Not sure what your problem is, EMA only goes to families who's yearly income falls below a certain amount (families who cant go around buying computer games when ever they feel like it... which i think maybe you can, the reason you have this stupid opinion) it also encourages children who could finish school and start earning 100+ pounds a week in a full time job (alot for a 16 year old) at say mc'donalds, to carry on education resulting in a better job... more money, giving his kids a better future an not relying on EMA.
To afford the train fair/petrol/college fees to get to college I took three jobs and basically never slept. I kept it up for a year before being offered a job in the industry I was training for, and took merit or distinction in every module that I took. I didn't get no EMA, and if I had, it wouldn't have been spent on computer games.
I think that's the kind of point Tristan was making.
Secondly the UK state school system means that the funding is taken from your income whether you are using schools or not. So, to all intents and purposes schools are free. Paying the students doesn't increase the ability of the teachers, so standards aren't affected. Maybe the students pay more attention, maybe they just go and mess about but recieve their money, who knows.
The money is mostly an incentive, although a small proportion of it must be attributed to bus/car/lunch fees for the schooling, and perhaps the odd duffle coat. But it's not intended so that the schoolees can buy computer games, or not bother to get a paper round or something.
Don't get me wrong, I know some people can't afford much. But paying someone to go to school is the wrong way to encourage it in my opinion.
I'm not a big fan of EMA. Nor of them bonuses they give some students for simply passing their GCSE's at some schools. It teaches them the wrong values and makes money the prime motivator illepall Of course it does genuinely help a lot of people out, but more often than not it gets pissed away on cheap cider or PS2 games. A lot of colleges have a seperate transportation/lunch help system anyway.
Its like, if your going to give a couple of quid to someone homeless sitting on the corner of a shopping centre, what will do them better, buying them bits that are actually useful to them, or giving them a couple of quid that they're almost gaunteed to go waste on cheap booze?
Of course, this is backed up by the fact I worked my arse off to pay for college fees and transportation, and still am, at 19 I get no EMA or silly bonuses, only £1,400 in fees + £45/month transportation when I only earn £90 a week. But at least I can feel good about it. Although I think I may be a bit biased
By college you should already know the basics in english (unless you require an ESL class, in which case that is the reason you are taking an ESL class) and therefore you should not have to be taught it. Of course, we all know that the school system before college is crap anyways. 90% of my class this year failed the english class we had first semester because of bad grammar. (A word of warning to you, Faster111. Better fix your english up real quick.)
It's pretty sad when you take a college course and one of the classes involves "how to use a comma." illepall
I agree that some families may require a little bit extra to get their kids through college, but as Tristan said, this is done in a completely wrong fashion. It will get pissed away on stupid things instead of the important things. Especially when the person getting the money is only 16, they are more apt to piss it away on computer games.
Although, we have the same basic thing; "financial aid." You have to apply for it, and most will, be accepted for it. Although, in the end, it all has to be repaid anyways. Every single person I talked to in college who had financial aid spent it on needless things. Although, we all had a meal plan with which to buy food, so there goes one important thing the money would be going towards...
I'm not a big fan of EMA. Nor of them bonuses they give some students for simply passing their GCSE's at some schools. It teaches them the wrong values and makes money the prime motivator illepall Of course it does genuinely help a lot of people out, but more often than not it gets pissed away on cheap cider or PS2 games. A lot of colleges have a seperate transportation/lunch help system anyway.
I had to get a job in college to pay for my cider, weed and computer games!! It helps some people out the ones that want to learn, but most of the time its stupid fecking chavs who are disruptive that get the incentive to learn. Half the time they ain't thick, they just don't want to learn. Exactly the kind of people who should leave education @ 16 and work in factories/ maccyd's.
I've been working hard for about 5 months now, it's really not that bad.
Think of all the sweets you could buy..
Sweets!
I didn't really want to go to College so I went out and got a job. At least I earn my keep
That's a proper Hampshire lad speaking there, go out and get yourself a job! PROPER JOB.
Yes working is great, think of all the petrol you can buy to burn the jobless bum's and spongers that soak up that tax you pay!
Like many others, i was never offered the 'life skill's course at college to get payed to go.. I had to do a boring diploma in computer science retake my math gcse exam and take the haunting looks from the teacher for my leet warez skills. She was dead sexy though, but had a bun in the oven at the time.
EMA is payed for by the very same people who cannot get it at college. Basically i got pissed off seeing the chavs at my college buying drugs with my parents money. When people who might have spent it on something useful, like travel, got hardly anything because they were late to their classes because of trains being shit or buses breaking down.
EMA is a good idea, but they just don't bother checking peoples backgrounds and give it to anyone. For example i knew a guy with parents earning at least 250k a year who got it because 'they ran their own business and did not have a fixed salary'. And people 'forget' to put parents down on the form who send them money but don't live with them.
I think it a disgrace the way this thread has been hijacked by idiots who are not in the position to judge anyone.Why does the lad get this benefit?
Not Your business! Why does he not spell well? Not Your f%%king buisiness.
Leave the kid alone!!!
Well, even though, I'm 16 and I'm moving up to G10 (American system, the best school system you can get here ) and the fact I don't work, I still believe in the idea that if you could work, even during college or uni years, then you have every right to spend every dime any way you want but, as much I respect LFS and it being the best sim there is, there are also real life responsibilities. I mean, I certainly wouldn't want to end up buying a game or something similair just because I really want it and then later on, I pay hard because I needed the money for college or uni or something. faster, I am not trying to take a hand at you, but getting money for doing nothing shouldn't be wasted on things such as games. I mean, I agree jegorchangai. He earns his money fair and square by working hard, and although, I think superbikes are dangerous and I'd advise him to buy something safer, but thats just my personal opinion, but then again, its his choice whether he wants to get a bike or not, its his money, he's free to do what he wants with it. People, education is one of the most important things in life, its what helps you get a proper job which pays a reasonable amount of money so that you can live a comfortable life. Thats just my opinion.
I think it a disgrace the way this thread has been hijacked by idiots who are not in the position to judge anyone.Why does the lad get this benefit?
Not Your business! Why does he not spell well? Not Your f%%king buisiness.
Leave the kid alone!!!
Goodluck Faster hopefully see you soon.
Of course it ain't the buisness of the people who are paying for his benifits.... Good luck to the lad if he spends it on transport/materals for his course, but wasting it on beer drugs and games, well thats different.
Why should they need the encouragement? Peoplet who normaly want to stay on have good reasons, like getting a better job later in life, or a geniune interest in learning. This will just encourage the scroungers to goto college instead of going on the dole.
ps im pretty drunk so spelling/grammer may not be up to standerds!
I agree with fragile_dog - bbuck im not sure if you live in the UK but this is something that happens almost everywhere. The people who 'under achieve' get offered this crap, and yeah all they do is go buy rubbish with it! Drugs booze the lot, and the tax payer has to fund it?
We fund chav's and loosers and encourage them to take the piss easy road of sponging... Some are not like this and genuinely have a real use/need for the money, and i don't think anyone will have anything to say against that. Everyone is entitled to an education but idiots who blow the money on useless crap just don't deserve it! As for it not being our business... Well this is a forum, and he did post it here so that makes it our business.
I live in Belfast.You are talking about people who abuse the process. But for a lot of working class kids it,s either the dole or school.Plus surely 2 more years education would help anyone.
The money is to be pocket money to encourage kids to stay on to get a little more education than they would normaly have.
the prospect of getting a decent job at the end of it all should be encouragement enough. i just dont see why people cant work on a weekend when their at 6th form/college/uni or whatever. its pathetic in a way
Well, even though, I'm 16 and I'm moving up to G10 (American system, the best school system you can get here ) ...
... Thats just my opinion.
If the American System is the best in your country, then y'all got problems.
Does that mean you have to go thru metal detectors too? DO they dummy down your school work to compensate for all the illegal immigrant kids in your school also? And do they really NOT teach anything but what the correct answers are on some standardized test that supposedly determines that you're getting a quality education?
Oh and as far as those UKers getting money for college.... Go to a school that has a decent NCAA team. College is usually ran by people that couldn't get a job in the real world... so may as well go to one that has a decent sports team. If I was (heaven forbid) to go to college, I'd want to be a school that stands a chance of getting to the Final Four instead of some liberal arts crap.
Yeah I know the UK don't have any affiliation with the NCAA, but they ought to.
I don't think this allowance/grant should be wasted on silly things like games. LFS, on the other hand, is a serious simulator and should be paid for by whatever means possible, even if it means sponging off the state