Lack of financial nous amongst young people

Doom_and_Gloom

To the OP I have to say that I am 20 now and even when I got 'given' an overdraft at 18 I planned never to use it (I still haven't) but for it to be there just in case I needed it which is what it is for. If she doesn't understand that an overdraft is a debt even after you tried to expain as such to her (by saying it is an overdraft and not actual money) that is her own fault. You can teach people many things but common sense is unfortunatly not one of them as far as I am aware .

I do think that finance should be a compulsory lesson for GCSE at least but I may be in a minority in that. I'm thankful that although my History teacher was easy to 'distract' from the lessons he was supposed to teach that he was very good at teaching us about finances :rotfl:. Un-surprisingly none of us got more than a C grade for his class but we are all very good at knowing when we are getting the best for out money, lol. Good education? I think yes .

JoolzS

I would suggest trying to teach your former student via facebook, and if you can't then just sit back and watch the meltdown. The banks are partly culpable, but the students play their part; and their parents play another part.

Julie

Davesnave

Kids learn most of their behaviour patterns from their parents.

I'm not saying it's a waste of time teaching finance in school as a lifeskill, but I would expect it to succeed in direct proportion to the receptivity of the pupils.

We already have pretty extensive sex education programmes in schools, and also one of the higher teenage pregnancy rates in the Western world. I have a feeling that youngsters would give slightly more attention to sex ed. than they would to financial ed. as well!;)

lostinrates

[QUOTE=PasturesNew;25056541
Not many A level evening classes, or any evening classes, for years now. Unless you're in a big city, where they have everything from Waitrose and regular farmers' markets through to unlimited educational opportunities if you believe the boards here with people handing out advice willy nilly.[/QUOTE]

All the appropriate evening classes here (ouside city, rural area) have the aim of passing an A-level or other qualification. They said, when asked, that they are tring to run all coursxes leading to a qualification both to justify them in a wold where a paper saying you passed an exam in something is more important than being abe to do it, and to monitor their techers...(I added the less favourable interpretaion of the meaning of exams.) Even yoga here leads to being able to become a yoga teacher.

PasturesNew

lostinrates wrote: »

All the appropriate evening classes here have the aim of pasing an A-level. The basic ones take you to a CGSE, the advanced ones A-level. Or equivalent qualifications They said, when asked, that they are tring to run all coursxes leading to a qualification both to justify them in a wold where a paper saying you passed an exam in something is more important than being abe to do it, and to monitor their techers...(I added the less favourable interpretaion of the meaning of exams.) Even yoga here leads to being able to become a yoga teacher.

It seems in recent years what used to be evening classes became adult education and then pretty much just basket weaving and flower arranging during daytime hours.

Courses mostly broke down into: learn a language for your holiday, do some basic cookery/make friends, keep fit. No real, actual meaty subjects. Nothing worthwhile.

Those that did offer a bit more simply couldn't be reached after work because of the time/distance, so 30 miles away from home and starting at 6.30pm isn't much good if you're finishing work at 6pm and it's a 40 minute drive to even reach the campus car park.

And the fees went up considerably too. £200 for an evening course is a bit steep, especially if you're living alone on a not-too-great salary and having to drive 30 miles each way to get to it. Also, fees are based on your situation the minute you sign up, so you can sign up one day but be laid off the next week - I would prefer to keep my £200 in my pocket in case that happened (because it would).

I did once try to find an A level Maths course, but there simply wasn't one in the whole county. In fact these are in very short supply in many places it seems... unless you have your days free.

Oldernotwiser

PasturesNew wrote: »

Not many A level evening classes, or any evening classes, for years now. Unless you're in a big city, where they have everything from Waitrose and regular farmers' markets through to unlimited educational opportunities if you believe the boards here with people handing out advice willy nilly.

My recent experience has been in Shropshire and the IOW, nether of them big cities. Plenty of evening courses and learning opportunities available, although very few A levels as these are generally inappropriate for adults and take up rates are low.

lostinrates

PasturesNew wrote: »

It seems in recent years what used to be evening classes became adult education and then pretty much just basket weaving and flower arranging during daytime hours.

Courses mostly broke down into: learn a language for your holiday, do some basic cookery/make friends, keep fit. No real, actual meaty subjects. Nothing worthwhile.

Those that did offer a bit more simply couldn't be reached after work because of the time/distance, so 30 miles away from home and starting at 6.30pm isn't much good if you're finishing work at 6pm and it's a 40 minute drive to even reach the campus car park.

And the fees went up considerably too. £200 for an evening course is a bit steep, especially if you're living alone on a not-too-great salary and having to drive 30 miles each way to get to it. Also, fees are based on your situation the minute you sign up, so you can sign up one day but be laid off the next week - I would prefer to keep my £200 in my pocket in case that happened (because it would).

I did once try to find an A level Maths course, but there simply wasn't one in the whole county. In fact these are in very short supply in many places it seems... unless you have your days free.

Yes, there are lots of sports, ''health and beauty'' (i.e. NVQ beuician cources) and languages here. There is upholstery, which I would have done but its the wrong time of day (I need late evening, I HAVE to be at home near sundown for the birds, so by september things need to start after 7 ish, plus be close to get to by then: lots here runs 6-8 pm, which is no good for me until later in the year. I could do day time courses, but there are fewer of those thatI'm intereted in.

I'd love to do courses in personal finance and small business start up.

PasturesNew

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

My recent experience has been in Shropshire and the IOW, nether of them big cities. Plenty of evening courses and learning opportunities available, although very few A levels as these are generally inappropriate for adults and take up rates are low.

There just seems something big missing, courses for "something valid and real that will help me in a job or to get a job", beyond NVQ 1 or 2.

PasturesNew

lostinrates wrote: »

I HAVE to be at home near sundown for the birds

You're sounding like the person spoken of in that Benefits Course programme on TV ... when somebody was presented with the concept of getting a job she said "who will walk my dog?"

Degenerate

The_White_Horse wrote: »

no school teaches personal finance to the students - yet many on here know the difference between such a basic thing as an overdraft and actually being credited with cash. this woman is clearly a moron and it says a lot for the british education system that someone so moronic can get into university. why do left wingers think the govt has to meddle and interfere in every part of peoples lives???? isn't it enough that they have dumbed down a levels so much this cretin has got a university place. "what did you get?" "i got two A's one A** and one AS***" er, you mean one A two C's and some lump of rubbish hybrid trash?" "yes"

What's really telling is seeing her former teacher describe her as "a very bright girl" and then giving an account of her being absolutely thick. If this is how today's teachers discern intelligence then no wonder standards have slipped so far.