Nice people thread part 3- Nice as pie

lostinrates

fc123 wrote: »

I haven't ever done it as never had the space but I know people who did and enjoyed it plus the extra £££ was handy.

That's the thing, not sure there will be much, particularly after petrol. I'm going to do a run to the drop off point next week in rush hour traffic to see how far it is and try and work out what it would cost roughly.

PasturesNew

It's allegedly not supposed to be about the money; although that's why most people tended to go for it.

The families I took on were looking at putting 3 in a room for four nights, so they'd get about £150 give or take some. And the food wasn't posh. Breakfast could be cereal, a piece of fruit and a hot drink. Lunch had to be: 2 rolls/sandwiches, packet of crisps, chocolate biscuit, piece of fruit, a drink. Evening meal had to be hot and two courses. To "earn" £150 at minimum wage would be a lot more effort for them. 99% of my families walked to the pick up point; the maximum distance you were allowed to walk them was 1 mile. One old lady of 70 took in two lads, she walked them home ... down then up a 1 in 4 gradient for 1 mile

I think most ran to Lidl once they had the booking - and they were already feeding their families (most already had kids), so it wasn't a great deal extra effort. I learnt that if you feed the French ham sandwiches they're over the moon as that's considered quite posh there. I put up a couple of the accompanying adults once, they loved the Angel Delight I did for the evening meal afters

PasturesNew

I had just three 'incidents':
- one family failed to turn up to collect the kids when they got back one night; they weren't contactable either. It took me an hour to track them down and deliver their kids.
- one set broke the bed by jumping on it
- two girls decided to abscond on a day trip to St Ives, which delayed the bus coming back by one hour, leaving everybody hanging around for an hour not knowing what was going on.

SingleSue

michaels wrote: »

I haven't got any and don't think I am the only one on here who doesn't...

I like to be different...I have one GCSE!

Courtesy of night school in 1994 as my brain was bored because my employment at the time was so monotonous and easy to do, the rest are good old O Levels (plus an ECDL, level one OCR in counselling, Certificate in Legal Studies - apparently higher than an A level)

PasturesNew

I left school with two O levels. I've done a bit of study over the years, but it's very expensive and not readily available really. Got half an OU degree, but then couldn't afford to continue it and was moving about anyway. Now not settled enough to think about it again (there's funding for it now that I couldn't have got back then).

I did an A level in 1994.

There's a qualification I'd like, available at evening class, but I'd need to move 60 miles to be near to it and then start it in September. It seems a bit nuts to move 60 miles and live somewhere for a year just for one evening class, so I'll just wish something was closer.

lostinrates

PasturesNew wrote: »

It's allegedly not supposed to be about the money; although that's why most people tended to go for it.

If you had children I can see the oppertunity for your children to interact with foreign teenagers and get cultural and linguistic insight to be worth more than the money. With a drop off of 8/8:30 am and a collect of 6:30 am it gives you the evening hours for it to not be about the money.....in which you are also cooking a meal for say 45 mins of that, and clearing up etc after that.


It has to be about the money to a degree.

They did say you could put more than one in a room, but I don't have the right beds for that, nor the car to then legally drive them to the collection point. And, frankly, I doubt I'd be able to get the immersion to make enough hot water for that many people

four £150 for four for less than a week it would be worth it...for about half that not sure it would be...hinges on fuel.

michaels

Seem to remember when my mum did it in the 80s she got over 100 (possibly 200) per child per week - I think that did include taking them on one day trip.

lemonjelly

Never read Alan Bennett. Never had the urge (suprisingly!)

Currently regressing into a child by reading a Stephen King novel. Loved them as a kid, but on reflection feel they were good up to the last couple of chapters where it all falls apart & it feels like desperation for an ending.

Feeling everso inadequate now with my 9 GCSE's...:(

SingleSue

Aww LJ, don't feel so low.....I was chuffed with eldest's 9 A-C GCSE's including English and Maths.

My brother got one grade 5 CSE and my sister one below C (can't remember what grade exactly but it was barely a pass) GCSE at school. My brother has since gone on to do GCSE and A Level Spanish (plus landscape gardening and horticulture qualifications) and is currently doing a language degree via OU...it has never held him back in the employment market.

My sister went on to do floristry, winning many competitions and gaining extra qualifications but had to give it up due to early onset arthritis in her hands (it is a curse in our family) and now works at supervisor level in a supermarket part time.

Both are perfectly happy with their lives......whereas there is me who has loads more qualifications than the two of them put together who feels as if it was all a waste of time.

Wheezy_2

SingleSue wrote: »

I like to be different...I have one GCSE!

I've got no GCSE's, no GCE's, no O-levels, no A-levels.
I feel left out.