Middle class parents trying to get private school bursaries

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Would really welcome people's thoughts on this. I know of a couple of couples who are trying to get bursaries for their children to go to private school. They are all highly educated people from wealthy backgrounds but who either have low paying creative jobs (e.g. artist/film-maker) or left highly paying jobs to start their own companies which have yet to succeed. Both couples live in high-cost luxury, rented apartments but have little income coming in (although enough savings to keep paying the rent). I think if they want there kids to go to private school they should get off their arses and do some work that pays, rather than getting the school (AKA other parents at the school) to to pay for their kids education. What do you think as this is really pissing me off!!!! (Btw, I live in crap accommodation, and work all hours doing a job I hate to pay for my children's school fees). Are they taking the piss or am I just full of sour grapes because I didn't do what they're doing?

@massiveblob

Plenty of people do it. I know people where wife chooses not to work to keep joint income down. We however both work so would be just over any threshold

At the schools here you wouldn’t be eligible for a bursary unless both parents are working.

Often people will work for a charity on minimal hours. There is rarely a requirement for both parents to be full time. If the child is bright enough schools don’t dictate that much!

@Fauvist

My DD has a large bursary to a highly selective school in London. I didn't network with anyone or speak to the school (other to enquire if we might be eligible for any help after DD expressed a desire to apply) or anything else, really, other than fill in the application form and turn up for the exams. We are not on benefits and did not have a particularly low income (in the grand scheme of things) pre-pandemic when the bursary was awarded.

Oh, and DH and I work in the arts too. This isn't a lifestyle choice not least because it is what we are best at. It's not our fault that it is poorly paid in comparison to banking. I don't get how being a music teacher is a lifestyle choice either. None of these jobs are supplying any kind of amazing lifestyle (apart from maybe job satisfaction). Banking or accountancy or similar absolutely is a lifestyle choice, though, because there isn't really any reason to do it apart from money, is there?

I bet all the bankers etc would be the first to complain if there were no restaurants, no books, no theatre, no cinema, no art galleries, no hotels and no music teachers for their kids.

Spot on!

I don’t think anyone is saying you shouldn’t do lower paid jobs: the issue is people who give up well paid jobs to set up DC for a bursary. They might well be suited to a lower paid job but not everyone has the luxury of doing something in the arts. As I said, I’ve seen people have “hobby” type work but a very much supported by parents/grandparents as they offload money to avoid IHT. I’m absolutely not suggesting this is a large number of people but quite a few decide they won’t get a better job because the money from a bursary is worth more. I would also like recognition that other parents, in less well endowed schools, are working and paying for bursaries. It’s also total rubbish to suggest they are all bankers! Other jobs do exist and many parents witk king hard hours to pay fees.

work long hard hours to pay fees.

@massiveblob

Plenty of people do it. I know people where wife chooses not to work to keep joint income down. We however both work so would be just over any threshold

Yep know loads of people doing this. We both work so are over threshold but would have a shit life if we went down the private school route. The bursary system is way too open to exploitation. I know of a fair free average kids in private school who's parents are paying and some very bright bursary kids, so they want your cash when it suits and intellect when it suits. Know of a free not so bright kids who've been tutored to pass private school entry exams who are struggling and despite being on a bursary parents are now having to pay for tutors! I live in an area where a high proportion of kids go to private school and see a lot of blagging and bullshit quite frankly.