No idea how to afford for DD to go uni

[Indoorvoicesbluey]

DD16 has wanted to be a Norland Nanny since she was 11. Her GCSEs were based on being a NN. She luckily passed them yesterday.

She decided against A levels and has started an apprenticeship at a local nursery. She absolutely loves it and makes good money for her age. She plans on saving £500 a month towards university.

Once she turns 19 she will do an Access to higher education and then go to Norland the following year at 20.

But the course is £18k a year for 3 years, plus £1000+ a month living costs. We are a “higher income” family but would still struggle to fund this. She will be entitled to the lower amount grants.

How do people afford it?! To top it off my DS will be
going uni the following year!!

Do you get a private loan? I’m thinking we are going to have to remortgage 😩

Bloody hell those costs are ridiculous! It's far higher than a university, isn't it?
Can she get a loan for the fees, as they do when they go to uni?

Can she do a BTEC instead?

I've no idea what the fees would be. But if you and she combined cannot afford Plan A, then you need a different approach that will get her the required 96 points.

As it's an apprenticeship at the nursery, there has to be an educational component. What qualification will that lead to? How many points?

I've had a peek at the Norland website and students are eligible for a £6k per year tuition loan from SFE, plus the normal means-tested maintenance loan. That still means that there is over £10k per year of tuition to find!

I'd be suggesting she needs to save at least £750 a month if she wants to do this. You'll still need to find around 10k per year.

Level 3 qualification and then she can get in with an access course instead of a levels.

oh I didn’t see the extra £6k from Norland! That’s abit better lol

That’s about twice as expensive as university fees. Perhaps it can’t be afforded?

could she do something like an early years childhood BA instead? Most offer placements and a range of experiences. She could explore options to continue with her current nursery setting in her holidays for additional experience.

They can work term time whilst studying. Colleague of mine employed someone from Norland doing Early Childhood Degree who was still studying. I guess with 4 years of savings, work and loans (she will get some from student finance) she might just manage.

Has she looked at other Early Childhood Degrees? Girl who ran the pre-school room when my kids were little did her degree part time whilst working (at a respected uni for education). She now owns her own nursery business.

The expectation is for them to work while studying. And motivated nannies can earn massive amounts doing this. My best friend’s daughter used to work in Dubai in the summers for an expat family while their usual nanny went home to see family, and would earn £1k a day tax free!!

Tell her to be a normal nanny! It's the same job, for not significantly less money in most cases.

I didn't realise Norland wasn't covered by normal student finances that seems really unfair. Surely there must be bursaries available for students on low incomes?

Not what you asked but, in case it’s of any use to you, my son was able to enrol on an online Access to HE at 18.

We looked into Norman’s Nanny’s there seems to be financial help, help getting work as baby sitters during course etc.

I am more worried your daughter won’t have the prerequisites to get in - is her access to higher ed one of these?

• a minimum of 96 UCAS points
• We accept A levels, SCQF Level 6/7 and alternative qualifications at Level 3 such as T Levels, CACHE, BTEC qualifications, International Baccalaureate and Access to HE Diploma in all subjects. You do not need to have an early years or childcare-related qualification to apply to Norland. Calculate your points or anticipated points with the UCAS Tariff Calculator

They don’t want students on low incomes. They want to ensure that their nannies come from a certain background to maintain their brand, hence the high fees.

If you in a position to remortgage she can pay you back when she is earning squillions as a norland nanny

Talk to her. Ask her suggestion...if you loan her now will she pay you later? Wil she forego the house deposit you were planning to help her with? Will she plan to work holidays as was suggested? And use that for living costs?

When my DD went to Norland some years ago the Student Loan/Grant only covered half the fees. Because we were a low income family she had a bursary but we still had to find a significant amount to make up the shortfall. We were fortunate in that we had a life policy that matured and enabled us to pay each term. If not we would not have been able to afford it.

@Indoorvoicesbluey Hi OP, student recruitment manager here so deal a lot with student finance and Norland actually! She will be entitled to the £9250 per academic year towards the £18,000 fees. This is not means tested against your income so she will be entitled no matter what!. So that’s £27,750 covered for the fees!

Living costs in Bath are relatively high but not as high as other places but shared house etc would be around £650 per month including bills and then it’ll just be food, socialising and books, transport.

I recently supported a student with their Norland application. They can have the £9250 towards their fees per year but nothing more than that.

Very similar to commercial piloting where the fees are £62,250 per year but they can knock £9250 off that.

Why does she particularly want to be a Norland nanny?

Wow, I had no idea it was that expensive-they are clearly wanting a certain type of person applying! We would have had to remortgage to afford this; is that something you could do?

Would a gap year working full time be an option? She can also work while doing the access course. But you'll have to tell her the exact amount you can offer her so she'll know she'll have to save more. You don't have to remortgage if you don't want to and you don't even know she'd start earning crazy money as she expects. In the meantime you'll be stuck with an increased mortgage.

Nah tell her to go to a normal uni.

Why Norland?

As she can have an equally amazing career as a nanny without being a Norland nanny, so what is it about this that she wants so much?

The Norland website says £6165 per year, which is the SFE cap for private universities.

I'm going to be honest- I worked many years ago for a year Asa nanny alongside another nanny who was norland- well paid- yes, horrible families that treated you as a servant- yes. I think the level of income that allows for norland often means you are very much seen as 'staff' !! Indeed one family used to refer to us both as 'the help' . Give me a normal but comfortably off family who treat you more as one of the family any time. I would personally do an early years degree that actually gives you other options besides nannying too-

A friend of mine will be downsizing in order to put 2 DC through uni.