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Secondary education

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Original poster

Kids earning monies to pay for school trips/tours

53 replies

Cam44 · 23/05/2015 13:43

Any ideas for my 13 year old son to earn his own monies to pay the £2000 for his school cricket tour to the Caribbean? I want him to have some financial responsibility.

OP posts:
PunkrockerGirl · 23/05/2015 21:00

Nope, it's up to you. If you want him to go, then you pay for it. Exactly what financial responsibility do you expect him to have at 13?
I'm just Confused at what you expected your response on here to be. A lot of people on here struggle to pay for school trips costing £10ish .
Let him go or don't, it's up to you. But probably best not to flaunt a school trip on here that costs more than some of us would take 2 months of working full time to achieve Shock

derektheladyhamster · 23/05/2015 21:05

Whenever there's been a big trip, scout camps etc, my 2 have to accept that it'll mean reduced birthday/Christmas presents from us and also both sets of grandparents.

PunkrockerGirl · 23/05/2015 21:11

Scout camps are hardly the same as 2 grand trips to the Caribbean though. derek

prettybird · 23/05/2015 21:53

I think it is out of order to complain about someone coming on here "flaunting" about the cost of a trip. The OP was asking for advice.

FWIW - ds' school does a lot to help kids raise money for the more expensive trips. Even things like cake stalls at Parents' Evenings add up.

PunkrockerGirl · 23/05/2015 22:12

I think then that the OP should have shown a little sensitivity.

As I said, the cost of that trip would take me, and others, several weeks to earn (and I work 30 hours shift work as a hospice nurse).

Send him or don't send him on the trip, OP , you can obviously afford it with or without his meagre contribution.

prettybird · 23/05/2015 22:37

I repeat, she was not flaunting. This site is supposed to be about support - she was asking for advice and WASN'T posting on AIBU.

If you don't have constructive advice, then just don't post.

Singleandproud · 23/05/2015 22:46

I organise educational visits, it's possible to get external funding and grants for visits like this. Get him to write to the local Rotary Club and spend sometime researching different organisations as they differ from area to area. If you are a low income/ single parent family etc or it is an experience you wouldn't be able to give him normally put that in the application letter.

BackforGood · 23/05/2015 23:32

I doubt (or at least hope) that the local rotary club doesn't fund expensive, non-essential holidays for a privileged few. If it does, it's changed a lot since I had anything to do with it. Hmm

It is OK to say to your dc - "sorry, no, that's more money than we have, or that we are prepared to spend on a school trip" - you know.

Doonuts · 23/05/2015 23:50

I cant believe some of the hostility on here towards the OP. She was only asking advice. I couldn't afford this trip but i'm not offended by it at all. I think its great she wants suggestions how her son can help pay towards it.

For what its worth I'd make a list of how much each chore is worth, family and friends car washing, saving pocket money, birthday money etc.

Good luck!!

prettybird · 24/05/2015 00:13

I think looking for sources of funding is a good idea. I know our council had grants available for sporting trips overseas (ds' cycling club has mentioned it as a way to help subsidise the cost of going to one of the popular youth cycling events, which is a 3 day event in Ireland in August).

We don't know the background of the OP's ds' trip. For all we know, he is a talented cricketer and had been selected for this trip, which would be good experience for him.

As such, we should treat her request for advice with courtesy - she is, after all, asking how to ensure that her ds does appreciate the cost of things.

My own ds is showing talent as a rugby player. At the moment, he is adamant that he will go to Uni in NZ, so that he can be exposed to the best rugby playing in the world. I've no idea how we would afford it - but if he's good enough, we'll find away. I've told him he'd better look into scholarships Wink He's only 14 though, so plenty of time to change his mind! Grin

clary · 24/05/2015 00:23

Paper round would be good. £2k would take a while - how soon is it? but in a year, say, he could probably make £750 or so?

Davros · 24/05/2015 00:26

If there is any old tech in your house you can sell it very easily at CEX. They are everywhere and on-line.

(I don't have any connection to CEX, just satisfied customer)

goshhhhhh · 24/05/2015 08:06

I'm obviously mean. My dd did carboot sales with my dh. It wasn't so much her raising the money but realising it had to come from somewhere. She wasn't going on expensive trips but 3 non family ones (guides, school & friends)

BadgersArse · 24/05/2015 08:11

Money. Not monies

lechie · 24/05/2015 11:55

Wow, there are some harsh messages on here.

My DD is starting secondary in Sept. Her state school runs a sports tour, which she hopes to be able to go on when she is in KS4 (she is very sporty). The next one is to Australia (although my DD will be too young for that one, she will do the one after. They've also gone to New Zealand, Canada and Singapore. It's not just the preserve of private schools.

I fully support her being able to go. This is giving her opportunities that as parents we are unlikely to ever be able to give her. However, we have also told her that we expect her to help fundraise if she wants to go such a trip. She could save birthday and Christmas money, sell old items at car boot sales, or have a part time paper / leaflet round. As she'll be KS4 by then, she may even be able to get some work in a local pub collecting glasses / bottle washing etc...

I don't expect her to raise the full amount, and would expect to have to pay at least half. But I also think if children want to do such expensive trips, it doesn't harm them to see how much it is, and to have to contribute towards this.

MayPolist · 24/05/2015 21:31

Our state schools do World Challenge holidays (they call them expeditions!) every 2 years and about 50% of kids go once during their school career at an eye watering £5,000!! It is totally out of my reach!
I don't agree with other people paying for your kids holidays.Sorry!

thesnailandthewhale · 25/05/2015 11:37

I think its great that the op wants her ds to realise the value of the trip and is encouraging him to help fund it. Surely she is teaching him a valuable life lesson rather than whacking it on their plastic!

A daughter of a friend of mine is going on a world challenge trip this summer and has spent 18 months raising money for this. This has been a mini-project for her and her friend and they have managed to raise around £2k each. She has done all sorts of things, bag packing in supermarkets, contacting local businesses and attractions to get vouchers which she has then auctioned off. Another idea was leaflet dropping in a few local roads explaining her project and asking for any items that could be car-booted to raise funds; this led to her doing about 10 car boot sales and a tidy amount coming in that way. Other ideas included cake sales, ebaying no longer needed items and babysitting.

I appreciate your ds is younger and so some ideas may not be suitable, but it is about thinking outside the box and looking for new avenues, maybe a stall at school summer fete etc? I love this kind of a challenge and would definitely be encouraging my ds if I was in your position, good luck :)

Fluffcake · 25/05/2015 11:49

DS is off to Canada on a school rugby tour. Told him in year 7 we could afford one big trip (he's been away with school a couple of times in UK) and I started saving a bit of the family allowance each month. As a team they do some fundraising to pay for some of the activities and at home DS is expected to mow front lawn, wash cars etc but I wouldn't want him bothering neighbours etc.

Littlemonstersrule · 26/05/2015 21:17

Jobs for family, swapping lunches for home ones etc.

Outside fundraising or charities seems very wrong for a holiday.

Schools offer lots of trips here, I would hate for them to be cancelled as those that can't afford them complain.

ISingSoprano · 27/05/2015 10:44

My dc each had one big trip - ds did a school sports tour to South Africa, dd a music tour to Canada (not school). Both went after their GCSE's so were 16 and each had quite a long lead in time to save. Ds had a Saturday job as soon as he was 15 and for a year all his earnings went to his tour fund. Both dc get a small monthly allowance from grandparents and dd saved ALL of hers to pay for her trip. We paid for part of the trip but each child was expected to make a sizeable contribution and both have said since that having made that contribution it made them value and appreciate the trip so much more.

StBarnabasEaling · 31/05/2015 18:43

If he / your family had sufficient get-up-and-go, you could set up a Jumble Trail in your area. Each participating family pays £10, but then keep all their own profits (kind of like a car boot but in your front garden). That is something others might pay, as they get something out of it - good for the community too, chat to your neighbours and all that.

The link below shows an example one being set up in our area:
www.jumbletrail.com/event/W51RH2015

UniS · 31/05/2015 23:44

There are some sports charity grants , not in all areas and not all sports / situations.

I think him contributing to the trip from pocket money/ birthday/ Christmas gift money is a good idea.

Car boot / table top sale of outgrown toys/ garden games / sports kit etc might raise a little cash.

Is he old enough to baby sit?

Does he play for a club? Would the club pay him pocket money for washing up / helping the grounds man or anything like that?

morethanpotatoprints · 01/06/2015 00:06

hello OP

My dsx2 worked collecting / washing glasses as the sports club from being 13, every weekend after they had played their sport. They had to finish about 11pm though as the functions could get a bit rowdy after this.
They earned a proper wage.
ds1 also had a paper round that paid well by the companies who placed the extra paper adverts in them, ds2 walked dogs. They cleaned cars, did boot sales. Their club let them do sponsored events too, they got quite a bit for these.
They both had a few grand saved up well before they were 16.

allithwaite · 02/06/2015 13:02

We've always made our kids find 1/2 the cost of any school trips, either through doing little jobs at home or using birthday christmas money. same with phones etc they bought and pay for their own through jobs around the house, paper round and saturday job - they need to understand money doesnt grow on trees. they are 13 and 14.

CampingClaire · 02/06/2015 13:12

How about getting him to do Car Boot Sales regularly?
He could sell some of his/and your stuff to start off then go to charity shops and buy some stock to sell the following week…and so on. He probably won't ever make the whole £2000 but I'm guessing that isn't really the while point. If he works REALLY hard to raise £500 he'll properly appreciate the effort £2000 would take - plus he'll enjoy the trip more if he's actually put a lot of effort into getting there.

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