parents living the high life

[nearlyemptynes]

Now I know we make our choices in life and we live with them. I have 3 children and have supported the eldest through uni and would do the same for the other two if that's what they want. I see this as our responsibility as parents. I have friends who have not supported their kids, haven't encouraged open days etc then when they kids don't go they have wonderful foreign holidays etc after saying they couldn't afford to send their kids to uni. AIBU to think they have their priorities wrong?

Do you not feel that "the tax payer" gets a return on their investment in the form of having trained and qualified doctors, nurses, engineers, arts practitioners, etc. etc.? Or should we reduce the skill and education level of the country because of the faux moral outrage of "my tax has funded their education"?

It’s interest that foots the bill .
Lets not forget lots of people take up degree courses with no intention of ever working again.
Pensioners for example.
There has been a large increase of this age group doing degrees as they didn’t get a chance in the past.
Those sf loans will never be paid back.
Younger people with potentially 40years to pay back the loan ( interest at least ) at least have a potential do so.

These days, kids who don't get parental help are in a much tougher situation and we all know it

Sure. That doesn't mean every parent can just find the money. I certainly can't what with an ex who has made no financial contribution for 15 years and having 2 other children to continue supporting. I don't have anything to give. I am not a bad, neglectful parent. I have worked incredibly hard to get uscwhere we are today. Eldest isxat uni but he works - had a management role within 6 months. That will do wonders for his CV long term.

The loans are written off at 30 years.

Although I wouldn't be at all surprised if the next reforms bring in fees of 20k a year and a 40 year repayment period.

@MsRosley £250k on care? Screw that.not much left for the kids after that! I would not want to burden my kids or spend that sort of money. Cheaper to pop over to dignitas once the body or mind start to give up surely? Although we have a fortunate gene in our family where we are programmed to self destruct via aneurism or MF at a certain age. No one in living memory has seen 80. They all go from fully independent to dropping dead. Fingers crossed that’s me too! Save me the flight.

At the uni my eldest went to they are not allowed to work in term time. He had holiday jobs but could not work in term time.

No, it’s 40 years now.
My eldest gets 30years
My other two who just started this sept are 40years

To the other PP, yes college isn’t everything but fuxking he’ll does having that degree help with landing a decent, good paying job!!!!

Really!
What uni is that

This.

TBH Uni seems pretty pointless to me nowadays. A huge amount go now so it means nothing really. Plus, for an awful lot of them, they dont get graduate jobs anyway - and trades are earning fortunes.

I'd rather encourage my kid to learn a trade and then set up their own business than go to uni.

Oxbridge probably. Although goodness knows how they ever find out anyway.

Oh bloody hell. I didn't know that.

Surely the system has to just break at some point. It's not sustainable.

Otherwise there are going to be people in their 60s still paying off their student loans and their mortgages - assuming they can ever afford to buy their own homes - at the same time as supporting their own kids through uni and potentially also having to fund their elderly parents' care.

Unless they were paying for all accommodation and expenses I highly doubt they can enforce this. Unless it’s some rich and fancy university where only the rich send their kids? Otherwise it’s completely unsustainable. I don’t know a single person who didn’t have to take a job at uni. Accommodation is extortionate.

Not Oxbridge.

Although I wouldn't be at all surprised if the next reforms bring in fees of 20k a year and a 40 year repayment period.

Wouldn't be surprised either. There aren't many apprenticeship options here either and we did look.

I was lucky when I went it was still in transition from grants to loans and before fees so paid the two loans of very quickly post graduation.

It is worrying it sheer fluke we ended up In Wales with a more generous system but it is subject to political wills changing -so between eldest and youngest there could easily be adverse changes.

I missed tuition fees just but younger sister had no grants and if parental income hadn't severely reduce due to redundancy she'd have had fees on top to pay back.

My grandad managed that, although he managed it by smoking like a chimney and drinking like a fish, which probably wasn't cheap either.

I know.
For those on longer courses, architects, doctors etc. they’ll be mid 60s and still paying.

I wouldn’t blame any of them for emigrating.
But then I got it all free….how lucky we were then

We can’t all be perfect op!

FWIW I am having my cake and eating it, I’m supporting one of mine through uni and I’m living the high life. HTH.

Still 30 years in Wales -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-65457839

You have to "pop over to Dignitas" while you still have the ability to do it on your own, because anyone who accompanies you can be charged with assistng your suicide -they probably won't be, but it'll be a period of worry for them, and you wouldn't want to put them through that. So you'll be going long before you need care, and it's going to be that more difficult to argue that you meet their criteria. And difficult for you not to keep holding on a little bit longer, until it's too late.

Very few unis apply this rule!

I did a 30+ degree (science) and worked a part time job of between 18-30 hours a week depending on need! I used to do split shifts when busy!

I paid for myself through uni with my loan and working. It made me understand budgeting and priorities very quickly. I graduated 14 years ago.

I think people going to uni are infantised quite a lot especially if their parents pay for everything it doesn't help them long term understand how to handle money!

I won't be paying for everything if my children decide to go to uni, I will pay half the accommodation and then it's for them to budget!

You don’t know which university it is, so how do you know it’s not Oxbridge?

Yes we have friends who miraculously lived in Scotland when it came to uni applications.
Oh for a relative happy to lie!

I'm the only one of my friends to go to university... it has not helped me in life at all. Half the population has a degree, it doesn't 'make you better' any more and experiance and connection are worth FAR more... those of us with degrees missed out on years of that.

The most successful people I know did apprenticeships or worked their way up in the work force.

You sound judgemental but also wildly misguided on what leads to success.

and potentially also having to fund their elderly parents' care. At the moment no-one is required to fund their elderly parents' care. But if you're unlucky enough that one of your parents needs residential care (currently about a third of the elderly), you can wave goodbye to any hope of an inheritance.