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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To set up a crowd fund to pay for my post graduate degree?

371 replies

Spiceupyourlife1989 · 19/08/2021 23:42

I don’t have the funds to pay it and am currently living on a low income, topped up by universal credit.
I know the post grad loans are £11,500 or thereabouts, but that’s to pay for course fees AND to live on Sad without help, I won’t be able to do it. I want to improve my job prospects, specifically for my toddler son, who I don’t want to end up going without, particularly when he starts school.

OP posts:
frasersmummy · 20/08/2021 08:43

Would you consider PhD rather than a masters .As a PhD student you get paid not much but its an income .

LaMagdalena · 20/08/2021 08:43

@Lockdownbear

I'm also confused about why people are saying that you should be able to get a higher wage as a graduate - I doubt that there are that many high paying jobs in this country to go around

At which point, doing a degree is pointless. The whole point of doing a degree is to get better job opportunities.

We might have to agree to disagree there.
Lockdownbear · 20/08/2021 08:45

Well what do you think the point of doing a degree is if its not to open up better job opportunities?

SmidgenofaPigeon · 20/08/2021 08:46

@frasersmummy you need a masters to do a phd

LaMagdalena · 20/08/2021 08:51

@Lockdownbear

Well what do you think the point of doing a degree is if its not to open up better job opportunities?
Learn?? And get a job as well. But also learn something.
TradedAtlanta · 20/08/2021 08:52

Completely agree with pp's suggestion to look at a post Grad social work route as you can access a bursary. There are also train on the job routes. Going directly into CAMHS as newly qualified not too likely but you could easily get a first job in adult mental health, then move into CAMHS. You won't have to work in child protection if that's off-putting.

Lockdownbear · 20/08/2021 08:54

Learn something from books / Internet if it's only for the sake of learning. No point in getting into 4 years of debt for the sake of learning stuff if it's not enhancing your prospects.

5329871e · 20/08/2021 08:58

There’s a big problem with degree inflation, when undergrad degrees are becoming insufficient to get proper employment.

Kids need to pick proper rigorous undergrad degrees at reputable universities, and then working damn hard so they graduate with a First. Otherwise it’s a waste of 3 years and they end up “having to” do more degrees.

Another point I want to make is that it’s fine to do a job that’s not your dream job. Not everyone can do something they enjoy. It should be rewarding just to go to work, do a good job, and bring home a wage to support your family. This is the real world.

No way would I donate to someone’s masters degree when they haven’t persevered with their PGCE and (probably) haven’t done that well at undergrad.

Pinkdelight3 · 20/08/2021 08:58

The whole point of doing a degree is to get better job opportunities.

That's what it's been reframed as by recent governments and since it's started to cost students a fortune, but that was never the whole point of a degree at all and is a pretty sad way of looking at learning.

LaMagdalena · 20/08/2021 09:00

@Lockdownbear

Learn something from books / Internet if it's only for the sake of learning. No point in getting into 4 years of debt for the sake of learning stuff if it's not enhancing your prospects.
Well we can disagree can't we? I'm very glad I did my degree even though I'm not a high earner. I wouldn't have even been able to learn what I learnt from some books and the Internet.
BuffySummersReportingforSanity · 20/08/2021 09:01

What you'd earn with a master's in play therapy as well is a big dose of fuck all on top of the fuck all you're currently earning. It will not "improve your earning prospects" or jump you over the experience requirements. It'll just leave you with more debt to pay back and some pissed-off sponsors, if you get any.

Get a job, any job. Volunteer in MH in your spare time (people get experience in the field without pay, is how they do it). Then go for the jobs you want.

Lockdownbear · 20/08/2021 09:01

Maybe those who have always been able to afford to support students think that way. But lower income families have always seen further and higher education as a way to improve a young person's prospects. And wouldn't scrimp and save to support them if they didn't think they'd get a decent job at the end of it.

Original poster
Spiceupyourlife1989 · 20/08/2021 09:01

Kind of wish I hadn’t posted this now, feeling bad about myself. I do have anxiety and depression, which has caused me to leave jobs in the past and I had PND.

Mostly I feel stuck in a rut as I applied to be a TA for experience so that I could do my PGCE at a later date. Then I ended up staying in the role in various schools for 7/8 years. Now that’s my only experience.

OP posts:
Howshouldibehave · 20/08/2021 09:04

I do have anxiety and depression, which has caused me to leave jobs in the past

I absolutely wouldn’t recommend teaching to anyone already suffering from anxiety or depression especially if it’s already caused you to leave multiple jobs.

Does it have to be a school-based role you want? Aside from teaching/BM, they are notoriously poorly paid.

LaMagdalena · 20/08/2021 09:05

@Lockdownbear

Maybe those who have always been able to afford to support students think that way. But lower income families have always seen further and higher education as a way to improve a young person's prospects. And wouldn't scrimp and save to support them if they didn't think they'd get a decent job at the end of it.
I'm from a working class family (and I'm still working class now) and I'm still glad I did my degree despite not having a high paying job.
TheGenealogist · 20/08/2021 09:14

@Spiceupyourlife1989

I don’t have the funds to pay it and am currently living on a low income, topped up by universal credit. I know the post grad loans are £11,500 or thereabouts, but that’s to pay for course fees AND to live on Sad without help, I won’t be able to do it. I want to improve my job prospects, specifically for my toddler son, who I don’t want to end up going without, particularly when he starts school.
So you take your Masters part time along with a job, like millions of other people do.

You are not being unreasonable to start a crowd funder, but you are being very unreasonable to expect people to contribute to it.

5329871e · 20/08/2021 09:18

OP, you say the reason you want to do this is to improve prospects for your son.

The best way to improve prospects for your son:

  • Teach him to work hard and take school seriously
  • Help him to make good choices in education, particularly at degree level

We’re lucky in this country that education is free, and no kid needs money to do well if they’re supported by parents with a good attitude.

It may be too late for you to have your dream job. But you can absolutely help your son achieve a good life!

nettie434 · 20/08/2021 09:19

Dont feel bad about yourself Spiceupyourlife1989. Lots of people have on Mumsnet have very strict rules about what they give to but actually people and organisations do manage to raise funds via crowdfunding. It's just that you were considering quite a large sum.

You have thought of a plan and that's a good thing. You have had feedback suggesting that it's not easy to get full time regular work as a play therapist. I agree that a social work degree apprenticeship might be an option. You can also study for the qualification as a postgraduate.

Itwontstopraining · 20/08/2021 09:20

Op if you want to go into therapy/counseling type roles then I'd strongly suggest looking at a social work or mental health nursing MA as others have said. You may qualify for other routes too (frontline, apprenticeships etc) that have additional financial support.
Both would give you solid job prospects. If you then did additional courses once qualified you could drop hours to do therapeutic work as well. The therapeutic work rarely guarantees a full time or reliable wage but if you can do it part time or supplementary it's very rewarding. For example one of my colleagues does SW a couple of days a week and has a separate contract to deliver Theraplay for children with attachment needs. I have a friend working in mental health who is doing IAPT training through their employer.

Bananarama21 · 20/08/2021 09:20

Why do you need to do a postgraduate for teaching? What was main degree? My friend did 4 years at Leeds and is a qualified primary school teacher?

jendifer · 20/08/2021 09:22

What about doing TISUK diploma? Lots of schools are offered it for free through virtual schools (if you have a LAC within the school). Talk to your DLAC and see what they think?

Howshouldibehave · 20/08/2021 09:22

@Bananarama21

Why do you need to do a postgraduate for teaching? What was main degree? My friend did 4 years at Leeds and is a qualified primary school teacher?
Because if you do a standard three year undergrad degree, you need a PGCE to be able to teach. I’m presuming your friend did a degree which already included the primary teaching qualification.

The OP has already stated she doesn’t want to teach though.

petshihtzu · 20/08/2021 09:26

Wtf these comments OP! Pls ignore some of them

Of course set up a crowdfunder but yeah be prepared that most won't donate but it doesn't hurt.

Can you get a loan through student finance?
I know somebody who did a crowdfund because she went to a specialist dance school to learn but they don't receive th same funding from student finance as a normal academic degree would

Are you doing a PGCE? Could you find a salaried school direct route from the government website? There are some but rare but they give you a salary to learn.

Good luck xx

Hoppinggreen · 20/08/2021 09:28

@Spiceupyourlife1989

Kind of wish I hadn’t posted this now, feeling bad about myself. I do have anxiety and depression, which has caused me to leave jobs in the past and I had PND.

Mostly I feel stuck in a rut as I applied to be a TA for experience so that I could do my PGCE at a later date. Then I ended up staying in the role in various schools for 7/8 years. Now that’s my only experience.

Please don’t feel bad, it sounds like you have struggled but you do want to improve things, which is great. But doing a Masters won’t automatically do that. It won’t help with your MH challenges and may not lead to a job. Maybe park the idea of a bit and think about other career paths, especially since you can’t actually afford to do it anyway
Daphnise · 20/08/2021 09:32

Where will it end- after this you'll want further funding for food, childcare, holidays.

No one I know would even think of donating to a stranger's degree costs, especially a second and possible quite unnecessary degree.