To think this a crazy price for DofE Silver Award

[Fgsvirgin]

School have just sent the letter. (Not a fee paying school.)

It is £420 (plus a £50 deposit).

That seems like an awful lot to me for a trip where you have to provide the transport there and back yourself, provide the food and some of the kit.

The price is set by the third party company organising it and does include training sessions (not an overnight session just a couple of classroom based sessions and one 7 hr walk), the registration fee and loan/hire of the tent, cooking stove thing and coat/waterproof bottoms and sleeping bag if you want. This is what the deposit is for.

Does that not seem a really expensive hike to you?

I suppose I’m comparing it to other school trips where they get a couple of nights away with food and transport for less than £300.

I should have seen it coming when Bronze was £300 but I paid that blindly thinking that is how much these things cost!

If your child did D/E Silver, how much was it?

(I realise the key here is that there is a third party company arranging it so I suppose I’m looking for responses from those who also have experience with third party D/E companies.)

Of course.
They could do that. Anyone can fundraise for anything, although that burden largely gets placed back on it parents too facilitate and hapless friend and family to fund.

And it would be seen as a bit more worthy than fundraising for four weeks hut building in Africa, but even I get a bit 😖at the constant requests to sponsor people…all…the…time and I am generally supportive.

I think there’s a lot to be said for being led and taught by professionals through dofe (which is what you’re paying for). Scouts have a huge organisation behind each volunteer individual and usually do a great job. Other volunteer DofE leaders are variable from the brilliant to the “trying their best”. To really be a valuable life experience the right kind of leadership that supports and trains but also enables independence and self reliance is important.

That’s one opinion. There are many, and I don’t disagree, some will pay no heed.

My DH was an admissions tutor for years, and not quite so dismissive and considered it in the broader picture.

You obviously need other specific things for medicine, and indeed subject specific questions hints for any subject. but D of E certainly doesn’t hurt.

I am always fascinated by the skills component tbh.

The thing is, all these people paying £25 quid etc.

The money for those things and for travel has come from somewhere, so there Is a cost, it’s not free.

It just doesn’t always appear as a direct xoat to you.

I really hope people appreciate what Explorers do for their young people. It sounds truly amazing.

NCS is a far better scheme, really contributes to the community. I see the stuff being done on D of E as really self absorbed to be honest.

My dc did it through explorers and definitely much cheaper than that.

Not really, NCS is done in a week's residential (Outdoor stuff), another week's residential (other skills) and a few days volunteering.
Achieving DofE requires months of volunteering, physical and skill learning, wher ea young person has to stick with hit, show commitment, usually work with different people of different ages.
Mine have all done both, and the NCS is a good scheme, but DofE needed a LOT more commitment.

I disagree that D of E is self absorbed. In my area Guiding and a lot of kids community sports club are dependent on D of E teens helping them for their volunteering aspect in order to keep going. I'm watching my youngest at a sport right now and we have 3 adult coaches and about 10-12 teens. Without the teens it would be cancelled. Or at least become much more expensive which would also lead to its closure as we're a deprived area.

Good grief, it was £20 at DD’s school this year. It because a profit making company are involved. The expedition is run by teachers and PTA.

This.

Apparently only something like 3% of everyone who starts DofE goes on to get their Gold.
So, for those that do achieve it, it shows certain qualities - not least sticking power.
Schools pushing half a year group through Bronze is not really in the spirit of it, as has been said upthread a few times.

My DC did it through the school. Think it was £100ish but the school organized everything themselves. I imagine a large chunk of what you are paying for is wages. The school certainly threw a lot of staff at it it .

I would still pay £420 for it .it was a fantastic experience.

That’s pricey. Phillip must be turning in his grave!!

It's not just the Scouts that's run by volunteers. At my school the kids do DofE through the school, and it is run purely by volunteer teachers (like myself!) We put in hours of extra time doing assessor training, we run lunchtime and weekend training sessions, we have to take the minibus test (surprisingly admin heavy), and we get no kit allowance or anything- we're expected to provide our own tents, backpacks, stoves etc.

We also oversee all the other aspects of DofE, making sure the kids have picked valid activities, and chasing up getting those various sections signed off by the assessors.

This makes me wonder whether the parents at my school realise that we're not getting paid for any part of what we do. The money we charge goes purely towards paying the campsite, and equipment hire, which is expensive because the kids are always breaking stuff (despite all those hours of training!)

They got fed up to the back teeth of moaning parents & disinterested kids!!

@Kite22 yes the DofE requires a lot of commitment but that could be why so many teens don't get the opportunity to do it. Family responsibilities, part time jobs, not being able to get to places because there's no/unreliable public transport simply means they don't have the time to take part even if they wanted to.
It's very much a middle class thing in my opinion. To expensive for many whose families are both money poor and time poor.

Yep all of this.
My son has done both too. D of E Gold is way more work and those familiar with the workings of each, wouldn’t even compare them.

@Bluegingerbread but I wonder how many of the teens you see are volunteering so it ticks a box on their form or just volunteering because they really want to help out.

It is so much work.
My boys’ school has a coordinator only, and even he does a lot.

I bet your parents have absolutely no clue of what it would cost of all volunteer time and resources were accounted for.

People should pay for other people’s time where they can. Which is why, whilst expensive to get external people in for the Expedition, I undertone charge and paid without complaint.

*understood the charge

It does seem a lot but i suppose the cost is the people. Normal school trips, even overnighters, the people are free. My sons school dont use a company and the teachers give up their weekends and bank holidays for it. Im very grateful.

Yes it does. We just paid 70 for bronze - we only have to supply food, cutlery and plates. Hat, gloves, hiking socks and midlayers.
All waterproofs, boots etc are supplied.

You could kit your son out with some very decent hiking and camping equipment for that.

• however, good point that our scheme is provided by unpaid volunteers.

Join Army Cadets the fee is £26.00/£30.00 all in, you will need to provide food.

Schools are a rip off

My eldest did it through school 10 years or,so ago and it was only £30.When youngest got to that stage it was £300+

Dof E is of no interest to universities at all

They wouldn't get the DoE though. I assume the costs are for the judging if they qualify for the desired award? It's not just a medal they chuck at you for completing a hike.