General Chat

As to paying for uni, I was unable to go in the early fifties because of lack of finance. I do regret it because i have always loved learning.

Merlin

Knowing what I know about university salaries, and what anaesthetists are paid ......................... your cousins were highly paid! Possibly even very highly paid ....... anaesthetists are the most highly paid of all medical specialities over here.

But I also have no doubt that their children did work part-time (even if only in the summer) and got as many scholarships as they could.

As for retiring ....... OH was a Professor for 35 years, and was even Head of Department for 4½ years. During all those 35 years he had to contribute to a private unviersity pension, the university also contributed to it. No choice about it!

At one time, I worked out that about 40% of his take home pay (ie what was left after federal and provincial taxes were deducted at source) was going to various insurances, government pension plans (Old Age Security etc), and the university's pension plan.

We really struggled sometimes, even though I was also working, albeit only half-time ...... we did have our daughter in a private school and my salary went to pay the fees etc for that, with a little bit left over for "luxuries". Often there was month left at the end of the money, and we had to eat whatever was in the fridge, eggs being a favourite one! At times, I begrudged what was being paid to those 3 plans "for the future".

However, his university is considered to have one of the best managed university pension plans in the country.

He retired in 2005, we took the money out of that plan and handed it over to a financial manager .......... and we have more disposable income every month than we had when we were both working!

I would presume that your cousins are in a somewhat similar position!



As for the debt that doctors and dentists have when they emerge from training ................. it really doesn't take that long for them to pay it off. Towns and even cities in the less desirable areas of Canada will offer to pay some or all the debt if a newly minted doctor will come and work in the town for a minimum of (x) years, where (x) is a variable number.

Banks will always give them mortgages for houses, setting up business themselves, etc because a doctor is a bankable occupation! Not many doctors go bankrupt!

They just have to have a good business plan, and a good idea of where the suitable place for setting up office is!

Strangely enough, they might have a worse time in a big city than if they are willing to go to more remote areas.


The supply of doctors is controlled only by the provincial Medical Services Plan (MSP) giving each a registration number, which is what allows them to practise ..... sometimes MSP will give that number only if a doctor agrees to go north. Sometimes, one or other of the MSP's across the country (every province is different) may actually refuse to give out any more registration numbers for a particular city or region because MSP considers there are too many doctors in that specialty in that place already.


sylvia

I think the heart will never go out of the boards,
when you need a answer or some support peeps are always here for you.
Only thing is l do wish GR would have a separate boards for the dratted A-Z, ( enough said) lol.

Having had a look at the various boards, and a few threads this morning, I can see people have taken heart again.
Why is that?
no pressure to pander to anyone's work or family situation? or time zone or weather.
Thats great.

this thread certainly has a big heart, because it has a lot of lovely folk on it who are very congenial.
Keep it up everyone, im enjoying it heaps and Learning much about other "systems" in the process.
Looks like a little bit of blue sky this morning. Maybe better weather to get out again so.....
Im taking my old sewing machine to my youngest sons old school, because the art dept, want to start up a textiles class next year. hence the donation. its been sitting there unused for a few years now, still works well, and whats better than it being used than to teach young ones to sew.
This son has just graduated from yr 12 age 18 just three weeks ago. we had a great dinner dance for the class of 2010. Now he has to wait for his results, and then apply for positions in his chosen area.

Getting back to the education topic, here in Aus, some courses are govt funded, and some are not. Our main difficulty is not getting in to a funded course (the entry score must be achieved) but its the cost of living, We are not in a capital city, but an inland regional city, and the local uni only has certain courses, here it is mainly teaching, allied health, and a basic arts degree. Anything other than that must be applied to go to a city uni.

This son wants to do engineering, so he needs to go to the Big City!
Here is where the expense starts. Accommodation, travel, parking, food, etc. then books, and other course fees. There is a lot of small scholarships available that cover books, or child care fees for a child, or medical instruments, or tools etc
You all know exactly what it takes.
Our daughter got her medical instruments paid for each year with one of these, which was a great help. but she still struggled, for the other things.
I didnt know about it until much later as she didnt tell us, but one week she had no food at all, and a friend just happened to visit her, she couldnt even giver her a cup of tea. 3 hours later the friend came back with a whole bag of groceries.
Now that what I call heart!
Yes she was far from home at uni in Melbourne, where the travel to and from is extremely expensive.
Our son1 who I have referred to before, studied in Sydney. and he was lucky to live with his uncle. who was at that time half an hour by train to his uni. So basically for him we had to finance his books and travel. his uncle generously cooked for him etc.
we couldnt have done it otherwise.
Now our son has been in a position to pay him back.
Daughter still with a big debt, as she has only just finished her health degree, and waiting for registration. She has been offered a position in a hospital an hour away from here, but cant start until the registration is cleared.

Im out for the day now, since the weather is a little better, so you all have a good sleep.

Annette

Mummo, I agree with what you said, especially about support. (* and erm the A-Zs)

Annette So really our students are not badly off, it is just their perception because of how they have always been well funded.

Talking about the expence of big cities Annette, what are your car parking charges like in towns and shopping centres?

Education again. I can see that students have a genuine complaint with the latest information. It is a real apartied and ludicrous.
English students in Welsh Unis will pay £9000 a year.
Scottish students in Scottish unis pay nothing in, Welsh Unis pay £3290
English students in Scottish unis I think pay less than £2000
Welsh students in English Unis pay £3290 not sure what they pay in Scottish unis.
All other (foreign) EU students will also pay £3290 if they have lived in Wales for 3 years. to study at Welsh Unis.

Ann

Looking at it from the outside, it seems that the UK has become much more of a Federation, rather than a single country.

Scotland and Wales have won the right to a certain amount of self government ......... and if control of post-secondary education is included in that self-government, then you will get differences in costs.

If, however, ALL universities and colleges are controlled from London, then there is a problem.


How much will other EU students pay if they have not lived in Wales for 3 years?

I mean ............... here we have different costs at universities in the SAME city, let alone in another province.

Not only that, but there are different tuition costs depending on the Faculty you are in (eg, Arts, Science, Engineering, etc). Then there are different tuition costs for out of country students ................... and sometimes for out of province students.

There are also some different qualifying standards for out of country students.


Here, and I guess in many other countries, there is a global amount given to each university by one or other level of government. That is not enough to pay for all the functions of a university. But it is upto the individual university to set up its budget, and determine how to make up any shortfall.

This would include determining how much to charge for tuition costs. Most of them announce early in the year, what the tuition costs will be for the following year.


It really does seem to me that the students are demonstrating for something they have that they do not want to lose ..... just like the trade unions do / did.

The final effect might well be closure of universities because they cannot afford to operate if the government cuts funding to them and they cannot raise the fees.


At least ....... the students pay the same at all English universities or all Scottish or all the Welsh ones, if I understand it correctly.



Over here, a degree takes 4 years to achieve ............. many students might do the first 2 years at a small university in a small town because tuition, accommodations, parking, etc, are all cheaper. Then they will move to a larger university in a big city for the last 2 years in order to make sure that they can take all the courses they want to do.



sylvia

Hi everyone. Just wanted to put in my four-penneth, for what it's worth.
I've been a member on here from the start, but now I only look in about once a week. I used to love this site, and spent many hours on here, but these days it's not the same. I got sick of having to be careful what I said to people and sick of the wind up merchants who would pick an argument with anyone.

You'll find me these days on facebook most nights, which has unfortunately taken the place of this site for me. I have lots of friends on there. Many of them are people who I originally "met" on here and I find the atmosphere on there lots more friendly.

Sorry Ann, I think I've killed your thread.....lol....

I doubt it Maggie, people seem to be enjoying the thread.

Sylvia, Yes I can see what youa re saying and you are right that students don't want to lose what they have now. And who can blame them? Unfortunately with the best will in the world there will be bright children whose families will not be able to afford the fees or the debts and we are going to lose skills. The well off bright or not will be able to carry on. We are certainly a divided Kingdom, I don't understand all the ins and outs of devolution and why Wales has free prescriptions etc etc, something to do with them being considered a poorer country than England I think. But that doesn't help the poor of England. I am glad that I no longer have teenagers in education.

N. Ireland students pay £1800 to study in Scotland. Friend's gson is one and the EU students pay the same! At the moment outside EU pay £9000 but they are dropping their fees and increasing our students. Not right at all.

Hi Ann in Glos
Comments cant kill this thread. Hope your not feeling lonely or sad today.

With my work I have moved around a lot, and left friends all over the place. unfortunately it my closest friends who are far away.

After retirement Ive tried to make close friends here, but it just hasn't been the same,.
I joined a couple of classes; one for quilting, another for discussing current events at the Ongoing educational center (sometimes called university of the third age). All very much fun, but havent connected for a close friend yet. Maybe next year.
The lady I had coffee with the other day is a friend but I dont feel like I can tell her everything and she would still accept me.
I think thats really what one needs after retirement, as there is much to mull over.

for over 25 years I was a piano teacher, connected with the students and parents. That really was my life. I followed the kids progress through school etc and it was a busy and interesting career. From time to time bump into them and ask how they are going with their music.

I got interested in searching for ancestors when our eldest son was born. Until then I didnt have a clue. But one of my OH aunties said to me, " you know your baby, is the eldest son, of the eldest son, of the eldest son, of the eldest son, of the eldest son, of the eldest son.
She seemed to be impressed that we had a son first, so I thought I had to find out about this. So thats how I got into family research, firstly in a small way back then.

More recently since mother passed away a few years ago, I wanted to look into her English ancestry, which I never ( and she) knew much about. She knew they were from England but not even the county or village.
Now we know its Thorney in Cambridgeshire, and Cranford St John in Northamptonshire. So Im really thrilled to know about that now.
And Ive found out that many of my grandmothers brothers went back and fought with the English in the Boer war and the ww1

Fond regards
Annette

HI
MIND ME BUTTING IN

I HAVE BEEN HELPING TWO SISTERS DO THEIR TREE I MET THEM
A FEW MONTHS AGO,THEY HAD SPENT 12 YEARS SEARCHING FOR
THEIR GGRANDAD,I HELPED FIND HIM,
SINCE THEN THEY NOW HAVE CONTACT WITH FAMILY IN NZ
WHERE AN 88 YEAR OLD LADY HAS GAINED MORE RELATIVES
THAN SHE COULD EVER DREAM OF AND IS SO HAPPY
SHE NOW HAS SOMETHING TO LEAVE HER FAMILY
A
HISTORY

Dizzi
No your not butting in; your contributing to the thread.
Nice to meet you, and well done connecting to the islands down under.

A family History is a fine thing to leave as an inheritance.

Of vourse you are not butting in Dizzi. Well done for that and I am sure you enjoyed helping.
Annette, it is so difficult to make friends when you are retired isn't it? Never mind we are all friends on here.

Sparkling Ann, good morning. You are so right, it is more difficult to make friends when you are retired. Even more so if you do not get out much. Although I am able to get out, the occasions are becoming few and far between, unless it is the doctors or hospital, or so it seems
I have come to rely on the boards more and more for company, even to read threads that are not particularly of interest to me personally.
There must be many more people in this position, and just to 'talk' to somebody, must be a boon for them.
We must all keep on 'talking' to others.
Take Care
Julia in Derbyshire

I'm surprised you have time to go out Juiia, what with all that pickling and miles of knitting you do LOL and then there's the home fires to be kept burning for Young Master Piers. LOL

Have you finished your cancan scarfe? I looked in our nearest wool supplier - a dept store - and they don't have it so I'll have to go further afield.

Hope you're warm as toast. It's too cold to hang about in pc corner here but I'll look in again later.

LOL Island, you always make me laugh, just as it should be.
Yes, I am keeping the home fires burning for Young Master Piers, the little whipper snapper. Hewed a tree yesterday, so it will take me through until he sails back to these shores from foreign parts, at the end of January.
I do not think the wool is easy to come by, our wool shop has to order it from Germany, so perhaps it is not kept in stock. My scarf has long been finished, just waiting for the snow to clear then I can go out and wear it.
Working on another Aran and a short sleaved jumper at the mo.LOLOL
Take Good Care
Julia in Derbyshire

I thought I had friends in this street, but since I have not been well enough to take myself on a walk to visit, I have not seen one, and thats a few months now. One who cannot walk this far rings me every day to see how i am, others only ring me when they are poorly or want OH to do something for them. Even my sister who lives opposite cant be bothered, but expects me to go there and questions why I havent. I wonder sometimes if I am just not likeable. Then I come on here and get cheered up and can talk to people with good minds who are interesting and knowledgeable, so please keep posting.

Jean sorry to read of how others are around you, especially your sister. Why are family sometimes so cruel.
Many people locally are more mobile than me(they drive) so it is usually in the summer months we see people when in the front garden working on the garden.
Though I have seen many people walking since the snow came down.
But I have been cooped up indoors caring for a child who has chickenpox. Think we might even miss the childrens christmas party on Monday. Wonder if we will be noticed for our absence?
There are many on here who ask of each other if they haven't posted for a day or two.
We do explore many subjects not just the genealogy too.
I love reading about the carfts others do and realise my crafting needs for the children does carry on to others with scrapbooking and card making. Mine needs are for cross stitch and knitting.

Have a nice evening and keep warm everyone

Linda :o) XxX