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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

TO only pay for DCs uni maintenance for 3 years?

103 replies

OliviaCat · 03/08/2019 23:13

We have always said we would only pay for DCs uni maintenance for the duration of a 3 year degree.

We have three DC, all teens.

The eldest now wants to add a year to their arts degree to do a year "in industry" (literature) which looks to me like an unpaid internship through which she pays the uni more fees.

Aibu to say we will still only pay for three years maintenance?

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 04/08/2019 08:15

I think the OP needs to check the details of what her DD is proposing to do. It occurred to me that full maintenance loans may not be available for 'year in industry' - looks like the full loan is only available to specific 'service' type placements.

www.kent.ac.uk/finance-student/funding/sandwich.html

DragonflyInn · 04/08/2019 08:19

I think the year in industry could be valuable for her career prospects. Fine if you can’t afford financial support but I think you should support and encourage her to do the course if that’s what she wants - ie helping her work out how she can support herself etc for that additional year.

MollyButton · 04/08/2019 08:26

I would look more carefully at this year in Industry - because the best ones I've known all involved a small salary, although you do nowadays need to pay Uni fees.
For example from Bath Uni: "In 2018-2019, the average salary for paid placements within the UK was £19,557, with most students earning between £15,000 and £25,0001. Earnings may vary depending on the degree and placement."

And the year in industry can lead directly to a job offer on graduation - which could save you money long term.

Original poster
OliviaCat · 04/08/2019 08:44

If it was a Masters I might have some sympathy. Or in a vocation/science area. But it's unpaid. The uni fees are less than half of the usual ones and the maintenance loan is also about this.

The problem is that if we do this for all of the dc, we will need to make some serious sacrifices. We are getting on, both work ft in jobs we don't enjoy but we can't do anything about that because of all the uni funding! By the time dc have finished uni, DH will be well past retirement age. I just feel we are working for everyone else.

Could we afford it? Yes. If it was life saving medical treatment of course we could pay it.

I know that sacrificing everything is the deal with children but it is so depressing.

And no, we would definitely not encourage them to work in areas that need loads of training. They and we cannot afford it. We are encouraging the younger ones to look at different ways of working, without a adegree if possible.

OP posts:
Sophiesdog11 · 04/08/2019 08:45

Agree with others, get your DD to research the placement better - a decent placement should be paid and I would be very concerned with one that isn’t.

My DS has just finished a placement year. He had to pay reduced fees to the uni, covered by student loan (think his were about 2.5k, but some of his placement housemates paid less to their unis).

He also got a reduced maintenance loan from student loans, I don’t remember how much, somewhere around 2k mark (he would normally get minimum maintenance loan based on our earnings). He got a salary in ballpark of 18k and has just got an end of placement bonus.

So, we haven’t had to give him any money this year, and he has managed to save quite a bit to allow him to go travelling when he graduates next summer. We will pay him a top up at uni next year as per previous years.

Ullupullu · 04/08/2019 08:45

Degrees are often 4 years. What if one of your children wanted to go to uni in Scotland where all degrees are 4 years? Or a degree with languages and a year abroad? Or a medical degree?

Purplerain16 · 04/08/2019 08:55

YANBU.

I am studying and 100% supporting myself. I have student loan but it's not enough, so I work part time during term and full time during the holidays.

Its hard work, it's tiring and sometimes I'm up til all hours but it's what you do to support yourself. Money doesn't grow on trees & tbh I think it'd be good for your DC to learn the value of money and how to budget etc

scubadive · 04/08/2019 09:09

Placement years are very common and very useful to help get good experience for future employment.

Tuition fees are not payable during placement years, Uni’s do not charge for that year.

WelshMammaofaSlovak · 04/08/2019 09:14

YANBU - our dc are not entitled to everything that they want in life. If you can afford it and money is no object then it's fine for you to pay if it makes you happy but you are under no obligation to pay for this and if it is going to mean you and DH continuing to work in miserable jobs so that your DC never has to then I'm not sure that's entirely fair. A degree will help your DC to make progress into the career of their choice but these days there are all sorts of options that wealthy people get to access that means that the world of work is very much weighted in favour of the very rich. If you aren't in a position to fund this then you aren't in a position to fund it and your DC needs to accept that and, as an adult, find a way to achieve that they want by themselves. It may take longer that way it involve more personal sacrifices but they will almost certainly end up less entitled and more realistic about the world of work as a result.

Ninkaninus · 04/08/2019 09:16

A year in industry is extremely valuable. My daughter secured a senior role after university on the strength of the experience she had gained in that year. I would definitely pay, because I would want her to have the best chances possible after she has graduated. My daughter worked too, throughout every year but the last one (she had saved a fair bit by that time) but the money we gave her helped her to be able to focus more on her work rather than stressing over having to make ends meet.

However is she clear on what a year in industry means on her course? My daughter was paid to work in hers, a fair bit more than minimum wage too.

BillThePony · 04/08/2019 09:17

Nope we have said exactly the same, she is saving for her part-time and summer jobs forbear 4.

She may move home though as it's only an hour by train so she may save money that way, she has not yet decided.

BillThePony · 04/08/2019 09:18

Forbear = year four Hmm

TapasForTwo · 04/08/2019 09:30

I assume that none of your DC want to go into medicine? In the later years of the degree having a part time job may not be possible.

The other option is that all your DC take gap years and get a job to save up for university.

EleanorReally · 04/08/2019 09:34

If you can't afford it, you can't afford it

Nanny0gg · 04/08/2019 09:37

Is he working in the holidays? Doing what she can to raise money to support herself?

Mummyoflittledragon · 04/08/2019 09:37

It sounds as if you can’t afford it. In that case, your dd should find holiday / evening work to supplement it. I worked every holiday whilst at university to supplement my money. Some of the time I had two jobs, one in the day and 5 evenings behind a bar.

Fishfeedingfrenzy · 04/08/2019 09:39

Can't she get internship after she has graduated? That way no fees.

BuildBuildings · 04/08/2019 09:40

If she was doing a 5 year degree to be a doctor would you pay? Is it that's she is doing an arts degree? So not as worthwhile?

user1493413286 · 04/08/2019 09:42

My parents financed mine and my sisters first degrees and I financed my masters. My mum helped out here and there by buying me clothes like a new coat etc but it wasn’t expected by me.

Aragog · 04/08/2019 09:42

I'd happily to find if I could afford it. If I couldn't I'd help her out with seeing if we could find funding elsewhere.

I changed my degree half way through so ended up doing 4.5 years. Despite being relatively low income my parents supported me throughout which I'm very thankful for.

user1493413286 · 04/08/2019 09:42

Sorry I meant to say that how my parents did it was fair to me.

Original poster
OliviaCat · 04/08/2019 09:43

She has already taken a gap year but didn't manage to save, and hasn't worked while at uni.

I think that's part of my frustration. However, if we set a precedent for her then it will have to follow for the others!

Yes it Ian partly because it's an arts degree and not vocational which we did talk to her about. I think in the current environment that's rather a luxury we can't afford tbh.

OP posts:
Aragog · 04/08/2019 09:44

Years in industry during degrees are almost always paid.

They never used to be. I'm sure the one we looked at recently wasn't either. Only difference was you didn't have to pay the university fee for that year. Guess it depends on the course type.

Potentialmadcatlady · 04/08/2019 09:47

My DD is on a placement year at the min... reduced uni payment, Tiny maintenance grant that doesn’t even cover her rent. Full time placement (8-5) with travel time as well (and costs)... She isn’t supposed to work while undertaking it but she is doing a weekend job while she can ( will be on call). We are literally living month to month but I will get her there..

vroc81 · 04/08/2019 09:51

We have year in industry students at work - they’re paid about 19k (all be it the uni still seems to charge them £1000 to get about two emails and a short visit from a member of staff) so I think they should fund that year themselves.. but I do think it puts them ahead than those that don’t so I wouldn’t discourage it.

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