To think the government needs to something quickly to help families financially supporting children at Uni.

[Fl0renc3]

Mortgages are going up( ours will by 300 when we remortgage v soon), energy bills will be going up hugely, ditto food, petrol etc…. Already making all the savings we can.

We have got to start paying our child £500 a month to live on from October on top. It was already going to be a squeeze.Her bills will be rocketing too so who knows if what we were planning to give her will be enough.

We don’t have a money tree and have 2 other children due to start Uni in the next few years. I know the poorest and the richest will be ok re funding for their child at Uni but there is a massive band in the middle who won’t. Whether or not you can go to Uni shouldn’t be decided on parental income( thanks Tories) but those already there and just starting are going to be in dire straits as are the families supporting them.

I thought that undergraduates at Oxbridge weren’t allowed to have term-time jobs. Does anyone know if this is still the case?

Fucking hell, stop banging on about the 'middle'. Do you really think it's easy for poor kids to go to uni?
Their loans are still barely covering their rent let alone anything else and they don't have parents who can send them money.

It's a crime that kids can't afford to go to uni without huge input from parents but you really have no idea if you think you're the ones struggling the most.

Yanbu.
Student loans should not be means tested on the families income.

Any government that helps the parents of MC children at university while there are families forced to use food banks and decide between eating and heating would need to give it’s head a good wobble.
but still, the Tories are in power, so there is a chance they’d rather you had enough money for holidays than WC kids got to eat properly and live in heated homes.

You presume wrong for my stepsons, as their mother is dead.
When you choose to create a second family with someone, you know the rules, you have a choice.
There are also other implications and they’re not all negative - so it’s disingenuous to cherry pick the financial downsides.
What would you say to a system where a step-parent could opt out of a household calculation for student loan, but that meant they also lost their favourable inherited tax position as a spouse?

What degree are we talking about that they can’t work in the holidays?

With the greatest of respect, you need to stop finding excuses for her. Lots of people struggle with MH and hold down jobs. In fact it’s good for many people’s MH to have a job. And if she’s not working, how exactly do you expect her to have extra money? Do you think the government should subsidise young people who won’t work towards their Uni life due to their MH?

Blimey it’s all a bit bleak isn’t it OP? All this talk about what’s gonna happen but it hasn’t actually happened right here and right now has it ? so right here right now they could be doing some jobs which is what my three are doing.

@lilacflowersinthegarden

Wealth aside, I would always expect my children to work while students. Not many people have enough money to support adult children for the rest of their lives so they will have to work eventually. And casual work when they are students is an easy introduction and good experience.

Oh my god, now I think you're just trolling.

Fuck off with your 'our taxes' bullshit.

Those kids on full loans are paying interest from the minute they get the first payment. Those loans will hang over all students for the rest of their working lives for most people.

How about you stop whining about your 'squeezed middle crap' focus on the real issue which is that there shouldn't be fees and loans, education should be fully funded.

Exactly. There are other priorities for government spending.

🎻 for your £60K income from a single person. Thoughts and prayers.
So one of you earns just over £60K, and presumably the other can earn approx £18K minimum wage.

It sucks but don’t waste time moaning when it won’t help her or you. She should be working now, if she’s not then she can start looking tomorrow and save up whatever she earns. It’s not your sole responsibility to pay her way. You seem unaware a lot of people from all socio economic backgrounds have been doing this for decades.

‘I thought that undergraduates at Oxbridge weren’t allowed to have term-time jobs. Does anyone know if this is still the case?’

used to be. But not not anymore - not now they’re trying to look like they actually want WC to be able to afford to attend

I tuned down a place because of that ‘rule’ that and the college were acting like they were doing me a favour by accepting me in the first place. I needed to work FT hours at 18 to support myself and went to a UNi that understood and respected that.

So her mental health is good enough to manage an intensive degree, but not good enough to stack shelves in a supermarket or work as a waitress.

It sounds as though she, and you, need a bit of a kick up the backside and for all of you to learn about personal responsibility.

I agree OP, as usual the middle loses out as they’re expected to be able to ‘top up’ their child whereas the poorest get a higher maintenance amount.

I absolutely hate this entitled way of thinking.

‘How lucky the poor are that they get everything paid for them’

If the poor were better off then the people moaning about how good they’ve got it would get a job on NMW and have ‘everything paid for them too’.

As a parent if you physically do not have enough money coming in then you cannot support your child in going to uni. So that child cannot afford to go - that is not fair.

Why would you resent those who are poor a bit of extra help.

The loans were never designed so students could get free money for going to uni.

They we’re designed to make uni more accessible for those who don’t have the bank of mum and dad to help.
All of them would still need PT jobs.

It’s like you get more money to help with childcare costs, if you’re in care or disability costs - you can’t moan that your child isn’t getting the childcare loan if they don’t have children.

So why moan that your child doesn’t get the extra money because they’re not poor enough?

Yes, I agree with this re Tony Blair! And I actually said this at the time... Despite only being 14 then, I could see that this policy was ridiculous!

I don’t believe that loans should be based on household income either. Everyone should be able to access enough money, after all it is a loan that is paid back with interest anyway! It’s not a freebie as some seem to think.
I don’t think students should be expected to do more hours than a full time job. Like everyone they need holidays, not really reasonable to expect someone to pull all stops out working for a levels and then work the entire summer. That’s the way to burnout. I would have encouraged working for some of the time but it wouldn’t bring in anywhere near 5k especially if taxis/bus fares to come off it.
if you’re above the child benefit cut off (60k after pension contributions) and have a £300 mortgage surely you do have enough cash to help your child somewhat though? Or would you rather reduce your household income to 20k or whatever the cut off is for student loans and see how easy it is to live on?

StillHappy

Thanks for your fire understanding of mental health and stress overload.

So I take it anybody struggling with the cost of living can just get a job then. Great, happy days, we’re all sorted. The oncoming recession looks just peachy.

Live rurally, no jobs available, mental health issues, pay my taxes
my mumsnet bingo card is complete

By the way, employers are very impressed by students who actually bothered working. It shows initiative, sets them out from other students looking for graduate work. Particularly summer jobs - my friends dd has worked labouring on building sites each summer since 18 and the law firm who she has been recruited by were so impressed, most had internships daddy set up, my friends dd was so worried ... actually she's the one with the great work ethic.

Btw they need their construction site card to do this but after that it's fairly well paid

I am starting to think my job is no longer viable and we would be better off with the dc getting bigger student loans as a result of me not working.

it is possible to work and still get a degree - I did shift work, 40 hrs a week, while at Uni FT, had a social life and still managed to get a degree.
inwouldnt want my kids to have to work that much but I absolutely would expect my kids to work in some capacity while at Uni. It’s great life experience, as well as being financially necessary.

ShanghaiDiva

Nice to see mental health dismissed as a bingo tick thus illustrating complete ignorance as to what it can involve.

The comment you responded to was bizarre. Begrudging people with low incomes for getting more money, sorry but WTF.. so entitled, yet they complain about poorer people who have no choice.

I'm thrilled I got the max maintenance loan, cry about it pp. I'd be god knows where without it, it was life-changing.