A faculty strike at a Canadian university has left Bermudian students in limbo and worried about whether they'll make it home in time for their summer jobs next year.

The work stoppage over pay at York University in Toronto, which began on November 6, has prompted some Bermudian students to fly home to try to catch up on their studies or find temporary work.

Others are remaining in the city, waiting to hear when they can return to class. Students who spoke to The Royal Gazette yesterday said they feared the action would mean the entire academic year would be put back, cutting into the time they can earn money next summer to pay for their studies.

Linguistics student Mark Dyer, 19, came home last week and was planning to fly back to Toronto today. He said he was unsure he would make it home for Christmas now, as he expected his exams to be put back until late December.

"I have a ticket to come home on December 19, the date of my last exam. Because of the strike I'm not exactly sure how they are going to be doing the timetable. It's incredibly inconvenient.

"The last time they 'struck' they 'struck' for about 71 days. If the term gets extended into May it is going to hinder my chances of getting a job on the Island."

Geography student Patrice Phillips, 20, from Warwick, said: "They may have to extend the school year into May or June. We have summer jobs and things like that lined up. For some of us, that helps to pay for tuition. It's not really stressful but it's a bit annoying."

Justin Brangman, 21, studying economics, was due to fly back to Bermuda today to try to find work until the strike ends. "Basically it's a big pain in the butt because no one knows when it's going to end," he said.

Final year public policy and management student Kareem James, from Devonshire, said he was concerned about his graduation getting delayed until October. "It's not something that I'm for at all," he said. "I'm just trying to get my degree and get out of here."

It wasn't possible yesterday to confirm with the university how many Bermudians are studying there. Stephanie Lee, 20, from Sandys, said she thought there could be between 25 and 35 Islanders.

The culture and expression student, who plans to return to Bermuda next week, said she just wanted to know "when are we actually going to be sitting in classes again?"