tasks involved. “May mga demanding na clients, mahirap siya for me kasi inaayon ko lang ‘yung gawa ko sa rate or budget na kaya ni client,” he said.
Consequently, Sian hesitates to disclose his rates as he is unsure if they align with the financial expectations of the client.
Academic Helper: A True Commitment
Trisha believes that students like her resort to these services because of its convenience. “Also, due to the inflation, there are families like mine that are having a hard time making ends meet,” she added.
Meanwhile, Sian’s clients often seek academic help due to work overload, struggling to complete all requirements within tight deadlines.
Other common reasons include having hectic schedules that make it impossible to manage all tasks simultaneously, as well as lacking motivation or the capability to achieve the highest possible scores.
In such cases, students seek assistance to lighten their workload. "They can't keep up because their schedules are too hectic," Sian mentioned, "And some are wealthy but lazy, preferring to pay someone to do their work."
However, Hisui emphasized that while academic assistance can be beneficial in managing academic workloads, she cautioned that it could potentially conflict with one’s commitment to learning and academic integrity.
“When engaging in academic commissioning, it's important to consider its impact on one’s learning. Therefore, aim to balance seeking external assistance and engaging with your own learning efforts,” she expressed.
Maintaining ethical standards and legality in providing academic services is crucial. This includes setting clear boundaries, avoiding plagiarism, and ensuring all work is original and properly cited. Some providers refuse commissions that require taking exams on behalf of students or tasks that involve personal opinions or reflections.
"I make sure not to accept commissions where I have to take their exams because some clients seek someone to answer their online exams for them," Sian stated. This ensures that the services provided are helpful yet remain within ethical boundaries.
Academic Ease vs. Academic Challenge
Back during the height of online classes, the Department of Education (DepEd) refuted the efficacy of academic ease as a solution for issues in distance learning. This is after they found that many students were using Facebook groups to discuss and share exam answers and notes with one another.
To address “cheating concerns,” then-Education Secretary Leonor Briones has sent a warning to regional offices instructing them to keep an eye on students’ internet behavior to ensure that academic dishonesty is being dealt with. Briones also suggested that parents and teachers sign a contract if a student is found to have cheated, urging school administrators to protect academic integrity at all costs. But did this really help in any way?
Trisha and Sian, like many others, have navigated through academic challenges exacerbated by systemic deficiencies. Their decision to offer academic services reflects not only a need for financial independence but also highlights the gaps in educational support that they encounter.
Similarly, the experiences of Hisui underscore the broader issues of access and fairness within the educational landscape. Their stories voice the stark truth about the pressing need for an equitable and just educational system.
Article: Andrea Cherryl Bautista & Rebelyn Beyong
Graphics: Cathlyn De Raya
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