So, how the hell do you afford uni for your kids?

[F0XCUB88]

Just been looking at prices for accommodation, £200 per week!

So looked at Money Saving Expert to see how much we need to contribute on top of loans. It says we need to save £358 per month.

We earn £50,000 between us, mortgage payment just went up by £££ and now can't actually get to the end of the month so how do we save £358?

Do we just say no she can't go? What do other people do?

I know it's a first world problem but she's really bright. Neither of us went to uni and finding it all a bit confusing. I just can't see that everyone else can afford it?

I only work part time since I have a three year old. Anyway I don't care what you believe but consider this, people who play the game well and understand that which university you go to matters, what looks good in the CV matters may not be wringing their hands over paying for their kid's education right now.

Also re the other message about unpaid internships I thought those were mainly in arts industries, accountancy, law etc at any top employer pay quite well. It's worth throwing in an application regardless.

This is complete bollocks people, at least in IT / tech. Some of the most successful grads we've had over the last couple of years went to Liverpool Hope, Oxford Brookes and Uni of Hull. these people are earning mid 6 figures at 27/28.

It's only Law and a few banks that give a shit where you got your degree andymore and thankfully there are lots more important/interesting/well-paid careers out there.

Quite.

Are you telling me it wouldn't be easier to get a job at Google doing a course at Imperial Vs Swansea?

people who play the game well and understand that which university you go to matters, what looks good in the CV matters

Unfortunately not everyone knows how to play the game.

Well, with the increasing prevalence of university blind application the game will change.

It will be about who you know, not what you know.... Elitism returns...

Well the applicants told me what uni they came from anyway during the in person interview.

More to life than getting a high paying job.

post A-level Apprenticeships: they have to have great people skills, networking talents, selling selves.
Degree apprenticeships are incredibly competitive.

Getting into Uni is so much easier!!

My number one tip is avoid London Unis. So much more expensive to be a student there. Uni student DD is in London & costing us 4x as much in subsidies as her Uni student brother costs us in the Midlands.

Apparently it's incredibly rare for students in halls to have access to a freezer (MNers say). DS eats for £25/week because he has access to a freezer.

Leicester Uni had the cheapest accommodation we looked at.

Are you telling me it wouldn't be easier to get a job at Google doing a course at Imperial Vs Swansea?

It really depends on the course. Most employers now recognise that some non-elite universities are actually specialists in particular subjects. They also work with a much wider selection of institutions then previously as the sector has changed.
Where you studied is less of an issue these days for many sectors.

Linked shows loads of Swansea grads working at Google, fwiw.

Google would require a degree in Computer Science or similar, depending on the position and would place far, far more emphasis on their own, rigorous aptitude tests for a graduate position. For people that have already had a job, what they did ther would also have far more importance than where their degree was from. In fact, one of the people I referenced in my previous post with a degree from what you would consider a shit university has just gone to work at Google Chronicle. microsoft are the only tech company I can think of who used to be a bit stuffy about unis, but even they are changing. My family member was a marketing manager there for many years 2 jobs out of a degree from the Universitiy of Derby. Somebody who interned for me from University of Plymouth has just started his first graduate job there as a Cloud Engineer.

You are woefully out of touch, outside of corporate law and banking where, I know it's hard to compute, many people have no interest in being in that world.

Yeah it's a choice that some people make but it's not for everyone. I know it would have a disproportionate effect on my mental health to have financial problems though since I don't really like instability and discomfort.

@Emotionalstorm
Well the partners decide who to retain after qualification. A big part of that is who they get along with since nearly every graduate who comes through the door is smart enough to do the job

I hope they are decent people then and not the type to favour their "type".

@Emotionalstorm you can make a difference.
I insisted on knowing the proportion of applicants who were disabled, BAME and other factors that were being 'shifted' for me. This is not breaking GDPR rules I only wanted stats. If you are not going after this cohort you are not being inclusive. Do you put 'we are an equal opportunity employer' on your advertisement? Shout if you have to. Shout if you care.
The OP started a thread about access to funds for her disabled daughter. Are you aware that her ASD is a protected characteristic? Do you have colleagues with ASD/ADHD? There are loads at RG unis. Ditto the Civil Service. The biggest barrier to social mobility is the assumptions of others.
The OP s daughter might apply to be a research specialist in a law firm, would yours give her a chance? I very much doubt it from your posts. Shame on them.
(and for WIW I read law at Oxford and applied from a council estate).

'You can play it the hard way and go to Swansea or the University of East Anglia or you can go to a university that is more likely to get you onto one of the competitive schemes.'

Blind applications are becoming the norm. Companies wanting and NEEDING a diverse workforce is a real thing. No company wants to be stuffed full of Oxbridge grads who look the same, think the same, have very similar life experiences any more.

Are you completely NT? I only ask as you genuinely have a hard time seeing that some aspects of life aren't the extremes that you seem to think they are.

I would like to see a more representative cohort yes but I don't think I'm senior enough to make a difference. My career has basically going nowhere after I had my kid, especially since I only work three days a week. I will probably stay a aenior associate and never make partner or counsel. I actually am the one who ends up babysitting the Rare interns or school leaver program interns at the moment. They come from much more deprived backgrounds and they need a bit more work because they lack confidence and have never had these opportunities before. Even if my partner chooses not to retain them I think their time here has helped them get the next job.

I think @Emotionalstorm and this thread in general is demonstrating why promoting social mobility in schools and universities is so important. Children from less advantaged backgrounds need to be given every opportunity they can to succeed.

Good to know I'm not the only one who thinks this. Absolutely nonsense.

The idea that your child is an adult at 18 and independent but not financially independent according to student loans until 25.

The whole system is broken in my opinion.

They're a mixed bag. Anyway back to the uni talk. You don't really need to listen to me but my two scents is still to look at the university rather than pick the cheapest and nearest. These things are not mutually exclusive of course. I really don't think the blind application thing has made these choices redundant.

Perhaps it is you that should find a better work environment then. I worked in an investment bank for 10 years and was put on the 'mummy track'. Best thing I ever did was leave the old boys netwrok to it. I have earned probably double what I earned there since leaving. I am really glad to see that lots of normal companies don't do that to their female workforce.

Not sure if things have changed in the last 10 years but don't students get student loans? My mum certainly didn't bankroll me through uni!

Don't know what else to do. Starting over as a grad in a new industry seems really daunting since I'm 30 now.

They don't cover the cost of accomodation and living expenses especially if the parents have income above their household threshold which isn't very high if there are two earners.