AIBU to ask my daughter pay for her bus fares?

[confuseddaddotcom1]

My daughter is 17 years old and just started a job earning £700 a month, she is also doing her A Levels. We usually pay for her bus pass, but as she is now warning is it unreasonable to get her to pay for them now? As it stands we pay for everything in the house, food, bills, etc. We do not charge any rent and pay for days out, etc., but we have a total of 4 children, 2 of mine and 2 of my fiancées. With a total of 4 children and their expenses, is it an unreasonable to ask her to pay her bus pass, approx £40 per month?

She’s under 18 and in full-time education so it’s surely totally normal that you are paying for all bills and food? If you can economise anywhere else, I think it would be reasonable to pay her bus until she’s finished her A levels. Otherwise it might feel to her that she’s being pushed out a bit infavour of her step-siblings.

Does her school/college give advice? I seem to remember hearing that full time at sixth form college plus 25 hours private study was the expected. Can she fit 20 hours work on top? And learn to drive as well?
If it is just a bus pass for college I would be paying as it is for education. If s monthly pass that enables her to get to work as well I would expect a contribution from her. I certainly would not ask for money for her keep though
You need to have a discussion about money. If she wants to go to Uni, she should save something towards it as my DC wanted to do clubs and trips. Even a week end fell walking costs . The loans don't go far.

If she's using the bus to get to college then I think you should be paying it.

20 hours is a lot whilst also studying A Levels. I worked throughout my A Levels and it was tough, but no you are not being unreasonable, she should be paying for her own bus fare if you provide everything else at home (internet, food etc...)

I'd be more concerned she's working 20 hours a week whilst doing exams tbh. I used to work 8 hrs a week, so two evenings with options for overtime in the holiday. The off weekend I worked maybe 16 during term time felt like A LOT.

Does she need to work in order to have spending money for friends? I'd cover the bus pass and get her to cut her hours, evergreen £350 a month is a lot at that age unless she's drinking heavily every weekend

Agree, perhaps suggest she cuts down her working and fund her through these a levels

YABU, if she's working 20 hours she's sacrificing a LOT of down time/fun, she's not doing it to pay for things she already has like a bus pass. Even if you're really hard up I'd suggest you see the saving as all the things she won't need to ask you to fund rather than removing a basic.

However as everyone else says you really need to ensure she's not just keeping up with but achieving her full potential with her A levels, that's an awful lot of hours to be doing alongside the full time job of A levels with "overtime" of homework!

Are the bus fares for getting her to and from work? If so, she should pay.

20 hours a week is far too much to do alongside A levels. Which is the priority, some cash or good grades?
No I wouldn't take any money from her she is a dependant and in full time education.

I think if she's managing to do 20hrs without harming her studies, then thats her luck, and she should benefit from the money. Not use it to pay for essentials that are the duty of parents simply because she has it.

If she’s studying full time, you’re still getting child benefit for her or have a higher earner in the household. I think you should still be covering her basic living costs, including transport to and from college.

I think I'd pay half whilst she's doing a levels but then it up to her - but that would be on the proviso that she was saving for car/uni etc and budgets nights out etc