Page 9 | Financial support at university

Tevion28 · 2021-09-19T12:38:52+00:00

Im already fretting about ds and how he will cope at university financially as after accomdation is paid he only has £540 left for next 3 months. He will probably get a job butvibwas wondering how much do you give your dc each week if anything

TweetyPieBird · 21/09/2021 21:57

@Tevion28

Blueskythinking123 No you have got this wrong its £520 with our £100 per week so he will only get £520 per month not 930

Wow £520 a month is still a lot for a student. I bet he’ll be partying a few times a week and I don’t blame him! I would if I didn’t have to spend that on travel, utility bills etc.

Kite22 · 21/09/2021 22:00

Also, if you start term by giving him £130pw, but then are going to give him less if he gets a job, where is the incentive for him to get a job ?

We have given all our dc enough to live on, and then they have decided for themselves if they want to go out and work, which then gives them additional money to spend on what they want or to save for something bigger - like a holiday in the Summer, or festivals or car insurance. If them earning meant their income from us went down, then there would simply be no point in them earning, would there?

Blueskythinking123 · 22/09/2021 04:14

@Tevion28 It sounds like he will have plenty and if he does get a job, he will definitely be ok.

IM0GEN · 22/09/2021 08:56

I’m amazed that someone who is on a low income can afford to give their child £100 a week. That’s a lot of money.

I give my student child £90 a week (last year it was £80 ) and I think that’s ok. And they are doing a very busy course where they are in classes 4.5 days a week, so very hard to fit in a paid job.

I don’t think I’d work by backside off to give money to a child who had classes 5 hours a week and sat on the PlayStation the rest of the time.

But each to their own.

Original poster

Tevion28 · 22/09/2021 12:38

Blueskythinking123
There is loads to be done online so I doubt he will be sat on his PlayStation constantly.

OP posts:

Original poster

Tevion28 · 22/09/2021 12:39

Can I just ask one thing how does he juggle online with a job i mean he can't say excuse me I've just gotta take a Skype call in the middle of serving a customer

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titchy · 22/09/2021 12:46

His online sessions will be timetabled so he makes sure he doesn't work during those slots Why would you think he'd schedule himself to do two things at the same time?

Original poster

Tevion28 · 22/09/2021 12:51

Titchy I'm just looking at practicalities

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Duckswaddle · 22/09/2021 12:54

My parents never gave me any money when I went to uni, I had two jobs to support myself whilst I was there. He’ll find that he needs to sort something if he wants to enjoy going out with friends!

LookAtMoiPloise · 22/09/2021 12:58

@Tevion28

Can I just ask one thing how does he juggle online with a job i mean he can't say excuse me I've just gotta take a Skype call in the middle of serving a customer

That's for him to sort out

blobby10 · 22/09/2021 12:59

I transferred £250 pm to mine when they were away - their rent was covered by the loan, fees paid. They both got bar jobs to pay for extras like holidays, car (in DD case), clothes but both used overdraft facility to the max.

Original poster

Tevion28 · 22/09/2021 13:13

250 each ?

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Hillarious · 22/09/2021 13:20

The bottom line is that many parents aren't prepared for the additional funding they may have to provide to their offspring when they go to uni. Any hardship funding available through the universities will only kick in when the student has shown why their parents can't make up the difference between their loan and the expected level of maintenance funding they need. It's a very blunt instrument, but the line has to be drawn somewhere when deciding how to award loans. I don't know what you'd use if not household income. We've had children at uni since 2015, with two there at the same time for three of those years. We've lived modestly to support them. We've kept our mortgage low, had older cars, not gone on holiday abroad, encouraged the kids to work in the holidays, and where possible whilst at uni, but I'd rather support them myself financially than have them compromise their studies by working in term time. I work in HE admin, so was well prepared for the costs, and I'm often surprised by the families who don't support their sons and daughters and the subsequent stress that causes the students.

chocolatesaltyballs22 · 22/09/2021 13:23

So I've paid my daughter's rent and she has minimum maintenance loan plus part time work to live off. But this thread is making me paranoid that she won't have enough!

Original poster

Tevion28 · 22/09/2021 13:25

Hilarious I am on your page but do think a part time job around 12 hours a week is good for them like preparation for working life.
I am getting a bit of a hard time on here though and don't think I quite deserve it.

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Original poster

Tevion28 · 22/09/2021 13:28

chocolatesaltyballs22
Sounds good

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chocolatesaltyballs22 · 22/09/2021 13:39

OP I think you were only getting a hard time because people thought you were just supporting him with no pressure to get a job. But you've since said that's not the case.

LadyDanburysCane · 22/09/2021 13:54

The full loan is over £12000 so it sounds like your DS is getting a reduced loan - in that case the parents are expected to at least make up the difference.

Our DD got the minimum which wouldn’t even cover her rent so we made up the amount to cover rent and then sent her a monthly allowance to cover food, books, phone bill. She took casual work to cover her “luxuries”.

titchy · 22/09/2021 14:06

You're getting a hard time because your OP said you were worried about how he was going to manage with so little money.

It then transpired that you are contributing a hell of a lot (particularly surprising as you say you're on a very low income) so he will have far more money each month than the vast majority of students.

So what on earth were you worried about? It's become a bit of a 'diamond shoes are too tight' problem...

titchy · 22/09/2021 14:07

@LadyDanburysCane

The full loan is over £12000 so it sounds like your DS is getting a reduced loan - in that case the parents are expected to at least make up the difference.

Our DD got the minimum which wouldn’t even cover her rent so we made up the amount to cover rent and then sent her a monthly allowance to cover food, books, phone bill. She took casual work to cover her “luxuries”.

Full loan is £9k not £12 (unless studying in London)

LookAtMoiPloise · 22/09/2021 14:07

@titchy

You're getting a hard time because your OP said you were worried about how he was going to manage with so little money.

It then transpired that you are contributing a hell of a lot (particularly surprising as you say you're on a very low income) so he will have far more money each month than the vast majority of students.

So what on earth were you worried about? It's become a bit of a 'diamond shoes are too tight' problem...

This

gogohm · 22/09/2021 14:33

Dd will have £58 a week to live on, it is actually enough if you send them with some supplies (I've bought her 10kg rice, 5kg lentils, lots of Indian spices plus teabags, washing capsules etc) dd has fed herself before and typically spends around £20 a week but she's vegetarian

Original poster

Tevion28 · 22/09/2021 14:35

I can't keep giving him the proposed amount hence the concern.

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gogohm · 22/09/2021 14:35

@LadyDanburysCane

It's not, it was £8600 ish last year, only higher if studying in London

titchy · 22/09/2021 15:55

@Tevion28

I can't keep giving him the proposed amount hence the concern.

Then don't.

You're giving him too much in the first place. Give him half that and you can afford it for twice as long. Not rocket science surely?