To make DS pay for school trip?

[AtSea1979]

DS wants to go on a school trip in year 8. It's to Europe and it's £700 would you expect your DC to contribute? He's been saving for a Switch console. Should I make him choose? Or do jobs? Or sacrifice Xmas presents and birthday? (Although I'd still end up buying stuff for him to open). Or would you just pay for it all?

Gosh stickerrocks. I think I'd be paying for the first few and then say they can do Borneo and the Galapagos when they're adults and can pay for themselves!

This year dc's school have had skiing trip, New York trip, Iceland, Spain, Germany, France, Italy and Africa charity trip alternate years. Going on 2, 3 or 4 is pretty normal....

(Leafy comp.)

Arf @ the Galapagos Islands!

Northend the children going on £4k+ trips will be very much in the minority. Probably fewer than 12 out of a school population of 1,500 (if that).

Lots of children go on one big trip (under £1k, skiing in Europe for example) in their school career, paid for with savings and contributions from grandparents etc. It's not an annual thing.

There are other trips, but you're talking £50 maybe once a year. If, outside of school, they join Cadets you're talking under £100 for ten days - which is often cheaper than having them at home in the holidays. Likewise Scouts/Guides. An absolute bargain

Since he doesn't know anybody on the trip it presumably isn't a must-go class trip. It is, whilst educational, a jolly. Tell him he will have to contribute and if he, as you say he might, cools immediately you know it was no big deal.

Of course he's super keen to go if it is an extra and requires no input. Hell, I'd go. Halving pocket money and scaling down presents sound sensible and not too painful ideas. If he really wants to go, you'll know. If his reasoning is "well, it's free and more fun than double math on a Monday", he'll turn it down.

YANBU OP. If he really wants to go he will want to save up towards it. I did as a teenager (and I don't think I learned anything at all from school trips either!)

If he would rather save for a console then you have your answer.

Borneo & the Galapagos/ Ecuador trips are notorious World Challenge trips where the kids are expected to fundraise (usually from family & their friend's parents!) to finance the trips. Luckily my DC is a history freak rather than orangutan/turtle fan. Much cheaper.

I do think they should publish a list of trips & potential costs when they start year 7 to help planning. Too many of my friends agreed to a short break then discovered there was something better just around the corner.

Oh, didn't see the console. Well, the question at the moment is "would you like a trip AND a console". The question you propose is "would you wait longer for the console to do the trip".

Of course he'd like the former. But if the trip is important, he'll wait.

& don't forget to factor in the 3am starts & midnight returns to cut the number of nights in hotels. Those early starts are the deal breaker for us, as they are a nightmare when you have to get up again a couple of hours later to go to work.

I think many school tripe are poor value.

My kids haven't been on many.

On offer this year at (local state comprehensive)

Amazon trip £4500
Antarctica £7000
China £4000
South Africa £3000

Many kids went on these trips.

Without exception it was the same kids who had family holidays to Mexico.Dubai/skiing that same year.

I know of a number of kids at who have never been abroad, either with their family or the school.

I agree that is only widens the gap

Entirely depends on your finances. We've always paid for trips as believe them to be hugely beneficial. We did expect the children to save pocket money towards spending money.
That said we paid for our eldest and her boyfriend to go to Budapest for five days last month - they are saving for the furniture for their house and hadn't had a proper holiday for nearly a year.

My DS school trip in year 8 is to the USA, at a cost of £1300 plus spending money.
If I couldn't afford it he wouldn't go, I wouldn't be asking him to put his pocket money towards it, no way!

Jesus Christ, words fail me..........

I have 3 children who all contribute to school trips. The general rule is that we pay for the compulsory trips, but they are expected to contribute to any voluntary trips. So we paid for their year 6 residential as it was required and formed part of their topic for that term. At secondary school we paid for the year 7 trip that all pupils go on (£450pp), but we have gone thirds (with child, us and grandparents) when they have wanted to go on optional trips such as orchestra tours, duke of edinburgh awards etc.

We certainly couldn't pay for these without the contributions from the children and the grandparents, so they either contribute or they don't go. As they have up to a years notice of these extra trips they have been able to ask for money for birthdays/christmas to go towards the cost of the trip and used that as their contribution.

I don't see anything wrong with asking them to contribute, when the trips are not essential and some have been as expensive as our family holiday for all 5 of us.

All are at state schools btw.

What I would say is that in my experience children tend to do one big trip in their time at school, with many doing none. Even when I've been in more affluent catchments, most wealthier parents tend to try and keep their kids grounded when it comes to money (but there are always a couple who want their kid to be seen on everything).

The bigger trips also tend to only run every 2-3 years in places I've wormed and they apply to get onto it and they have to do charity awareness/sports events and training etc to demonstrate commitment beyond having deep pockets.

*worked.

"DS should make cut backs"

He's a child.

There are various different ways to expand horizons. It's not a choice between this trip and bugger all. There will always be adventures to be had and not all of them cost an arm and a leg. Some infact are free.

What kind of trip is it? If it's leisure and fun, I'd ask him to give all his birthday and Christmas cash but let him save for his computer stuff. That way he's still saving and will eventually see the outcome of being savy with his own cash. He will also understand the value of money by putting his birthday/xmas cash towards something he desperately wants!

Cailleach666 where is this crazy school?

Generally we pay for compulsory trips and various weekly clubs. voluntary trips are a mixture of birthday/Christmas cash plus my money.

Gosh! Reading all the school trips & & costs on offer, makes me feel very lucky!
DD (y8) only went on a £450 / 5 days Spain trip that was centred around language learning.
(There was a £700 skiing trip on offer...)
Not sure if I'd pay for one of the holiday type trips.
OP, I think if it is educational I'd pay, otherwise I'd say no. I think these trips are a good way of teaching about money, the value of it, the luck of it and how to prioritize what you have for things like family days out, rent or simply food.
(I have started telling DC what their must haves cost, what the minimum wage is and how long it will take for me or dad to earn it ... they are more understanding if they have to wait for things or when we say no.)

I think it's fair to ask him to contribute something, even a small amount, particularly if you are really going to have to cut back - it's important he realises there is actually a cost! At the end of the day though it's up to you.

What I don't understand is this fundraising thing mentioned above?! I was a bit pissed off to be honest when DBIL called us up last year to ask for £500 for his son to go Africa. The school apparently wanted the kids to fundraise rather than the parents just pay for it, so it didn't help that it was DBIL calling up instead of DN.

£500 - how cheeky singing. Fundraising around here has involved Body Shop parties, car boot sales, quiz nights, car washes, strawberry & cream teas, selling home made Christmas cards, designing wedding invitations, selling art work, 1980s party nights and so on. Most of the parents expect the kids to raise half the money for World Challenge, then look down the back of the sofa for the rest.

I had a flaky child going on an expensive trip (nearly £500). I made her put in half and kept it in a tin. Once she returned from the trip she had it back. It was my insurance money as she has form for changing her mind last minute.
I wouldn't expect my child to fund s school trip, even a contribution.

But, if this was the only way it was possible to fund the trip I'd be having a chat with them about it. They might prefer the option of contributing and going, rather than not.

When I had the money I paid for all school trips for my DC. I'd never expect them to pay for themselves unless and until they were working.

I do like that idea mumble.