Thread 53 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Happy New Year 2025 to our fab young people

[Delphigirl]

New thread! Looking forward to traversing 2025 with this fantastic group 🎉😘

OK, I'll tell him. He has applied for some local activity centre thing. That reminds me he hasn't heard back.

Also @Piggywaspushed he should try FestivAll Staff. Before she got any of her regular jobs or a car, dd was on their books and did a few events/festivals. He'd just need to get the train to the site and then there's usually a camping area for staff. It's not all music festivals - dd worked at the Wollaton Light Display in the run up to Christmas during first and second years.

DD is doing something similar with UKLC https://recruiterflow.com/uklc/jobs
it’s£500pw and accommodation and food is included.

DD is home for a week and cramming in meeting as many people as possible. She’s going back to Austria in a week and then back in July (& straight to the job above).
DS bless him has spent every day of the hols revising for a levels.

Train? We don't have those either! ( unless you can drive to a station...)

I'm sure he'll turn up something.

Apparently he was turned down for the summer camp thing locally.

He's already got a trip to Krakow booked not for many days but in June so he'll need to work round that.

I think he is going to have to get a car realistically.

@Zebracat That must be a relief in the current situation. @Piggywaspushed From what you've said, I agree a car is what he needs mostly now, we're all rooting for him to find a job that will pay enough for him to get a car.

We don’t have trains locally either anymore, since we moved into the country, so it involves a lift to a station 29/30 mins away. It is a pain living in the sticks, I know, and I’m looking forward to dd getting her licence back, so I definitely think your Ds should focus on finding a bargain car! It’s like finding the cheap student houses - they’re out there but you have to search for them! Good luck to him!

@Piggywaspushed hope your DS gets sorted with a car and finds something for the summer.

@Zebracat must be a relief your DD is a paediatrician. My step nephew was diagnosed at thst age and is now a super strong 20 something.

We take DS back this weekend for final tetm. He has got through to a final assessment day for a scheme he applied to - not great timing with finals etc. His army application is through to next stage but still think his preferred option is working at home for a year and applying for masters if he does well enough. He won't be back until 5 July so a lot of summer jobs will have gone by then but am hoping he can sign up for temp agency he worked with before and just start earning.

Still no MRI results from 3+ weeks ago - am hoping my back is well enough for me to do drop off this weekend as we do there and back in the day.

Me again!

DS is getting quite cheap insurance quotes with Hastings You Drive. as anyone's DC got this? is it a pain in the backside?

@Piggywaspushed I can't help with the insurance but can I pick your brains about the costs of a Masters. DD has apparently spent the day looking at options. She could have done an integrated masters but chose a course with slightly different compulsory modules in year 2 so can't swap now (although she hasn't asked) I'm thinking it will be expensive 🤔 How do loans work? She also fancies the idea of a PhD but I think I'm reality she doesn't like the idea of not being a student.

So, it's worth looking at whether there are Master's at Aberystwyth as they will offer alumni reductions. Fees vary wildly , there's no rule! DS's is relatively pricy (12k)because it's journalism and includes NCTJ fees.

They apply for the loan in the same way as for an undergrad loan. It goes straight to the student who pays the fees. Whatever is left over ( which may be nothing!) is maintenance

So, if she got a Master's at Aber she might do OK. It might be more like 7k and she'd have about 5k left over.

Thanks @Piggywaspushed She could do it at Aber but isn't overly keen on the modules. It is a very well respected course though. She's also looked at several London unis, York, UEA...... I think she needs a job!

Yes probably!

London will be expensive...

DD is looking at a Masters too - UEA don't do what she wants so no discount for staying where she is.
£12k loan is about what hers cost - that's a one year diploma. Most of the MAs are two years so £20k plus!!! And the loan is just a one-off, not per year.
She has another year to go yet, but I think bank of M&D is going to have to step in. Not an option for all - I know we are lucky to be able to even think about it.

The loan has gone up to 12.8k now, I think. DS's course is 12.3...

DS isn't looking at masters, but the reality is just starting to sink in that he has only got 6 weeks to go (assignments are only 4 weeks) and then that's it, done. He hasn't been able to apply for anything much because he just couldn't manage it whilst studying as well and realistically needs quite a lot of support with the application process from me because of the SENs. I feel a bit guilty because although I have had to provide a lot of support during his time at uni, I have had a lot of respite where he has been up there for several weeks and not needed much help because he is either managing or his DSA / uni support has been enough, but we are going back to full time at home and for the first time no support from anyone else (he was on SEN support from about age 2 at nursery, then an EHCP, then DSA). It's not just the job applications, it's all aspects of life admin he needs ongoing help with, so if he moves out, gets a car, all of it is going to be a lot of extra work. Gulp. I know they all need some support still, see regular posts about car insurance on here for example, but it seems harder with him somehow. I can see the contrast already with DD, who has managed her UCAS application and numerous part time job applications almost entirely without me and just picks things up once she's had them explained once.

@ExpensiveDecoration Nodding to everything you've said, it's exhausting too. Do you think in addition, your DS kind of reverts back to childhood once home, rather than the competence he exerts at uni? DS2 (SEN with DSA support) is also as you describe but seems to manage alright once he's back at uni. Once home (and he's due home today!), it's utter chaos, from clothes, to shoes, to appointments, the logistics of everything seems to fall back on me. I find once i say no!, a few times he manages to pull things together in the end. I think they'll get there in the end but just a bit slower than their peers, they've certainly come a long way since primary school age, that was awful.

They do get there later, that is certainly true, but I think some of the difficulties will persist, I was doing my own car insurance recently and thinking to myself, yes, it's not too complicated if you just renew and don't have eg any accidents or convictions, but once you add those into the mix, and start using the comparison websites I find it complicated and frustrating, I can do it but I can't really see DS ever being able to manage, let alone get a mortgage or manage pensions and investments. Socially he has come on a lot too, but has still never gone away for a holiday of any description without us or without it being a field trip or similar, he's never travelled further than London on his own etc. I think he will get there with those things, it is the admin side I'm more concerned about. I think at some point he might need to find a support worker or PA or similar, if the govt don't take away his disability benefits. @Shimy I agree about reverting, DS is always going out without a front door key here, I suspect he manages just fine at uni.

@mummyinbeds @Piggywaspushed london certainly is expensive. dS’s masters at kings (starting in Sept) is a cool £20k in fees. Ouch.

Ouch!

A car has been purchased after test drives from many dodgy potholed garages.

He has bought a 2011 Corsa but only done 55k so seems decent.

@Delphigirl £20k 😱 She's not going to London! Although she could commute which would save on housing costs. If she stays at Aber it would be just under £9k with a loyalty discount.
She has another year to work this out so might change her mind on doing a Masters several times.

@Piggywaspushed That's great news!

I hope everything else now falls neatly into place, Piggy. Guess you financed this, I hope he appreciates it. I mostly feel our sacrifices are taken somewhat for granted .We’ve just had a really panicked message that although the course at BCU is 2 semesters, a third payment of hall fees is due. Im just back from frenetic grannying and can’t begin to get my head round this, but my guess is that our little pot of money will take yet another hit.