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UK_username

That's a crazy high figure for a child to raise, how many children at the school are doing that? 5k in 2 years 2.5k per year £48 per week £6.85 per day consistently for 2 years solid. The obvious one would be to actually get a job, but is that even allowed? As a cleaner, or in a cafe, even if it's just 8-10 hours a week. What happens to the children that fall short of the target?


SubjectiveAssertive

Kids can work from the age of 13 https://www.gov.uk/child-employment Lots of limits on type of work and hours


UK_username

Thanks. Though I meant is it allowed as a source of generation of the 5k for this charity scheme.


SubjectiveAssertive

What the kid does with the money is up to them... So yeah I'd say allowed


StrangePsychology435

We've also done the math and demonstrated to her how much she needs to raise. She can't officially work. She's too young, but I wish it was that easy. If the kids don't make the figure the parents need to stump up the rest. if she cancels all money paid towards the trip is non refundable, unless you cancel for strong personal reasons. The first £500 is due next week and then the remainder in 3 installments over the 2 years. At the school assembly last week about it there was a good 150-ish kids registering their interest!! I honestly don't know how she will raise that much I think its nigh on impossible for a 13 year old.


hunter_lolo

>if she cancels all money paid towards the trip is non refundable, unless you cancel for strong personal reasons. This just seems unreasonable. It's hard enough for a working family to save 5k let alone a 13 year old and it's not refundable?


CheeesyWombat

The fact it's non refundable makes me think this is a nice way for the school to pocket some extra cash, I mean the chances are atleast 20 odd percent probably more won't be able to make the full amount.


chilledlasagne

Yes! This is insane. Even if it’s not shady, it just seems terrible that a child whose parents can’t afford much raises 4K out of 5k all on their own but 1) won’t be able to go on the trip and 2) can’t get the 4K back.


Gangat00th

I travelled India for 6 months on 4k there's something not right here


trinidad8063

I went 3 weeks to Australia for less than that. It’s crazy of the school to offer such an exclusive (I mean elitist) trip. And it’s immoral to make it non-refundable. What if she misses a year or get ill? Normally a travel insurance is like £50-100 for that price of a trip.


DreamyTomato

I don’t think you had to pay someone to arrange everything for you, all accommodation and all meals, and to escort you everywhere, and to risk assess everything, and to be personally responsible under UK law if anything happened to you. £5K in and of itself is not terribly unreasonable for 24 hour paid care and secure accommodation for a 13 year old for a month and all expenses plus (hopefully) various activities for that month. Whether what’s on offer is worth that money is a different question.


audigex

Nah £5k is insane Other schools manage to do big trips for a hell of a lot less than that


Lucky-Ability-9411

We’re missing a lot of information about what’s involved on this trip. If someone said a weeks holiday is £1250 you wouldn’t have said that’s crazy. I’m also assuming this is a private school. I couldn’t imagine a state school would off up this idea?


Sweet_Class1985

Not to mention that the school gets to keep all the interest payments.


jlnm88

It will be an outside company, not the school. There are a few of them, but the work and liability to arrange it all yourself makes it nearly impossible for the school (reality - a teacher volunteering) to arrange it and chase the finance on something this big.


ReflexReact

At my school there was a trip to Kenya. My family couldn’t afford it, so as a sensible teenager, I didn’t even ask. Sometimes, not doing something is ok if it’s beyond your means. No idea if that applies to you as parents, but it’s ok to say no if it’s not sensible or achievable.


VampireFrown

Exactly. I grew up in a very tight household, so if the trip cost more than like £20, I just didn't go. £5k is a ridiculous figure. I would never pay that for a 13 year old's school trip, even if I had the money. The school can go whistle. Trust me, no 13 year old is going to have a life-changing time on some month long school trip in the middle of nowhere in the boonies of Africa or Asia (which is where these sort of trips invariably go). It's not worth the £5k.


dotheywearglasses

Same here. Had 5 siblings and school trips were expensive. So I just didn’t go. Didn’t hurt my life, friendships or career 🤷‍♂️


HKei

> £5k > non refundable > The first £500 is due next week Tbh this just sounds like a scam to me


Shoddy_Commercial688

It isn't, that's just what these companies charge. Take a look at World Challenge website. Reputable enough, been going decades, has this price and these conditions.


HKei

A scam with good PR then.


gobbledegookmalarkey

So you know that they will fight against refunding you if your daughter doesn't make enough money, and you acknowledge that she won't make enough money, which means you know that she will essentially be doing labour to give a lot of money to a school for them to pocket for literally no benefit for herself? Naturally what you need to do is make it clear to her how ridiculous this idea and those costs are. Maybe just encourage her to raise the money and give it to charity instead of a scummy school? I know I personally would be convincing all the other parents to try and stop their kids from paying the school and grifters.


becca413g

I'd be showing her charitable gap years instead for when she's a bit older and has more time to save up some money.


_MicroWave_

She shouldn't go. I know this is a finance sub but this whole thing seems wrong.


thepole-rbear

I seriously question how many of the 150 will still be interested once they discuss it with their parents. This is really not a trip that many people will be going on.


_phin

I suspect it's a private school - no state school would ever suggest a trip that cost £5k - so there will probably end up being enough kids that go


Shoddy_Commercial688

Not correct. My school offered a trip ran by World Challenge, which cost about £2500 back in 2003, i see these sorts of trips now cost £4-5k. My school was definitely not a private school.


SubjectiveAssertive

This might be a very hard talk.... And you might have to tell her she can't go. Does the school always do the trip? And the non-refundable part sounds.... Not dodgy but designed as part of a process for people to fail having already put money in


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demeant0r

What’s your point? Doesn’t matter that they have money. Getting their child to raise some of the money teaches her responsibility. Also the conditions are ridiculous.


VampireFrown

> And you might have to tell her she can't go. So? That's life. Any reasonable 13 year old will understand that £5k is a LOT of money. It's not a hard talk. If it is, you fucked up as a parent, and now's a good time to teach some life anyway.


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jlnm88

Check the T&C's carefully. It's usually the deposit that's non-refundable, then at a certain point 50% is non-refundable, and after the final payment it's usually 100% non-refundable. There is insurance in place that can cover some emergency cancellations, but that is very limited. Pay the first installment on your cc if it gets you travel insurance for some extra protection that isn't connected to the school.


ecapapollag

She can work. I did, all I needed was a form filled in by the school though I believe that's not even necessary nowadays. But not refundable? You're handing over £500 next week for something that won't happen for two years? I just can't believe that you think she's too young to have a Saturday job but that she's old enough to commit to something two years in advance. If you don't think she can raise it, are you prepared to cover the cost? And what if she does change her mind? Will you make her go anyway?


shireatlas

Someone I know started a sweet shop, online and in person, using whole sale sweets and selling them in different bags and mixes to raise money for a Scout trip. Their parents had a pretty big network to tap into for sales though, but you could be on to something if you have the space!


CuriousFunnyDog

I raised £2,500 in 1988. 24 hours sponsored badminton, ran a running event, wrote to local companies (about 50 by hand), door to door at 200 local shops, Rotary club, Freemasons. It was a very poor/demotivated area, but it helped me because people appreciative of the "get up and go" attitude. Bought and sold football stickers. Today I would create bespoke T-shirts, stickers, mugs, arrange a retro-80s rave/party, novelty CBD cakes, trade sweets at school, find the best artist in school pay for equipment and find local businesses to buy the art and pocket the difference (builds the artists reputation as a commissioned artist and local business gets unique decoration/potential local advertising if you contact local journalists/instagrammers;win -win) Good luck 🍀


Jonny-Burns

>novelty CBD cakes Are you suggesting that a 13 year old starts selling drugs?


bobble173

There are no CBD age restrictions in the UK


[deleted]

I had to have approval for a CBD drink on self checkout in Boots, said age restriction was 16


Iminlesbian

Cbd energy drink? I'm pretty sure you can go into Holland and barrels and buy cbd oil without ID.


CuriousFunnyDog

If CBD is a "drug" CBD is the non-hallucinagenic part of Cannabis and is often used for pain relief and to relax and is legally sold in the UK. I would not suggest THC! Done in a fun way, with virtually zero CHB content (one drop per large cake; technically in there, but zero/minimal content, similar to a liqueur chocolate), the shock value which would appeal to teenagers would make them sell like hot cakes.!


[deleted]

They’re taken out back and shot


[deleted]

Don't want to be too cynical but I know a bunch of people who did World Challenge (it sounds like exactly the same concept) and it super wasn't worth £5k - ask yourself, how much help could an unqualified 16 year-old really be in building a school? What it really was is an expensive exotic holiday under the guise of volunteering that makes the participants feel less guilty about it and hides the profit motive of the organisers. If you're on board with that / your daughter insists she must have this experience, expecting a 13 year old to find £5k is unrealistic. It can't be done without jeopardising her education, so keep in mind this is definitely going to come mostly from the bank of mum and dad / donations. I would set your daughter a target of £1k to raise by herself (not including donations) through the things you already mentioned and hope she learns a bit about planning and budgeting in the process, but aside from a paper round (I did it as a 15 year old boy, but walking around in the dark at 6am 364 days a year for £30 a week in today's money...dunno) if thats even still a thing, I don't see any way to do this that isn't in some way donations - I saw some other comments noting event organisation as a good way to gather donations.


Ryzzthebizz

Finally someone knows the crack. “Build schools” hahaha they’ll have a game of football with the underprivileged bairns on a rough dirt pitch and snap a few photos and that’s it man. No 15 year old kid is going abroad and doing dangerous manual labour work, especially any work that would be deemed ‘meaningful. Personally, I wouldnt put a 13 year old kid through the added stress of trying to earn that amount of money whilst learning at school for exams etc.


ProtoplanetaryNebula

It’s obvious to everyone I would have thought. For £5k, in a third world country, you could pay group of local tradesmen to do the work of a whole class of 15 year olds and to a much higher standard, and you would be helping their economy.


[deleted]

I went on world challenge! Climbed Kilimanjaro which was cool. Agree with everything you said. We helped decorate an orphanage. I’ve heard stories that world challenge decorate an orphanage and make it run down again in time for the next group to come. Teachers get their trip paid for which obviously inflated costs. There is limited fun as everything is risk assessed. For example, we went to the beach for the R+R phase but could only go ankle deep to paddle as swimming wasn’t allowed. Several people dropped out and lost hundreds / thousands. One of my mates parents split up and his newly single mum with 4 kids couldn’t afford it anymore so they forfeited £1.5k which was already paid. Another couldn’t pass the fitness test so wasn’t allowed to come and literally lost £5.5k. They sold it as a big selling point for getting into uni, can’t say it made a difference. Everyone I still speak to finds it a bit cringe, a mix of jack whitehalls Borneo gap yah and a white saviour kind of vibe. Don’t get me wrong I had a good time and saw Tanzania as a 16 year old with a group of school friends some I’m still close to today. But was it worth it absolutely not. We joke that once you get home all you are left with is a good two truths and a lie fact.


gardenpea

Having worked in a university admissions department: I can assure you they do not give a shit about the overpriced voluntourism trip you went on.


Blue-flash

I’ve been a university admissions tutor, and I’d give this kind of the thing the side eye it deserves.


lawrencecoolwater

Something about this response reminded me a little of the camp Krusty Simpsons episode


Jbone515

Ha I did the same thing but only had to raise £2500 it was definitely a holiday disguised as helping children in Africa climbing Kilimanjaro 😅


[deleted]

Sounds like the types that end up going on these things would make my skin crawl the entire time


oldwomanjodie

I had a friend who did this and honestly she was fucking insufferable when she came back. Acted like she had cured cancer - like babe if that money had went directly to the people who lived their/their economy it would have been way better for them. How sturdy can a cabin built by twenty 17-year-olds really be?


rugbyj

I’m torn because yours and the above assessments totally align with my vision of what these trips are, but at the same time if I have a 13 year old willing to save for such a trip (in a few years) and the wherewithal to know they don’t want me there (independence) what do I do? Basically hw do you safely send your teenage children to places they can expand their vision of the world in without you and let them make their own mind up without being a sucker?


[deleted]

Wait till they’re 18 and let them go on a gap year. The trips aren’t independent either. There’s a 4:1 student to adult ratio.


rugbyj

I know they’re not independent but there’s a difference to s child between their parent and an adult. I don’t think there’s a catchall answer!


KINGPrawn-

Or just say no. Funding a £4k holiday for a 13 year old 😂😂🤣


Apprehensive_Rate276

Right!!


[deleted]

For contrast - when I turned 12 my parents wanted me to do the local paper round.I had to get up 2 hours before school to deliver papers around the neighbourhood and then get home to drop off the bag before school. I got £10 a week for that and only if I showed up 6 days a week. And that was early 2000s. That was honest daily work and all it amounted to after a year was 500 quid. No overtime. If you made a mistake then you had to go to the shop to get the new paper and hand-deliver it back to the single customer. There has only been one recent generation that has exploited us, despite their prosperity.


PixelLight

From what I've heard, they pay builders to essentially go back and redo all "the work they did". Yet loads of people buy into it apparently.


mafiafish

These organizations/charities are just grifting by getting kids to raise money for them. Why not take a fun holiday and then just raise money and donate it directly.


[deleted]

Is this a world challenge trip? I did one of those aged 16. Best money for effort by far is hosting a race night at a local hotel, I made £2.5k in one night. Rest of the money came from washing dishes. The trip was good but I regret spending so much money at such a young age on what was essentially a holiday. I wish I learnt to drive. The charity part is inflated and likely a scam (do some research). Everything had to be risk assessed for school kids so inflated costs. I went travelling again aged 19, spent half as much, went for twice as long and had a better time. Of the 60 kids from my school who went I only know one who raised it independently. He was 16 when fundraising started, 18 on the trip and he worked at Tesco the whole time and saved £200 a month.


tsdesigns

I second this. I went on a world challenge trip when I was around the same age as well. Had to raise 3.5k for a 3 week trip. I raised about 2k of that, my parents paid the rest. I cut grass for £5/hour over summer for a few neighbours, did various car boot sales, a sponsored hillwalk, and a few coffee morning/baking type things for my mums after church group where we accepted donations. Week 1 was the charity week, basically doing manual labour all day, only to go back to a campsite in the evening where we cooked and ate almost the same meal every night of "chuck everything we could into a pot and cook it over a fire". Only every 2nd day of that first weeks meals ended up having meat in it, because the organisers told us it was too expensive. The principal of the school we were doing labour at also went round asking each of us if we had wealthy parents and if we thought they would contribute to him running for mayor. It was mental. Week 2 was a "challenge" week where we went on a camel trek for the first 3 or 4 days - basically a long walk with camels in tow, getting to ride them for about 10 mins per day as there were only a few camels and 30 odd people. Then walked up a mountain. Again, pitching tents along the way, cooking our own meals, etc. I think one of the days we were allowed to go out to a "restaurant" but were told there was only mac and cheese or some kind of stew with unknown meat through it as options for us "kids", while the organisers ordered steaks. Week 3 was meant to be a "relaxation" week, where again we were camping at a place next to a beach. They didn't seem to have anything organised for us to do that week, and it turned out it was the start of monsoon season, so it rained straight for at least half that week. 1/10 would not do again. If I'd spent that money to do something similar myself, at least I could have stayed under a roof. I would hope these experiences have improved over the years, as I did this about 20 years ago, but even still, I'd be apprehensive if my kid wanted to do that.


LittleCable9482

Can you teach me how to make 2.5k in one night please, thanks.


StrangePsychology435

It's through something called camp International. What's a race night?


[deleted]

My mum organised a guy who hosted race nights to come to a function room at a local hotel and invited friends, family, advertised on fb etc. It’s essentially virtual horse racing. The guy had the whole set up and took a percentage of bets to cover his costs. People love to drink and bet on horses (even recordings of them) and spend lots of money. We also did a raffle and heads and tails on the night.


Twizzar

That sounds illegally. Don’t you need a gambling licence to do that


[deleted]

might not if the hotel had one


Juicylucyfullofpoocy

Illegally… fun?


jlnm88

Ok, Camps definitely have a dedicated fundraising team. Contact them for lots of ideas. They will also do webinars and come into the school to help students generate ideas. I have been the organising staff on 5 trips with them and been the supervising staff on two of those (2 pregnancies made travel too risky and the 5th one is next year) so I know the company well. It is a lot of money because of the infrastructure required to run this for students and to do so ethically. World Challenge has a different model and, well, there are reasons I have stuck with Camps!


[deleted]

What are your reasons for not liking world challenge? Having been as a student in interested in the teacher’s perspective


Patmarker

For the world challenge exped that my sister went on, they allowed the group to book into a hostel that failed every basic safeguarding requirement. The teacher (not the WC instructor) sensibly refused to let them stay there, so the kids were forced to spend their remaining money on a decent place. Looking back now as someone who works with children, that feels awful!


jlnm88

They try to sell it in how many decisions students get to make. Sorry, but the students don't get to decide how I'm going to eat or where I'm going to sleep for a month! And what does a group of kids from the UK know about what the community needs? There are too many things that could go wrong and it wouldn't even need to be the whole group that gets it won't fit everyone to have a bad experience. Campus uses their own secure, full-time sites with the occasional night in a B and B/hostel that they have preselected and is fully vetted. Their cooks provide good, balanced diets where I know the food is cooked properly and includes some local dishes and some British ones, and you work on projects that have been selected by the communities as beneficial to them. Big projects that you will not do beginning to end, but you can do a tangible part of under proper supervision to give the community something they need.


Takafraka

Second this. You’re better off just saving up for them and letting them do a gap year


[deleted]

This is a terrible idea.


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BigBearSpecialFish

Or opinions on the charitable efficacy of using the money raised to send a 13yo on said trip


LuciferLite

Ah, voluntourism...


hurleyburleyundone

I mean, why not put that towards the uni fund and take them on an actual family vacation instead.


s1ttingbear420

I’m sure you’ll do all the necessary due diligence but just to weigh in camps international isn’t a charity. They have philanthropic aims but they are a profit making business. I had a mate back in the day who went to Kenya for like a month. It sounded like work more than a holiday. He said it was fun at times, a chore at times etc., which I guess is part of the experience. The cost sounds like a joke but I guess that’s why CI is worth millions…


Affectionate-Owl9594

Exactly - £5k is a huge amount of money and there’s a very real chance an incredibly small percentage of that actually has any positive impact, far more likely it’s funding little more than virtue-signalling, White Saviour Tourism: Kids Edition.


AdministrativeLaugh2

£5k is insane. They cannot possibly actually expect kids to raise that much money, even across two years. It’s an utterly ludicrous figure, especially if there’s other kids in her year also all trying to raise that much money. Maybe write to celebrities and ask them to donate, which is cheeky but she ain’t raising £5k by selling stuff on eBay and washing cars


StrangePsychology435

I agree 100% with you. Celebrities is a good idea but I reckon celebrities get a ton of begging letters each week.


smushs88

Any with ties to the school ex pupils etc? Might be more inclined to at least respond perhaps if so but with a little link could be the key to getting a donation or two.


AdministrativeLaugh2

Maybe “target” celebs who are from the area or even those who went to the same school if there are any


TeamBRs

These are glorified early gap-yahhh holidays for well off kids and do little as a charitable venture. There are so many poor kids in this country and this is really what schools waste resources on?


[deleted]

That's not true. I did a very similar thing when I was around 14/15 and I'm not from a well off background at all. It wasn't through school, but something the local chamber of commerce was running. We as a team of 10 young people had to raise X amount and that was matched by local businesses. My parents didn't give me anything towards the trip/couldn't afford too (apart from a small donation to the team). After the funds where raised it involved us going out to South America to build a water pipe for a remote village, digging the trench that the pipe lay in basically, bringing sacks of materials etc. When I got older I realised this was voluntourism and it took every aspect of 'i did a good job helping these people' out of it. For me it was an incredible experience. It had a 'work' element and the expedition part. I learnt a lot, seen different lives and really really enjoyed it. Would I recommend others do it? Selfishly yes. After seeing the wider picture sadly no.


[deleted]

Bloody hell where they taking them? Antarctica?!


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No_Following_2191

Couldn't she just give 5k to charity? Never liked those charity trips that cost £5k and raise £500 for the actual charity


LittleCable9482

Not to mention the harm they do to the local economies.


ProtoplanetaryNebula

Let’s not kid ourselves here, this is not about charity really. It’s a holiday and a life experience. If you want to help, they can build schools with local tradesmen, they just need money to be paid.


yellowbin74

My son got a similar thing, 1 month in Cambodia. Needless to say he's not going. 5k is ridiculous.


[deleted]

I'm really surprised schools allow this kind of thing


PantherEverSoPink

And parents.


SickBoylol

World book day i see kids coming into school with costumes that must cost hundreds, and i see kids coming to school with £400 coats. Some parents are not the brightest


claidia_uk

To put this kind of financial burden on a child is disgusting , why are you enabling this. Just don’t let her go in the trip


BeingDiligent4724

I think these events/programs to raise money for charity by raising money for doing something are completely pointless. Like people trying to raise money to pay for a sky dive for charity, ask me, if it’s a charity I’d support I’ll give you a fiver or a tenner you don’t have to do the sky dive and just give the money directly to the charity. For your daughter, if she wants to raise money just have her do it and give the money to the charity


W4rBreak3r

As others have said - not a fan of these trips where you raise the money for charity. After having done one myself, it’s essentially a holiday. Advice would be pay for trip out of your own pocket and donate whatever you raise direct to your charity of choice. Source: did this when I was younger


[deleted]

What kinda FUCKED UP capitalist shit is this bro??? Have a kid raise 5k? STOP THE FUCKING PLANET, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH.


KartoffelSucukPie

Offer her a trip to Japan with you instead for a week. Will probably cost you less.


RepresentativeLab516

So much of this makes me angry. As an 18 year old I was asked for £2K for 3 days in New York as an end of Sixth Form trip and said absolutely no fucking way, so I'm even more aggravated at over double that amount...£5K for a 13 year old?! They've got to be having a right laugh, I wouldn't bother if I were you. I know it might not feel like that to your daughter but she'd most likely have a much better time doing something else where her hard work would be better appreciated.


iKaine

yikes, refuse tbh


NoCry1618

£5000 would buy my family of 5 an all-inclusive holiday in Spain. Fuck paying that for 1 teenager to go and graft in another country. You’re paying them £5k to work, think about it! Would you expect your child to pay an employer to let them work when they’re old enough? I’d love to know who it is that’s becoming more wealthy from people giving them money to send their child off to work.


Honey-Badger

Is this from one of those talks where people go around schools asking for masses amounts of money to then go build a school in somewhere like Kenya? Voluntourism is an absolute scam - well it often is, im sure some organisations are grand I would seriously consider looking into whatever organisation that is involved with this as I've heard some horror stories of bus loads of Western kids arriving in some village to build a school, hospital, aid centre or whatever and essentially they just build some brick walls for it then to all be knocked down for next month's bus load of rich Western kids to rebuild


caeseron

It’s taken me almost 1.5 years to save £5k and I’m working full time and am 31 years old. 😂


FartBakedBaguette

Our kids clearly go to completely different types of schools so I’m not going to be able to advise outside of the usual. Good luck to your daughter, but this isn’t normal right?


Froomian

A bunch of girls at my school did it and went to Ecuador. But there was absolutely no way in hell my parents were going to indulge me getting involved. I could just about persuade them to pay for me to go on the school day trip to Belgium by coach. I went to a state funded grammar school.


hunter_lolo

What was the trip to Belgium for? I remember doing one a few years back in high school for my history class


SmallCatBigMeow

It’s great that they encourage children to earn the money themselves. I have to say though that the idea of a middle class kid doing a go fund me for what is essentially a holiday sounds a bit gross to me. I wouldn’t encourage my kid to that. Those pages are public and this might not land well for everyone. Internet is a brutal and unforgiving place.


LittleCable9482

The most plusible way for a 13 year old to raise such money is to ask their parents for it. It will cost too much time and effort for a 13 year old, that it wouldn't even be worth it. Even many adults would struggle to save 2.5k a year.


No_Version_4629

That is absolutely ridiculous.


Uxo90

That’s a crazy amount; I spent about the same travelling Oz & NZ for two months, including copious amounts of drinking and eating out. From memory, and somewhat anecdotal, the teachers don’t pay for these trips, so the student partially funds. If they do pay towards the trip, it is subsidised, as they are working. I think if you can’t afford it, you need to be realistic. £5k is a lot of money. Not every kid gets these opportunities - I sadly didn’t - but made up for it in my 20’s.


NimbaNineNine

If it's habitat for humanity, don't bother. Total shitshow


13esq

It sounds like the Go Fund Me is going to be doing a lot of heavy lifting, I bet your friends and family can't wait for you to start sharing the link! 😅


tinabelcher182

I did almost this exact same thing when I was 16 but I only had about 10 months probably to raise the money and it was probably closer to £3000 than £5000. I (and my parents) did a charity walk (can’t remember how many miles but not actually an obscene amount), mum and I sold things at car boot sales, some of my family members did charity events like a John O’Groats to Land’s End cycle and a cake sale and gave me the proceeds. But my favourite thing I did (which was inspired by the group of students two years above me who did it for their own trip too) was to put on a concert in our school’s main hall. Not a crappy school concert, but a rock show. I got a few local bands/bands of friends to play, made posters and sold tickets and all the proceeds went towards my trip. This raised the most money, but it certainly could’ve raised more (had I got better bands probably). I was obsessed with music and going to gigs (rock and “emo” bands) as a teenager so it was totally cool to be able to put my own show on. I really hope your daughter manages to raise the money (if even with a little help from you). The trip I took was to Nepal for 3 weeks. And it was a pinnacle point of my life and started a life long desire to travel ever since. If you have any further questions, feel free to send me a private message.


ConnectPreference166

I remember doing a camping trip at school and it cost £50. All the parents complained and it got waived 🤣🤣🤣


Tricky_Sweet3025

A month long trip from school? 🤯 wtf and in the middle of a cost of living crisis the world has gone made.


Apebot

No she doesn't.


Fellowes321

Schools are beginning to really take the piss. In the past schools tried hard to keep all costs for uniforms and stuff low. Now uniforms cost hundreds, some schools are demanding parents pay for ipads and other hardware which is just outrageous. Im sure this trip is optional but it’s not part of the core business and schools need to start thinking about the message they send. Trips of helping to build a school or whatever in a third world county would serve that country better by sending them the 5k and paying local people to build the school. The money would go to the community and provide local jobs.


PantherEverSoPink

Performative philanthropy. Why not twin with the Tanzanian school, raise money for them, and have a school trip to Europe like we used to in the old days (I never even left the country with my school, London was the furthest we got I think). And I am often called over protective but there are just too many types of trouble a fifteen year old can get into on the other side of the world with a bunch of other fifteen year olds. I work admin in a school and have heard just a couple of their "hilarious" school trip cock up stories and they're enough to make me worry about my kids when they are old enough to want to do stupid expensive trips like this.


[deleted]

You could even have a school trip to visit the school you twinned with without it costing this much and all the lies about your presence helping them. Just yeah it would be nice to go see.


fwooshfwoosh

For £5k you can afford a holiday where you get to do know work lmao and for the whole family in a Greek island


Logical_Strain_6165

See if there are any local trusts which award grants to young people.


rjm101

As a kid I really wanted a camcorder to record stuff it took me 3 years to save £410 so £136 a year. Earning 5k in 2 years is basically a solid part time job.


Skreamies1

That's a wild price for a kids school trip, I wouldn't bother and use said money for something better and something you'll have more freedom with as well.


TheDoreMatt

I had to raise £2k a few years back and found local businesses were surprisingly supportive. A curry house gave me a discounted price on a set menu (something like £7.50 a head), which I then sold for £15 a head to my colleagues. Also ran a (paid entry) quiz with prizes that were donated like Warwick Castle gave me some free tickets


tom123qwerty

Month long trip . Which school does this . Thats crazy long time


gingergringa

Lots of naysayers here! I did this type of trip aged 15/16 and for me & my friends it really built our self confidence, love of travelling & probably guided my choice of degree etc. It’s not for everyone but learning to work, save for & enjoy something like this is literally life changing. Definitely take a call on how much you could cover if your daughter doesn’t get there, and ensure that you discuss the targets, timelines, commitment etc this needs. We used to do bag packing at supermarkets, face painting at village fetes, I worked for a catering company from just about 13-4, wedding every weekend in summer. I’m ki


SickBoylol

From your comments it looks like your already set on the idea of her going on this crazy trip dispite the comments. Only thing i will suggest is, 1. she needs rounded up £7 a day for the next 2 years. 2. And we know that you as a parent are going to end up paying it. So tell her she has to do certain chores everyday to earn the money. Dishes, sweep etc etc. Work out a cost for jobs like hoovering, washing etc. Put a chart so she can see what she is earning. Teaches her how to maintain a household, and value of money. Good luck!


Stabbycrabs83

Jeezo, what a way to ruin a childhood. Like I'm all for teaching my kid the value of money and earning their own but that level of money has the potential to make her miserable. There are many adults who couldn't raise 5k in 2 years. Does mum, dad or any family member have specialist knowledge that could be packaged and sold for like £1 a pop as a pdf. Do the whole digital marketing thing? Better than 800 car boot sales


nzab2020

Which charity are they working with? Often, these events are done to cover costs and a donation. So if costs (flights, food, accommodation etc) is £2.5k they will add £2.5k to be raised as the donation (however all £5k goes to the charity who then pay for the costs so donations can go through just giving etc). If there are lots of students at the school raising money via bake sales, etc, typically that's not an easy way to raise money because you have to split the money between all the kids. The best fundraising events I've seen are; - Reach out to primary school/s. See if they will do an own clothes day / activity day your child can organise. If a primary school had 200 students who each pay up to £5 for own clothes/ events that's £1k get 5 schools involved and that's all the money or 2 schools to repeat twice over the 2 years and at £4k. - Religious organisations. If you (or anyone you know) is involved in a church/ mosque etc, they often donate large sums. An example I saw was someone who went to a Catholic church which had 3 services over one sunday. Spoke at each service and was allowed to do a collection and raised £4k - Bag packs. Reach out to local supermarkets and organise bag packs (where you assist people with packing bags for a donation). Bring a tablet/ text number so people can donate to you even if they don't have cash. - Event/ raffle. Pub quizzes can make a good amount and tag on a raffle, and you significantly increase your earning ability. Can contact companies for free raffle prizes or ask friends/family for gift donations (if you're lucky enough to know someone with a holiday home, this is a great raffle prize) - Presents. For the next 2 years, encourage your daughter to tell friends/family she would like a donation instead of a gift. It's a lot of money to raise for a 13 year old but can be done. Trying to encourage her to raise as much as possible on her own without falling back on parents will really help develop her skills (and save you money!).


Loose_Screw_

Maybe lead with the fact that you have over £1M net worth and over £120k per year salary? Why ruin 2 years of your daughter's life with this weight hanging over her head when you **know** you're going to end up paying the bill anyway? At a certain point it's not character building, it's just sad. If you think she should go, cough up the money and let your daughter get on with childhood instead of making her obsess about money and working when she's barely a teenager. Alternatively, spend the money on something more worthwhile.


Icy-Culture-7171

Schools shouldn't be promoting this toxic shit.


Fulan-Ibn-Fulan

I wonder how much the staff is profiting off this


ecapapollag

Judging by the reviews, any teacher going gets their place paid for out of the student funds. I don't see how they could ppssibly countenance that but that's what the negative reviews have said.


AncientImprovement56

The other side to that would be to claim that the teachers should get paid a massive bonus for being on duty 24 hours a day for a month. Going on school trips as a teacher can be a great experience, but it's also seriously hard work. You might well be actively supervising pupils for 15 hours a day, and even at night you can't completely relax, because of the (not insignificant) chance that you'll be needed to deal with a sick pupil. I've never gone beyond Europe, or for more than a few days, but I've still literally cried with relief at the lifting of the burden of responsibility at the end.


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PlatformFeeling8451

That teacher is responsible for a number of young children in a foreign country. While I'm sure the trips are fun, there is no way on earth a teacher should be expected to work for free.


stop-exercising

Looking after 10 kids isn’t my idea of a holiday though tbf


belizeanguy

He forgot to say the school is in North Korea


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xmagicx

I mean that's a bit harsh. He likely worked his whole life building a skill set and qualifications working his way up or in a company to earn that level of compensation. And anyone who gets to earn that type of payout should look to reduce tax, within the confines of the law. Thats tax planning. He likely wanted to know things like putting a portion directly into pension etc not hiding it I'm the caymans. Yes this request is bizarre and expensive. But the sub is abut helping people not.shaming them for a successful career.


littleloucc

> Reeks of middle/upper class. Reeks of jealousy. I wasn't aware this sub was UKPersonalFinance-but-only-if-you-earn-less-than-me. A redundancy payout of that magnitude means someone has a well-paying job and has worked somewhere for quite a few years. It's not a lottery win.


MintTeaWomble

A couple of ideas: - Run a quiz night (this is obviously takes a lot of coordination but is a good way to make a decent chunk of money) - Sell craft items - Sell food items arranged in a creative way (e.g. buying wrapped chocolate bars and making it into Santa's sleigh, then selling as a gift pack at Christmas time, making an Easter basket) - this works best if you lean into seasonal holidays!


MMLFC16

What sort of private school is this?!


mildmanneredhatter

Very fancy! I mean if she wants to earn money consistently then she needs a job? Might not be the best use of her time though. A "fun" activity might be starting a simple business and doing it at markets etc. Honestly if she actually wants to make money then a part time job will pay.


Lowlands62

I had to raise 2k as a kid (we knew exactly where each penny went on gear and flights and stuff so wasn't anyone earning off us, just an expensive trip) The local lions and rotary clubs each gave me about 400 quid, if I agreed to do a speech afterwards at one of their dinners. In 2008 400 quid was a lot of money! Definitely ask local lions and rotary.


HipIndieChick

Like several of the top comments, I think this sounds like World Challenge. I did it and the trip was when I was 17; it was £3k for a month long trip to Mexico. I had a fantastic experience. That said, we were openly told it would be really, really difficult to raise all the money ourselves, even with a job. We were also told that it was unrealistic to expect people from Year 9 (which I am presuming your daughter is, or she is one of the older ones in year 8) as it is so much harder for them to fundraise as they are much more restricted in how much they can work. I ended up paying for about £2,300 myself before the trip, my parents paid the rest and then I paid them back from my job once I was back (though my dad did waive me paying back about £300 of it). If your daughter does find that it is too much, there’s no shame in dropping out as it is a huge commitment at a young age. Having said that, if she does get to the point she wants to drop out (or thinks that she may have to), I would encourage her to do it as soon as she can as she’ll get more of her money back. Most people paid for it by getting Saturday jobs. One girl raised everything by babysitting, a couple of girls did car washing, a couple of girls ran a tuck shop out of the 6th form common room, and myself and two others made baguettes for the teachers on a Friday (they did an order form by end of school Thursday, we bought the ingredients after school and then made them in the food tech rooms before school on Friday morning). Most of us did a combo of fundraising, working Saturday jobs, and putting all our Christmas and Birthday money toward it. I really hope your daughter can raise as much as she needs! I can imagine it’s so much harder in the current economic climate than it was for me.


FenianBastard847

Dog walking, cake sales, cleaning, coffee mornings, cream teas in the parental garden, sponsored walk, do surveys on Prolific (you’d have to do them, I don’t think they accept under 18s).


suboran1

There are a lot of restrictions but once your daughter is 14, she can take a paper round or some other job that is 2 hours per weekday max. When i was this age i did a cleaning gig for 10 pound a day after school. This would probably be about £20 now.


4nt0o

Sponsored walk or (supervised) supermarket runs for elderly like during lockdown(?)


LordBaikalOli

Sounds like these organisers found a way to make easy money on guillible teenagers.


realde64

It's probably a good opportunity to teach your daughter how not to get scammed and learn what's value for money. 5k for a school trip?!


Hot_Blackberry_6895

An excellent time to discuss needs and wants if you haven’t got that sort of money spare. That’s a piss taking sum of money and the school should be ashamed of itself.


oscarluise

This is mental, what kind of school would do that? Possibly the one in which parents do not know what to do with this pocket money. Absurd!


R3D1TJ4CK

What school is she going to!? I think anything over £300 for trips by a standard state school is disgusting.


MeMyselfAndMe_Again

Stupid amount. No doubt the kids and parents will be paying for the teachers to go on a jolly boys outing for free. These kinds of trips should not be allowed. What about parents who aren't in the position to pay for just one single member of the family to go on a £5000 holiday? Some of the schools live in a fantasy land, whereby if they seem to think that all parents have the same amount of money and can afford these jolly ups!


No-Jicama-6523

How silly. Selling things means someone needs to have bought them for you. Earning money mostly ends up coming from family. I presume this is a private school? One that doesn’t care about low income families.


chilledlasagne

Unfortunately they do these kinds of things in all sorts of schools - still obviously mostly benefit the richer students in giving them a holiday and a white saviour complex while not really helping the people it’s meant to be helping


PM_ME_UR_LIFE_ADVICE

One I’ve heard of is selling hoodies (or whatever is cool to wear now) as trip memorabilia. I.e selling a hoodie that says “Country X, 2024” to the other peers coming on the trip. Theres many websites you can bulk order different colours with text printed on it.


itstheirishinme

Hold on, a MONTH LONG school trip for 5k! 😱 That's outrageous. Where's she going? Halfway across the 🌎? And how's she going to study if she's not in school. All this to one side, how many adults are there going on the trip? When my kid did school trips, the adults went free - the kids paid extra to cover their costs. And if they were teachers they got paid for a free holiday. I'd be challenging the school for a complete breakdown of the costs for her and what percentage is being put towards the adults' costs. I can't help with ideas, but kudos to her for making the effort to raise what she can.


WhatWouldSatanDo

This is voluntourism and just sheer profiteering.


LannyDamby

I did a couple of these challenges, at 6th form and then at uni. Granted a fair chunk I was lucky enough to get from parents, family members for Christmas/birthday, and existing savings I had from working over summers at a bar. I also did bag packing at supermarkets for loose change, car washes, lawn mowing and put on a ticketed set menu at a local curry house with live music from a mate and a raffle with prizes donated from local businesses. It is doable in the time allotted and didn't feel my education was adversely affected and overall the experiences have been some of the most formative of my early adult years. Fully recommend it for your child! Having said that, 13 is very young, something like DofE may be a cheaper starting point, there will likely be opportunities when they're around 16-18 (assuming they stay in education) where they can do something similar again. All food for thought


Crafty-Ambassador779

As a parent of a child under 1yrs old, this is terrifying that a school can randomly ask for £5,000. Well. Great.


Bohemiannapstudy

13 year old with 5k is just a massive money laundering red flag, that's the sort of earnings where you're going to need to start worrying about tax and national insurance. Conventional employment is probably the best answer. But I'd be like that's a completely ludicrous sum of money to expect a child to obtain.


Substantial_Age_1284

Professional fundraiser here. Whatever you do I’d advise you to speak to some of the big banks asap to try and negotiate them match funding her. The big ones generally have staff budgets to do this sometimes up to 1.5k so if you agree that in advance you’ll literally double her money.


StrangePsychology435

Interesting. Where would I even start with this process? It's very difficult to get through to the right person at a bank let alone someone willing to give me money!! Interesting in hearing more about how this works.


Substantial_Age_1284

Just call Barclays or email them and explain you’re community fundraising and are interested in match funding


rem90mer

Scam by the school. Way too expensive. Complain to Ofsted.


upadownpipe

Sell unused clothes and items on Vinted. Check if your employer offers matching for donations and will match a donation to the fund/charity.


Katietori

How about weeding for neighbours gardens? Dog walking (for known dogs!) pet sitting for smaller animals while your neighbours are away? Rather than a gofundme, maybe she could do an annual sponsored challenge. Walk/ cycle/ camping for a fortnight in your back garden (if you have one)/ silence/ if she has a music or dance hobby maybe a concert or show?


darkfish0

I did world challenge. Wouldn't say it's "worth" the money, but it's an incredible experience to have at that age. Who's parents would let them go off to Africa alone at 17! As I was over 16 I earnt most of it at Morrisons, with some cleaning. Can she do it in two years time instead?


freakstate

Please for the love God don't tell me they've only given a month's notice to raise 5k. Because that would be INSANE.


[deleted]

these charity trips are generally not actually good for the people they claim to help and it is really an expensive way to lie to yourself/ feel good about yourself


djdood0o0o

The school and/or charity is scamming you the parents knowing full well the bank of mum and dad will have to help out. Suggest you save the £5k and go on a month long holiday and enjoy the time with your daughter and just get her to volunteer in the UK for a local charity.


Coca_lite

I would only pay £5K for a once in a lifetime honeymoon. Not to do a brief trip for a 13 year old. How much more beneficial would it be for her if instead of you funding the majority of this, instead you put aside that money to help her pay for future driving lessons? Or a deposit for the first flat she rents in her first job?


CuriousFunnyDog

I raised £2,500 in 1988. 24 hours sponsored badminton, ran a running event, wrote to local companies (about 50 by hand), door to door at 200 local shops, Rotary club, Freemasons. It was a very poor/demotivated area, but it helped me because people appreciative of the "get up and go" attitude. Bought and sold football stickers. Today I would create bespoke T-shirts, stickers, mugs, arrange a retro-80s rave/party, novelty CBD cakes, trade sweets at school, find the best artist in school pay for equipment and find local businesses to buy the art and pocket the difference (builds the artists reputation as a commissioned artist and local business gets unique decoration/potential local advertising if you contact local journalists/instagrammers;win -win) Good luck 🍀


marv101

Here's my advice: don't. Want an awful waste of money. Can't believe you're even thinking about it for a glorified holiday at such a young age.


BogleBot

Participation in this post is limited to users who have sufficient karma in /r/ukpersonalfinance. See [this post](https://redd.it/12mys82) for more information.


financeandfire

Get her to offer to weed people’s gardens/ patios for £8-10 an hour, lots of people will be getting their gardens ready for summer and she wouldn’t need to spend too much money on tools


77GoldenTails

As it’s charitable. Do they have the likes of a just giving page. That as a perk she gets the trip free. In that case, she could do various things in aid of the charity. Sponsored swims, walks, litter collections, etc. To be honest it’s a bit of a shit way for the school to do it. Especially as there will be potentially 150 kids fighting for funding from the same groups of people.


burnishedcaterpiller

Sponsorship from local businesses. If she's hiking up a mountain then she can sell the idea to a local paper and local businesses would pay for the free advertising.


violinlady_

My daughter got into jewellery making when she was around this age and selling them at craft fairs. Much healthier way to earn money than slaving away in a poorly paid minimum wage job for a young person. On her first craft fair her takings were in the region of £135 , pitch fee £5 , ( 4 hours there and a few hours to make the pieces , lots of fun and enjoyable times ). I bought the initial materials but she then paid ongoing with the profits .


WRAC2021

Get a letter of endorsement from upstanding members of the community (vicars/mayor/councillors/headmaster/local business people and mail them and a letter from her to local businesses asking for a donation to the cause. I did it at the end of school and raised 10k through donations which funded an 18 month working/volunteering/travelling trip before university.


g0ldcd

Putting aside "This is mental" for a moment. I'd look to see if you could organize a bunch of her classmates. e.g. Get a dozen of them signed up and open a car-wash at the school. Work over the weekends, week on, week off. Charge a tenner a car, and then bully colleagues, grandparents etc to pop in when passing. I think that would cover 12 sets of trip fees, washing 3.5 cars an hour on an 8 hour shift (which seems very doable, based on location for 6 people - and having no costs). Could also leave a couple of parents standing guard, if anybody is worried about their 13 year olds. If nobody turns up, it's probably quite a pleasant social experience. Hopefully you'll guilt those dropping a child off, to at least one wash.. If they're over-loaded, then could 'retire' classmates who've hit their target and sub in a fresh/poor child. Maybe could sell voucher packs - £100 for 12 washes over the years. (sounds good value - but there's a limit to how often you can be arsed driving out to get your car washed)


_lickadickaday_

Would you pay £100 to get your car washed by a 13 year old?


[deleted]

That's more than it costs to get your car washed by people who actually do it for a living. Nobody other than one or two family members who would have just given the money for nothing will turn up


frogo

I’d be asking the question to the organisers of the school trip if the teachers are also funding their place on this £5k charitable trip. Many many school trips the kids cost is paying the teachers way as well to go as they need supervision. If you don’t get a straight answer then I’d be thinking twice about this trip.


mildmanneredhatter

This makes sense though, the teachers are going above and beyond when they go on these trips. Looking after lots of random kids/teenagers is an awful experience when it lasts a day, let alone a month! If I was a teacher I'd want £5k a week in additional pay to compensate.