Do you use one salary to pay for private school?

Just not possible. You need to look at income after tax etc. Won't work.

My parents did this. My mum's salary about covered 2x fees. She also needed a car, we had only had one before. We had one holiday when i finished y7, then one when I finished y11, both Eurocamping in France. Meal out for birthdays sometimes. They felt the sacrifices were worth it. For my brother, they were, school 'made' him. I did well but the pressure got to me a bit.
When our financial circumstances changed the bursar got me fsm, a free bus pass, and a payment plan. I don't think they got a reduction in fees, just delayed payment.

I think you'd be mad.

Sorry but I don't think you have done your sums, and after being privately educated, I'm not sure the maths lessons were worth paying for

I do pay for private school and there is no way that I would pay if I thought that in any way it would impact the overall quality of life for the whole family.

The only exception might be if the school were a sink school/on special measures.

I think it would be so stressful for you and your husband to manage financially, after paying for 2 sets of school fees on that income. And it would inevitably put a strain on your relationship.

Every family needs quality time together so I'd use the money to enjoy your time together and go on holidays/days out.

I don't think any private school is worth that.

DH's DC are all at private school - mine have done a mix of private and state. But our income is much higher - so it's not really meant compromises to holidays, clubs etc. I'd be very wary of doing it on the kind of income you're on, as I'm really not sure the private school has been that much better. Spending money on some private tuition to patch up any holes in state school teaching, along with lots of extra curricular things and exciting holidays would probably give your kids (and you) a richer life. I haven't found the uniform, lunches, etc to be much worse in a private school than a state one, but the kids' friends are overwhelmingly rich and spend lots on going out, exotic holidays, etc. I think yours might feel quite poor in comparison. Also, teens do cost more than younger kids - they eat more, you pay full price for them everywhere, etc.

Wow - you'll find it a stretch for two on that budget

Why don't you look at your current outgoings.

Net income.

Then subtract groceries, utilities, phones, wifi, annual car costs, other transport, council tax, sky tv, buildings and contents insurance, fuel, then subtract 2k a month for fees, then say a hundred extra for extras. Then factor in things like clothes, clubs, uniforms, pocket money etc.

Then also remember things like school trips, if they get one coming in each at up to several hundred, per each of them per year, can they go? Birthdays, Xmas etc, additional unexpected costs like boiler repair or car repair or new tyres.

Honestly I'd save the money for their university education.the government only gives loans for kids of up to 3.5 k to live on if parents earn over 30k jointly and this does not usually even cover rent if they live away from home, never mind books they need to buy , food and utilities etc. So you will be probably subsidising each to the tune of up to four grand each year. I'd save towards that, put them in state school and pay for tutors as is necessary.

I think a more accurate gauge would be can your joint salary in one month cover a term's fees for two. Here that would be about £9k.

If not, don't do it.

In answer to your question though, yes we do effectively use one salary to pay of two lots of school fees - but its a six figure one.

As others have said your maths is completely out.

The 35,000 salary nets down to £26,500 so that might cover your school fees (but that would be a pretty cheap private school and you're completely forgetting about lunches - ours are £4.50 a day, travel, trips, expensive uniform with four different sports kits etc etc). School fees tend to see an increase of around 5% a year too.

The 30k salary then nets down to £23k

Those figures are without any pension contribution etc.

So you would have less than £2k a month to live on, £600 of that is gone straight away on your mortgage leaving you with less than £1400. Out of that you need to pay all living costs, bills and transport.

You absolutely can't afford it I'm afraid

What if your salaries don't increase but school fees will? Assuming a 2 year age gap and one going into year 7 next year you are looking at 9 years of fees. Imagine they go up by 2% a year, that's an 18% increase by the time your youngest leaves. Can you afford that?

No, it's not enough. We briefly considered it many years ago when the DC were at that age and we were at that income. It's not worth the years of scrimping and saving it would entail. No holidays, no meals out, no concerts, no extra curricular activities... It would be madness on a joint income of 65k to send two children to private school.

Sorry very badly written, I have a cranky toddler today 😂

So post school fees and mortgage you are leaving your family roughly £400 a week, based on info provided, to cover utilities, food, clothing, holidays, petrol, etc.

I honestly think you would be crazy to do it.

Private schools are very funny places (I have both worked and attended) make sure you have enough money let over for trips etc. A lot of children there will obviously have very rich parents & their children will have the best clothes and equipment, and if you can't provide this to your children & they might get bullied & left out of friendships/experience.

We earn more than that and I wouldn't even dream of sending DC private as it would cripple our day to day flexibility.
(Also wondering where you can get 2dc in for £22k, more like 30 here!)

I suppose the question for me is, what do you think Private will get that State wouldn't and is it worth the day to day sacrifice? What's the main driver?

Hmm, TurkeyDinosaur maybe this depends on where you live. We are in London, a our two are at Prep and I suspect there are very few on a salary of less than a £100k sending kids to private here. I have a mum friend who is a single mum and has both at the school. She earns £100k plus and struggles - again no mortgage etc.
What I think people forget is that this is an ongoing commitment.

You need to look at your net income after tax and national insurance, I think the issue is you are looking at gross.

You need to do the math, your mortgage payments are over seven grand a year, then you have 24 on school fees, that's thirty one grand before you even pay an electricity bill or buy a loaf of bread or fill up the car with petrol, or tax it.

65k pre tax will barely cover 1 child unless you have no mortgage and a v energy efficient home.
I would add a 5% per year increase in fees.
Increased holiday childcare due to longer holidays.
Uniform is ok but pricey
Extras cost me in the region of £500 per term, on top of 3.5k per term fees, in reception.

You need to allow for the unexpected as well - things break down, unusally high utility bills etc etc....

I don't think uour maths works out,

41 k before tax and national insurance is less than thirty grand after. With the other costs of private education, what would you live on? You'd probably have about three or four grand max a year, for food, bills, rent or mortgage, transport, council tax, I don't see how it's feasible.

BTW, uniform is a smallish one-off cost. If anything with private the biggest cost after fees are lunches, and travel if taking school bus.

You're really not leaving yourself much room there and once you're in the private sector believe me you won't want to take them out...that's been our experience anyway...