Can't afford Dd's very expensive school trip

[Wario54]

My DD is 15 and in year 10 at the moment. We live a deprived part of the North of England. She goes to a local, state comprehensive

My DH has had his hours reduced at work in recent months. I work part time in retail (can't get anymore hours unfortunately - I have asked). Like a lot of families, we're financially struggling to keep our heads above water. But we get by (somehow) and I never take the little things for granted (that we have each other, food on the table and a roof over our heads). We've not told our kids about our financial worries - they know there isn't much spare money but not about the extent of our problems.

Dd has come home tonight with a letter and great excitement about another school trip. They had a guest speaker today (external travel company) in assembly today enthusing them about a trip to Borneo of all places. It's 4 weeks long and the cost is £6,500. Currently planned for June/July 2027 (just after her GCSE'S). They are expected to fundraise some of the cost themselves (bake sales, sponsored walks etc) but we will have to pay the majority if she's to go.

She said today that she'll get a Saturday job to cover some of the cost herself. But even with that, taken into account we just can't afford it. It breaks my heart, because I'd love to give her that opportunity but I know we simply can't.

She's full of excitement about trekking through the jungle and cuddling Orangutans. But how do I tell her when she's already set her heart on it? 😢

I just think the school are being completely ridiculous by offering such an expensive trip in a cost of living crisis.

hugely inappropriate of the school to promote this. I would complain. Start a petition

Do not worry, many of your DD's friends will not be going either. That is a ridiculous price and the school should not be showing promotional films. So no and do not feel guilty. Well done to your daughter for offering to help to pay though.

All these "inclusive" schools. What a lot of bollox putting this ridiculous suggestion out there. How out of touch are Head Teachers? I think it's insulting.

I think you just have to be honest with her and tell her £6,500 is more than your discretionary spending for the whole family for the year (or more) and that even if she gets a Saturday job etc you will still have to find over £5,000 , and it is just not possible.
Also cuddling orangutans is not going to be a thing, even for those that go.

Has nobody read OP's last update at around 8.30pm?

She's not going.

I haven’t read the thread but the school is being ridiculous and extremely unfair even offering a trip that costs that much. No one has that kind of money floating about and they’re complete bastards for even putting parents in that situation. I hope you’re ok and don’t have any guilt about her not going because you shouldn’t. I’d make a complaint. What the hell are they thinking?!

I've travelled all over the world but missed out Borneo. It's quite a dangerous country with pouching and drugs.

I think you've mistaken Borneo with somewhere else - its a pretty safe place to travel to with low crime rates. They did in the past have some issues with kidnapping in the coastal areas closer to the Philippines- but haven't had one in 10 years.

Our school does this. For us it's "nope nope nope". As DH said- "but we LIKE going on holidays AS A FAMILY! Why don't we spend that money to go SOMEWHERE ALL TOGETHER!"

Agreed. Borneo isn't even a country for a start!!

Darling, being the grammar/pronunciation police is terrifically non-U.

Neither. They'll get to work 24/7 for 4 weeks without a day off without pay. Work for free for 672 hours straight. During their unpaid holiday.

HTH

Holy shit my kids school just did this and it was £4K for about 18 days, I could actually have afforded to send my DD if she really wanted to go but even she said that is ridiculous! School trips are going totally off the scale with affordability.

On a trip that they have chosen to do??? Not a compulsory trip. My friend has just done this as one of the teachers that went and she said it was amazing and something she could never have afforded to do.

Surely anyone who thinks a trip like is a fun holiday for teachers is a bit hard of thinking!

These trips are optional for teachers, only the teachers looking for a freebie holiday are nominating themselves none of them are forced to do it (well certainly not in our school)

@YesimmoaningaboutbenefitsTeachers going on trips for one month are self selecting. They do want to to go. They even get to sleep! They are with well behaved decent dc with money or those who have acquired it through work. These aren’t badly behaved dc needing constant detailed supervision. The teachers get a lot out of these trips. Yes they are paid - no, they don’t Payne the trip as they are working. They have responsibility 24/7 but obviously sleep!

I thought you were going to say like £500.

£6500 is simply mental.

Absolutely baffling they'd even suggest that.

I'm a high earner and that is an insane price
Also, why 4 weeks??

What are you feeling guilty about not being able to afford it, why on earth would have she expected you to afford something like that in the first place? Honestly 🤦🏻‍♀️ I’d get it if a parent is feeling sad about not being able to afford a £200 residential that all their child’s friends are going on but sorry absolutely no sympathy for a teenager who can’t be funded for this. Yes I also agree the school are being ridiculous offering such a trip

They do these at my kids school with a company called world challenge. It is an absolute racket, i priced up that the whole family could have gone for tge price they were charging. Well over half the kids did go though but very divisive and i don't think state schools should be allowed to run them.

The fact an external company has come in and it is such a huge amount of money is it not one of those poverty tourism awful things? Students raise / get sponsorship money (chunk of which goes to said external company) and then as part of the "trip" they build something like a playground or a small building?

(I've read that these can often be just scam / money making companies and don't help the local communities to which they travel, at all.)

The sales pitches on kids has already started to annoy me. My son is only six but two companies so far have done presentations for external sports clubs or music things and they get the kids all excited but the prices just aren't affordable for us so we have to say no when he comes home and asked to join up.

I also think it’s insane and unfair to offer. However, given it has, I may be being crazy, but if she doesn’t already have a Saturday job and is happy to get one for this, couldn’t you break it down for her? If she really is that committed, she could do an 8 hour shift each Saturday at £15/hour, say (£120/day) hand the ££ straight to you for safe keeping, and over a year, she’d have £6,250? If she started in the new year, she could save this by Jan 2027, giving wiggle room until summer. I did similar when I was a teenager, just acting as if I wasn’t earning, and it was a good lesson in saving. Equally, if this doesn’t sound worth it to her, it might put the amount of money into perspective.

And as if £6500 wasn't enough, there will be jabs, insurance and kit.

Easily over £7k. It's a racket.

We sent our DC on the £1k school trip.

The £3/4k exotic adventure school trip that was offered turned out to be a shambles. Luckily, we hadn't signed up. Just too much money.

They often have to be begged to go. Like I posted earlier, in the summer my school ran a similar trip. 1 female volunteer. They had to beg a male teacher to go just so the trip could go ahead. Several other posters have said similar. You might get the odd young, single teacher who wants to go, but not many.

Of course middle-class, "well-behaved" teenagers never sneak alcohol/drink/drugs or never sneak into their bf/gfs room at night 🙄 I went to an all girls private school. We were all "nice girls". There were several incidents over the years where parents had to get a flight over to collect their daughter that had been caught drinking/smoking/out after curfew. Each year group had at least 1 story to tell.

It's not a "school trip" they are supposed to fund raise it. My nephew is doing similar and has raised almost all the money himself.