do you fund living costs during holidays too - particularly Oxbridge

[Freeandfancy]

My son is at Oxford and we pay full maintenance - but the terms are super short - eight weeks - this year he will spend 26/52 weeks at university. His rent is affordable (7600 per annum) and food is subsidized in college. He says that most people give their children money in the holidays as well (this current holiday is six weeks). We are in London so I will give him money for bus and tube transport as it is exorbitant (he spent 12 pounds today alone) and he lives with us and I provide food etc. What do other parents do?

Can he get a job?

Mine comes home and works during holidays.
We cover her uni rent. Her loan and holiday work more than cover her bills, food and socialising throughout the year.

If she couldn’t work for whatever reason I’d tear my hair out I guess I’d have to give her some form of allowance, but I wouldn’t want to fund her lifestyle during holidays particularly the long summer.

Yeah he finds a way to raise some income
for himself.

I assume he’s 18-22? His holiday finances are his concern.

Most at Oxford probably do fund their kids as it’s biased towards the richer

many others would hope their kids get a holiday job - bar work and care work still seem to have plenty of vacancies

No. Our children who are students work in the holidays; their wages fund any outing/clothes etc they want to buy and we also expect them to save to help with funds during their time at uni.
We have 3 at uni so cannot afford to top up the loans very much.
Ours have all worked part time jobs since the age of 15: starting with washing up at a pub, moving up to waitressing and cleaning (which is the highest paid and most flexible and what they have continued with whilst at uni).

DS was at Cambridge and came home and worked every vacation. Don’t remember giving him any extra money.

I didn't give mine any extra money in the holidays. It didn't enter my head to compare what others could afford with the amount I could spare.

I gave mine money, I could afford it.

I agree that in an Oxbridge cohort many will be funded over the summer because their parents can afford to. But certainly over the long holiday it would be a luxury to simply be given money.

Most Oxbridge students will either work or get an internship over the long summer holidays so I'd be guided by what he is doing. If he's had to take on an unpaid internship or work experience or genuinely needs to study to keep up I'd be open to giving him some money. If he's working he should be funding himself. What he shouldn't be doing is lazing around doing nothing.

We paid our DDs living expenses when she was at home, but she didn’t need ‘pocket money’ in the vacations.
Typically Oxbridge students Xmas and Easter vacations aren’t really ‘holidays’ - they have to do a lot of academic work during them, but obviously they should have some R&R.

The long summer vacation is a different matter. Has your DS sorted out an internship yet (decent ones should be paid!) or if not thought about some other sort of job?

An adult with commitments for 26/52 weeks has time to fill with work. If he’s clever he will work so he has spending money and some savings.

He says that most people give their children money in the holidays as well (this current holiday is six weeks).

He should note that an Oxford degree without any work experience is not a ticket to a graduate job. He needs work experience during at least the long vac (or whatever Oxford called it).

Plus, he should have a little self respect and not ask for pocket money!

We make up the min loan to max, and we discuss with the children how they want that paid. One opts for a regular amount paid Sept to June, one opts for a 12 month split, but with a lower amount over the summer (we also pay their rent, so they're both only budgetting their "spends" money).

Having been there even though my parents were not rich and I got full grant and loan, my parents funded me during the holidays. Part of the agreement when matriculating was that I would not get a job during term. It was hard enough that I really do need a break at the end of term and not mention the mountain of work. It would’ve utter madness to do it before the last term before exams as well. I think it would really have affected me to have to work every holiday and complete my studies. The courses are very full on and require an incredible amount of work. Your kid needs a break.

Summer holiday is an exception as that’s several months long! And the year’s exams are done by then.

I worked in the holidays to fund my social life, clothes etc. I had some utterly shit jobs! Although easier said than done now I guess.

I offered mine a fixed annual amount spilt between either 52 weeks or 40 weeks (term time only), according to their own preference. They paid their rent with their loan; my contribution was money to live on.

If they have a the option of a job for a month over Christmas and Easter then great. But unless they have an existing employer who has seasonal needs for staff then it's not that likely for them to pick up work for that short time. Plus they might have revision for important upcoming exams that makes working difficult during the shorter holidays.
Summer is different; they're usually home for 3 months or more and hopefully they might find work (though it's not always easy unless you're in a tourist area).

He will likely have a lot of work to do over the Easter and Xmas holidays - I know I did - but I always worked over the summer holiday.

They are adults now though, and any job will help when he graduates.

Exactly. There is so much work to do. It would be detrimental to have to have a job too. Oxbridge is exceptional for a reason.

Oh to add they are not allowed to work in the term time (university rules) and they are asked not to work in the spring and Xmas holidays too as they’re meant to be doing academic work (mine is working academically for four out of the six weeks)

I was at Cambridge years back and I did work in my holidays to save money for travel. My parents gave me room and board but not other money (I cycled everywhere and didn’t have a great social life).

He can't live on fresh air in the Christmas and Easter holidays, so if he's not supposed to work, then obviously you'll need to fund him. This doesn't mean you need to give him more overall, just split the top up you give him equally from the beginning to the end of his academic year.

thsts what I’m asking - is the maintenance money for terms time only or for the whole year

It used to be that poorer kids would work during terms breaks. Now it's the other way around-a recent article showed it was hard for most kids to find part-time jobs, and richer kids were more likely to work because their parents would help them find a job.

I don't think parents should be paying for adult kids (in most cases), but finding part-tie student jobs ain't what it was, and even people with degrees can't necessarily find jobs when they graduate. I think it's awful they take the wealth of parents into account for any financial issues-because some parents might not want to help, particularly if the child picks a course they disapprove of.

But that's just how it is, so if you can afford it, it would be nice to help, but encourage him to do chores (eg sorting the garden) if he can't find work.

Well, it’s up to you really isn’t it - he won’t need as much in the holidays assuming you’re housing and feeding him, but I’d give him a bit more for transport, some modicum of social life etc - whatever you can afford.