AIBU to not want to pay £5k for a school trip?

[Lincspeeps]

In short, DD's school are running a trip to South Africa in 2021 - safari, time in Madagascar, trekking, social responsibility work etc.

Problem is, its £4.5k plus spends and optional extras - the safari being one. So, with insurance, visas, inoculations etc it'll be five grand and more.

DD's three best friends are all going and we, at a massive stretch, could probably afford it BUT in reading where they stay etc it just seems like such a rip off. I want her to do something exciting but £5k just seems a ridiculous amount.

She's not spoiled and completely understands the value of money but she'll be devastated if she can't go and I'll feel like a demon by preventing her (she's 15 now, will be almost 17 when trip takes place). I just feel that £5k could be spent in a much better way where travel is concerned - I'm sure you can buy a round the world plane tickets for a couple of grand, for example!!

Help...…..

Dd goes to a well known indie and they have stopped all voluntourism trips. They now do all their gold d of e in the uk, plus lots of volunteering with local charities. There are sports tours every couple of years which cost 2k ish, and they can also do the warriors programme in south Africa where they jump out of planes and run 10k a day, sounds hideous!

The thing that strikes me as well is that although some say that it will be the experience of a lifetime, a lot that go will be at least partially funded by parents. The parents that can afford 1, 2 or 3k for 1 child for 1 holiday have probably taken their children on many great foreign holidays already, or will be able to fund a gap year anyway. One of the kids i loosely know that did world challenge went away on amazing foreign holidays 4 or 5 times a year with his family anyway! If a family cant afford it 5k is an awful lot for a teenager to earn or raise themselves.

Why not encourage her to fundraise for a local women's refuge?

If the school is actually concerned about social issues, it could start by looking at what's on the doorstep. There is plenty of social deprivation in the UK which could be addressed.

"It’s nearly all internal murders. Not tourists. Tourists are safe. If you haven’t been, you would not understand this."

ewn.co.za/2019/08/01/tourists-cancelling-sa-trips-due-to-attacks-tour-guide

@Rachelover60 "It's funny how these youngsters are so enthusiastic about these working trips. I'd have hated them! Well each to their own I suppose."

It's because we live in an Instagram world where people take the opportunities to selfie themselves in poor areas, often with a small b;ack child on their hip, or group of kids looking happy at the white person.

It glamourises the sitatuation, and makes it about the person, not the cause.

check out BarbieSaviour... :)

www.instagram.com/barbiesavior

Image Description: A Barbie doll, dresse din a pink dress and gold boots, is posed in front of a chalkboard, with some chalk writing about English letters

Image text reads:
"Who needs a formal education to teach in Africa? Not me! All I need is some chalk and a dose of optimism. It's so sad that they don't have enough trained teachers here. I'm not trained either, but I'm from the West, so it all works out. Good morning, class!! #barbiesaviortheeducator #wildwildwest #theyteachmemorethaniteachthem #whichmakessensecuzicantteach #PhDindelusionalthoughtprocesses #degreesplease
#qualifiedisnotafeeling
#godstillQUALIFIESthecalled #gettingschooledandoverruled"

I completely agree when it comes to voluntourism - and feel it's an aspect of the trip that WC should ditch. I also consider South Africa to be very dangerous as a destination.
I do feel however, that a lot of the outrage on this thread about WC being a profit making company is a bit of faux-naivety. Do people think that WC is an NGO? Of course it's a company run for profit! When you book your two weeks in Benidorm with TUI, do you think they're making nothing out of it?
I'd have no problem buying the odd over priced cake or having my car washed by the child of a colleague for something like this. I think the fundraising and the organisation on the ground (pupils are in charge of organising their own transport, food, accommodation, etc) is what makes the trip into a learning experience.
Yes, it's unfair that some can afford to go and some can't - but there are posters on this thread who regularly travel long haul or stay in 5 star hotels, and those who can't afford a holiday at all. Unfortunately, that's life.

www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/nov/19/outcry-over-saviour-complex-fuelling-exploitation-kenya-orphanages

www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/13/the-business-of-voluntourism-do-western-do-gooders-actually-do-harm

also. to be harsh. If she is 'devastated' not to go on a five grand holiday then she is spoiled. I'm not judging - I think you can be a really nice kid and kind etc but still be 'spoiled' - as in not realise what makes you lucky in life. Being happy is about being fed, warm, clothed - if she needs to go see poor people in africa to learn that then she is spoiled.

She would have a far, far better UCAS form if she volunteered in a food bank/ old peoples home/ learnt about social inequality in her own community - which would feed into work she might want to do one day.

Voluntourism aside, it's an absurd goal for all but the richest. I am all for young people exploring and enjoying themselves (I'll be advising my own kids to travel more and earlier than I did).

But it is flat wrong IMO to promote this level of expenditure to a teen who doesn't have an incredibly wealthy background to back it up, and who will have a very limited understanding of what 5k means in the real world of supporting yourself.

Even if a teen could raise that amount through work, it's hugely irresponsible to blow it all on a 4 week trip. They could spend £2k on a great, self-picked trip with friends instead, and have £3k left to enhance uni experience, subsidise study time, for the deposit on a first flat, or get a car... etc, etc.

£10k did 5 of us for 18 days in South Africa including safari and some high end hotels, a domestic flight plus car hire.

I would imagine that the insurance is a huge part of that cost and we wouldn’t/couldn’t fund that for one child.

No way. I’d use the money to fund driving lessons and a car instead.

Also, UCAS don’t care if you have volunteered in a food bank or South Africa. Sorry, I’m a FE tutor and grades matter most.

Hell no.

@Fantababy "I think the fundraising and the organisation on the ground (pupils are in charge of organising their own transport, food, accommodation, etc) is what makes the trip into a learning experience."

Yes, but it is all at the expense of vulnerable and poor communities,a and only serves to make that person feel good about themselves.

Now if that same young person did loads fo fundraising, and sent the money to a local charity/organisation to help them in their work - and wanted no/little recognition. Then I'd be all for it, but the problem is, the only reason these young people do this is because they think they're solving a problem and want tot tell everyone about it....

@Fantababy - yes of course tui is making a profit. But I'm paying them to do " the organisation on the ground (pupils are in charge of organising their own transport, food, accommodation, etc)"

Children can learn all of that ^^ by doing DofE and camping in Wales. They don't need to spend £5k funding some white bloke's pensions while patronising blacks people which is what voluntourism is.

Does she love trekking, volunteering and wildlife? Or does she just want to keep up with her friends? I think she'd learn more from coping with the disappointment than going on the trip!

My 19yr old has just come back from spending two and a half weeks in SA and it cost a fraction of that - including hotels, safaris, travel, eating out...

But from what I hear, I would emphasize what @Linning says. My DS has told me some horrendous stories from his trip. His GF is SA and her remaining family there are all planning on emigrating as the situation is so dire.

That aside...£5k???!!!!!! Same DS did a volunteering two week trip to Kenya when he was 17. Hotel, food, travel, safaris, trips also included as well as time teaching local kids, visiting rubbish dumps where whole families live. Whole thing was £1.5k. £5k is outrageous, even for a month. What riles me is that as parents we're effectively paying for the teachers to travel for free.

Hi op,
Obviously your decision,but a few years ago my dc had a school ski trip in Italy come up.It was a few thousand back then plus hire of clothes ski equipment,spending money etc.
We had about eighteen months notice and we saved hard,both of us going without extras.
But it was worth it!she loved it and had a wonderful time.She still talks about it now and not just about the skiing ,but the people,the scenery and the closeness we had slowly building up the money.She was really appreciative of the sacrifices we both made .
hers was just a week ,so obviously you have to consider how she would cope away for a longer time .
Anyway,I hope this is of some help☺

My dcs go/went to a state school, a grammar school, who do world challenge every 2 years and around 70%do it. I strongly object to find raising to pay for someone else's child's holiday. This fund raising thing is a disingenuous 'get out' to shout down allegations of divisiveness. The reality is that parents have to underwrite the cost of the trip which makes it out if reach of some families

While I think this trip is ludicrous, the whole 'teachers having holidays for free' narrative is really shit.

Do you really think teachers should pay to supervise a load of teenagers 24/7 in their own unpaid time? Really?

@KarmaStar, I hope you are remembering the amount incorrectly - a few thousand for a week skiing in Italy, yikes!!

@fairydustandpixies "What riles me is that as parents we're effectively paying for the teachers to travel for free."

well, feel free to pay for your own place, give up your annual leave, leave your family behind for a month and supervise the kids on this trip...

Putting all the voluntourism issues to one side, one of the main points of the challenge is that they raise the money for it themselves, not that you pay for it to save her the bother! Plenty of teenagers can manage to organise fundraising events/wash cars/work part time alongside GCSEs. It will look good on her personal statement too (the fundraising organisation, not the trip itself)