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.

So you think that those young people who live centrally (likely in cheaper housing than rural) and have good MH should get no help and work themselves, but you, who can afford to give your child £500pcm, should get help?

Thats ridiculous.

Yes I agree with this. We hire graduates every year and we mainly take the ones who have worked.

Despite me clearly having little sympathy for the OP, if the thread had been just that, I would probably have agreed.
I say probably, because although it’s the principle I’d want to start from, I suppose I can see a point where the tax receipt money really can’t stretch to the wealthiest getting it.

Where I have zero sympathy is the OP thinking her chosen shouldn’t have to work, choosing to live rurally then using that as an excuse, earning as a household at least £60K and most likely more unless one parent of teens isn’t working at all, claiming things about “her races” 🙄 (I doubt £60K with 3 children makes them net contributors personally) and worst - this acting like the “other side” is better off. I don’t doubt you can compare this one measure: do you get full loan - and find higher earners doing “worse”. But it’s cherry picking. I’m sure for example that the parent earning over £60K in their household is taking advantage of more pension tax relief (at 40%!) than the less squeezed lower income person.

There’s a thread for OP… limit pension tax relief to 20% for all contributions regardless of income.

Oh and btw I'm not stopping eating out either - we bought a house we could afford and like most people with children in their early 20's, we are much more recession proof, might need to work a couple of extra years before retirement but my generation have it easier

*her races = her taxes

You can pretty much assume anything that comes after the phrase “my taxes…” is going to be nonsense!

I’m not sure why you’re jealous of the young person entitled to a full student loan. They will start their working life in a much worse position with an enormous debt when compared to any student who has had a parental contribution. And I’d guess you will give your child money because you can afford to. Those less well off are getting more of a loan that needs paying back!

I done a very intense course (nursing), working full time then uni and didn't get many holidays (it was 8 weeks which is minimal for uni holidays) and everyone on my course had a part time job of some sort!
She needs a job! My parents would never be able to give us £500 per month and I would never take that from them. Is your daughter aware this is a hell of a lot of money??
Then again I think far too many people are going to university. Then when they finish uni they work in jobs that have nothing to do with their field or work in jobs that don't need a degree as they have no work experience! But that's a whole other thread!

Then she could be supported by my taxes...
you should all stop work, become poor and your dd would be fully funded, it’s a brilliant strategy!!

It’s still the case, but it’s also the case that they get about sixteen weeks off in the summer when they can work.

DH worked for the council grounds department during his summers there, who needed extra staff in the summer.

Yes I do want to pay more tax to subsidise students. I want the best quality doctors dentists teachers etc not just the ones that’s parents can afford to subsidise them.

Uni is exhausting for those that have no choice but to work. I worked in the morning cleaning a nightclub (utterly disgusting 🤮) went to uni all day, came home, went and worked in a shop until close (11pm)
friends that had financial help partied a lot and spent money in topshop!

Sorry but why should the taxes of people on NMW be used to subsidise the education of millionaires children? The future Boris Johnson’s, the Bullingdon Club wankers, the Rishi Sunaks of the world. Why should they get the same as children living on the breadline who had to work their arses off in much more difficult circumstances? That’s what happens if it’s not means tested

@Fl0renc3

This is why I left working in MH. Too many people utilising it as an excuse for never ever taking personal responsibility with their lives. You’re actually doing your daughter a disservice by pandering to it.

Probably going to get hugely flamed here but I’ve worked in two well-being uni departments and a LOT of the ones coming up from working class environments have SO much more resilience with life and juggling uni/work etc.

Your daughter does indeed need to get a PT time whilst at Uni even if she is struggling with her MH. Plenty do it even under those circumstances.

I voted YABU because I and most people I know had jobs at uni and I feel strongly that it is a reasonable expectation.

I don’t disagree that the system using parents income is unfair. I think the amounts should vary more based on part of the country but not use the parents income (as an aside I wonder whether they have made the lowest end higher than they think is reasonable or needed to help people out of the poverty trap, afaik it is not the middle that suffers it is anyone not on a vvv low income)

I do disagree that this should be a governmental priority at this time I’m afraid. Cost of living and economic crisis, issues with and associated with the war and the environmental emergency should be top of the agenda. The students that this thread keeps pointing out are adults, need to act like it and take responsibility for their own financial situation ie work part time, rethink accommodation standard etc.

I think there are so many family situations that need addressing before helping young people who won’t even get a job fund Uni.

I don’t disagree that the loans shouldn’t be on parents income, other then that I think your thinking too much about your own specific situation.

@ButyouwereuptoyouroldtricksinChaptersFourFiveandSix stated my thoughts in a far better way then I did!

This. I’m sorry op but you need to take responsibility and stop making excuses.

We live rurally. Ds is 16 and looking for a job. There are loads of vacancies in supermarkets in the next town as well as other shops and restaurants. I can and will collect him when it’s dark (I assume he’ll be working evenings as well as weekends) but he’ll be getting himself there via train or on his bike (depending where he ends up). He doesn’t really need to work at this stage, but he wants to be more independent.

Your dd’s uni may have recommended that she doesn’t work in term time but there is nothing to stop her working in the very long holidays. What has she been doing for the last six weeks?

You seem quite negative and defeatist in your outlook and I’m wondering if your dd has picked up on this. The uni finance rules haven’t suddenly changed and you have two other dc who will be in this position soon so you really need to get your head in the game. You can’t change the situation so I would suggest that you focus on finding a solution.

Uni had been a scam for some time now. Lots of jobs don’t really require elaborate expensive 4 year course - you used to be able to train on the job in many cases.
If anything we need less uni not more so I can’t say as I’m bothered.

Absolute tosh. Students who go to university aren’t children, they are adults. If they choose to go, then they ought to be able to fund themselves. Students have ample holidays and non study time to earn. Welcome to the big wide world.
Yes, I have 2dc, yes they may choose to go to uni, yes I vote Tory, no I couldn’t afford to support them.

But in the meantime she can work. Uni doesn't start for weeks and then the first few months are just about getting settled. There will always be people who have enough money to eat out/visiting places etc, so there will be jobs in hospitality available.

I do agree with your point, but moaning won't help, only action will help her situation.

You’re coming up with so many excuses why your DD can’t get a job, but to be ho eat most people won’t be sympathetic because lots of us have gone through it all before. We’ve worked before and during uni, with mental health issues (diagnosed conditions in mine and lots of others cases), had the stresses of exams when working and come out with large student loans at the end anyway. It’s hard, but students do have to get on with it and I really don’t see why the government should have to do more when some students aren’t willing to help themselves first.

Yes, if her mental health lets her cope with an “intensive” degree then it also lets her work in the holidays, and yes, there are lii ou ads of jobs available at the moment in hospitality.

Let’s be honest here, it’s not mental health that’s the issue, it’s a sense of entitlement that she’s learning from you. You had years to save up to help her, but simply didn’t bother And now want other families to pay for your child.

Not going to happen.

How is your DD going to cope with living away from home at Uni if her mental health is so fragile that she can't get a part time job?

Sorry to sound sarky but you are continually making excuses for her, and your choice to have three DC .... I know it's not always easy but I was working p/t round my degree 40 years ago! During lockdown when it was genuinely hard to get p/t work (non essential retail & hospitality closed) my Uni student DS went round washing cars.

Can she do babysitting, cleaning, gardening, informally helping old people etc etc?

You are missing the huge benefit that working will give your daughter.

I've employed graduates and by far the ones that have actually been successful are those who have worked before, who understand the politics of the workplace and the expectations of them as an employee. Graduates who haven't worked are like toddlers, they think that having a degree means they know how to apply that theoretical knowledge to a real life scenario but they don't.

Working while at university will make her more employable as a graduate.

There WILL be plenty of jobs. There are always jobs on campus too. No course is so intense that a job isn't possible.

What you need to remember is that one they go to uni, they are ADULTS. As much as I agree loans shouldn't be based on parental income, I also think that these ADULTS need to start taking responsibility for themselves.

If they want to put off full time work for another 3+ years, they need to think about how they're going to support themselves in the meantime.

It can't always be take, take, take, expecting the world to be handed to them on a plate.

I worked from when I was 13, starting with a paper round, and had a great amount of savings when I went to uni.