Expensive school trip - why do schools do it?!

[Beach1983]

Cut a long story short, letter has come home with school trip for 8 days that is approx £2500 that doesn’t include food/spending money so guessing £500 extra for that, so all in roughly 3k.

Am I wildly out of touch for thinking that £3000 for a school trip for one child is ridiculous? (This is regular state school not private btw).

I feel annoyed with the school for putting parents in this position as obviously the kids want to go and (they say) all their friends are going so parents feel hugely guilt tripped into these things even if financially it’s a struggle!

Just needed to vent really and see if people share my views!

As a teacher I totally agree with that the cost of this is ridiculous. There is no way I would ask parents to pay this. However, the chances are that the school are paying for a company to organise this trip to New York which will add to the cost. However, these companies usually offer free teacher places. Plus if the teachers will be missing lessons there are many schools who will insist on the cost of cover teachers being added to the price.

Most school trip companies work on a 100% profit margin. So of £3,000, £1,500 is profit. Of the remaining £1,500, the full cost of several teachers (ie £3,000 each) will need to be paid. If there's a group of 20 pupils and three teachers the amount actually spent by the company on the travel, accommodation etc will be £21,000, £1,050 per pupil. So parents are paying £3,000 for a trip worth £1,050.

Either you're spouting absolute bullshit or your aunt was a shitty teacher in a shitty school.

it's partly to price out the poorer kids who teachers (not all) feel are typically the worst behaved.

What a load of bollocks. The trip costs what it costs. The tour company prices it up, and the school is audited to ensure that they have not made a profit or made additions that are not transparently required.

It beggars belief that people actually believe this stuff.

Schools can, and should.

Individuals out of school, and their families, can do what they want.

EXACTLY. My daughter's trip to New York was very well enjoyed by teachers who met up with friends/family/did their thing in NYC.

BUT the trip coat £1450, not even half of OP's cost.

Sounds very typical IME. MASSIVE rip-off holidays! School life IS a rip off. As if life is not hard enough - schools ripping off parents doesn't help!

School uniforms/PE kits, and general school supplies/school books etc are the same. Farcical fucking prices. £8 for a child's school blazer from Asda, but the school insisted we have THEIRS and go to THEIR supplier for it, and charged us £55 for it. If the kids had a blazer that was not the school's, or a PE kit that was not theirs, they would send the child home. Utter arseholes. Someone, somewhere makes a killing from parents.

See also the scams that are school photographs, and 'your child is having their poem/short story printed in this particular anthology!' 180 kids had their poem or story published, and each book was £30 to £35. One each for the 2 nans, one for mum and dad, one for auntie Katie, one for the Godparents - aww, that's £170 thanks.

As I said, I do NOT miss the school days!!!

You can’t eat out in NYC for less than $ 50/£40 per day. Mind you, London is a much more pleasant city, and easier to visit if a UK resident. NYC is filthy and dangerous. It’s full of New Yorkers besides. In the States, New Yorkers have a bad reputation for being pushy, rude, and unsavory.

That's not what boils my piss.

Although tbh, as its not a mandatory educational trip I do think its a bit off they don't (generally) pay something themselves.

Not nonsense at all. She's not worked in ALL schools granted but she's worked in a lot. It happens. I know that might be a bit shit to think about.

Like I say, I know its a bit shit but honestly, it happens. I was pretty surprised tbh, although I always had a suspicion about the day trips out and the reason why some schools only allow the 100% attendance/behaviour to go.

Again disclaimer that I know its not all schools, she's worked in a lot but not all!

I was referring to them picking places like NY, skiing, Italy etc, obviously they can't fudge the prices 🙄

Perhaps if you gave more of a fuck about the school your children would be less at risk of missing out.

Some trips are for 100% behaviour, that is often a reward trip. Some trips require a behaviour level at a certain standard to ensure you can trust them abroad etc ( memorable trip I once took of three girls telling me to fuck off in a Paris hotel because I wouldn't let them leave at 3am to meet some boys they were messaging...!)
You said the high price is to price out poorer kids. I think we both agree that poor does not equal badly behaved.

Absolutely agree poor doesn't equal badly behaved. Some (some!!) schools have felt that way though.

My DC school do something like 85% good behaviour points but I'd imagine thats because its impossible to get 100% given they dish out demerits if a kid hasn't re-backed their book if its got a bit grubby 🙄

Wouldn't it price out their own kids? Most teachers would not be in a higher income bracket (I don't know what head teachers are paid).

Only 7% of kids go to private schools.
There are a surprising number of families at my kids state school who would have £3000 lying around.
These kinds of trips usually only have 30-40 places so you don't need everyone to go.
We couldn't afford it but luckily our school also offers cheaper trips (including a UK camping trip) so there is choice for a lot of people.

OP, what company are the school using for the trip?
I've had a random google and only found much shorter (and cheaper) trips.
Also, it is an educational trip linked to a subject or just a bit of fun?

Ah, somehow I was picturing people from the UK going to Edmonton, and I couldn't figure out why!

Why not? Do you remember lockdown when the kids were educated at home for months on end. It felt like years. Teachers deserve every penny and benefit they get. 🤣🤣🤣

I also thought this meant a trip to Edmonton, Canada and thought “not that poor”! 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

It doesnt sound educational and hey are going in term time? Personally I'd strongly consider booking a midweek trip to New York for the family for that price. As someone said, part of it is to cover teachers costs, which I s fair, bit personally I'd rather go myself and pay less! They can hardly argue that DC will be missing valuable learning time.

I don't think paying for the teachers trip is adding a whole lot to these trips.

If you look at the companies that run these, you are paying for them to manage all the details, including things like staff in all the countries they run visits too. So they will have staff who are in the US who manage their operations there, as well as providing at least one local tour guide who stays with the group the whole way through; they certify the different local companies they use for specific venues and accommodations; they have contacts for emergencies including hospital information etc; they get preferred admission for group tours and such; in case of emergency they will fly individual students home; they will deal with things like kids who get in trouble with the law, etc.

Plus these companies make a profit themselves. The benefit for the school is they do what is really very extensive legwork and they have all kinds of local expertise, and especially, the staff and resources to deal with the situation if anything goes really wrong (or even a bit wrong, like kids losing a passport.)

Now, you can argue that all this isn't necessary, but there is a market for it in large part because if these kinds of things do go wrong, parents want to hold someone responsible, and often the teachers and school don't feel up to dealing with those situations in another country. It's not like an in-country trip.

You got conned. Mine went for 6 days for £1450 (plus spending money) last October .

Wouldn't that be in the fine print as an additional cost if needed?

As in, school fees don't include ambulance cover or emergency medical care (ie if your child fell off the monkey bars at school) and you sign a waiver of sorts saying that as a parent/guardian you accept responsibility for any costs associated with emergency medical care at the start of each year (t least, in Australia this is the case)

That would also give parents the option to take the chance that it wouldn't be necessary and hope for the best or look into adding it to their own insurance, instead of having it included and result in most people not being able to afford it??

That would also give parents the option to take the chance that it wouldn't be necessary and hope for the best or look into adding it to their own insurance, instead of having it included and result in most people not being able to afford it??

I'm trying to imagine a child in a US hospital with fees needing to be paid and no insurance. Also needing a teacher to stay with them. Who pays? Who's to say the parents are insured or will cough up if not? Too much of a liability for the school who would be sensible to give it a hard no.