should her pocket money stop when she leaves school?

daviecol

Hi guys my daughter is 16 and about to start her GCSEs. She will then leave school and is planning on going to college in September.

I have told her I am stopping giving her pocket money when she leaves school, this is partly to encourage her to find a part time job and also to make her understand that 'it doesn't grow on trees'.

Am I being to tough on her or do you think this is right?

All comments will be gratefully received.

serena

Depending on your income, she may be eligible for EMA - Education Maintenace Allowance.

This would replace pocket money I guess.

Does she have a Saturday job perhaps?

If she has no other source of income apart from the pocket money, then I think she may be a little upset...how else is she going to go out, pay bus fares, make up, clothes, college stuff???

My DD is about to finish her A Levels, and has got EMA - although half the amount her elder brother had, so I topped it up to be the same. I also gave a her a little pocket money, and a monthly clothing allowance.

I confess I actively discouraged her from getting a job, as I wanted her to concentrate on her studies, although she did get a Christmas job this past year.

blabberwort

I have never given my daughter pocket money as such, she's just had treats/money as and when I could afford it. When she started college last year I kept it up because while she's still in full time education I think personally it's only fair to carry this on as I would have if she was still in school. Thats not to say however that if she wanted more things I give them to her. If she wants a regular lot of spending money I would tell her to get a saturday job.

thorsoak

Are you still claiming CB for her? Can she claim EMA? If not, are you prepared to pay for her travel to andfrom college and fund her college requisites?

Or do you expect her to find a job and become entirely self-supporting immediately she finishes her GCSEs?

Personally, I would be prepared to (and did) help with college expenses (and this was pre-EMA days). My children all had part-time jobs before they had even taken GCSEs - but of course, that was then - and this is now.

onlyroz

I think you should give her the child benefit, from which she must pay for travel, clothes etc. I personally wouldn't expect my child to get a job if they were still in full-time education.

daviecol

Yes she'll qualify for £10 a week EMA. Which isn't a lot. She'll need a bus pass to get to college which will cost around £50 a month and I'll have to pay for that. I will also buy whatever she needs for College.

However I just think that once out of school I shouldn't be having to top up mobiles, buy new clothes every month, pay for concert tickets, and on and on and on.

I think there comes a point in life where we need to be responsible for our own finances to a degree

sneezyboots

you people are way nicer than my mum was. i never got pocked money but my mum would buy me clothes if it was something i really liked or needed some but most came from xmas and birthdays. i got a job at 14 because i wanted to freedom to be able to go and buy what i wanted when i wanted and my mum never gave me anything after. i now couldn't thank her enough for making me realise the value of money and is now the reason i have recently finished uni (ok 2 years ago) with no student loans and half the amount i need for a house deposit already.

i say well done you for stopping her pocket money. she should get a job. people that say they should study instead of work are having a joke. there is plenty of time when doing school, college or uni to study, work and have a good life.

gordikin

onlyroz wrote: »

I think you should give her the child benefit, from which she must pay for travel, clothes etc. I personally wouldn't expect my child to get a job if they were still in full-time education.

How many hours constitutes full-time education though? I read a while ago the 16+ hours is considered full-time. Personally I'd encourage my children to get a part time job if the were doing less than 20 or so hours.

babymoo

Daviecol, when I left school I got my EMA which was my spends for clothes, going out etc and my mum paid for bus fares/college neccesities etc. I soon got bored of not having much money from EMA so got a saturday job aswell to top up my spends, mum continued to pay my college stuff for me.

When I left college the job I had turned into a full time position and becuase I had been there a year and new the ropes I was on a better wage than I would have been had I not started for 1 day a week.

Burlesque_Babe

I got a Saturday job at 14 and did it right up to going to Uni through my O levels and A levels (well before anything like EMA!). Can't remember ever getting pocket money (money was very tight for my parents) and even before the Saturday job did the weekly freebie paper from 13 until I was 14. In the school holidays I also worked on the Friday for the same people (market stall in town) and occasionally a third day.

It gave me a sense of responsibility, lots of customer care/service experience and work maturity. I can't see a part time job doing anyone any harm at 16+ if still at school etc.

itsallinthemind

I think it fair that you support what costs come as a result of their education?

If it were me(a long way off here!) I'd be inclined to pay travel, costs of any equipment for the course etc

I would expect the EMA to cover their 'pocket money' and that they worked if they wanted more cash.

That said, I would not want them to start a part time job till they had been doing the course for a few months, to give them time to settle, so therefore I'd probably go on a clothing spree prior to starting, to ensure that they had a basic wardrobe of jeans/winter coat/practical shoes/boots before term started. I'd be pretty strict that all items were part of a capsule wardrobe though and not high fashion!

I'd also provide food at home that can be taken for lunches, if that were not possible I would contribute to lunches, but only the cost of say a jacket potato, not crisps/chocolate/coke.

I think the basics should be paid for, if you can afford to, teaching independance is important, but I would probably find myself buying a few treats during a month