funding, why's it all so unfair?

[Tulip]

Me too

[Circe]

And me.

[sarahw]

I think everything you've said is totally valid. The answers are hard to find....

[Melody]

Part of the problem is that dance training takes so many years, and a youngster wanting to be a professional dancer will probably be looking at a vocational school from the age of 11 or thereabouts. From things posted in other threads, the government seems to think this counts as parents "choosing" to send their child to an independent school (and so not the government's responsibility to do anything to help), even though realistically there isn't a non-independent alternative.

 

At least when a student has graduated university with a degree in science, medicine, or law, even though the training can last several years there's a potential for a good-paying job that lasts for decades, and the specialist training doesn't start until the student is in his/her late teens. Dancers have already been a drain on the family finances before they even start vocational school at age 11, and then there's eight years of school (plus extras) to pay for, at the end of which is a job that doesn't pay all that well and doesn't last all that long. However, given the high profile of the Royal Ballet (and equivalent music and theatre organisations), you'd think the government might try to be a bit more helpful. I do wonder sometimes whether MPs these days are so concentrated in the public-school/Oxbridge environment that they simply don't understand the hardships on families trying to send a child to a school whose annual fees exceed the national average wage.

 

In my day, students who got places at university were automatically eligible for grants (means-tested on parental income), but that was before the current "everybody must go to university" attitude and before all the polytechnics and training colleges became universities. Nowadays it wouldn't be possible to give out grants like that because too many youngsters are going to university. But even then, there were problems in that grants were automatically available for university courses, however arcane and apparently useless they were, while students wanting to go to non-university training (such as, for example, RADA) had real problems finding the money (I remember some rather pithy comments about this situation in Kenneth Branagh's autobiography!). So there always seems to be some unfairness and some weird priorities.

 

I just hope nobody is making a mint of money over student loans. It's apparently a very lucrative business over here, and some students who never get high-paying jobs are paying back their loans for their entire lives (even to the point of the money being deducted from their pension cheques!). Further education and vocational education should be seen as an investment, not as an opportunity to make money at the expense of vulnerable youngsters.

[Tulip]

My son and his partner are both teachers and are now paying back their student loans. Depending on income my daughter will also eventually have to pay back her student loan. At least with Da Da these gifts of money don't have to be paid back. So the choice is either audition somewhere that allows for student loan or if you can afford it try for a DaDa that won't have to be paid back. Some private schools offer scholarships for their brightest students from their own pockets. Some vocational schools offer burseries. The Hammond for one offers a fantastic bursery and Tring offers smaller ones, but don't advertise the fact. I mentioned on an earlier thread how expensive even with funding it was. Some forum members took insult thinking I was suggesting poor people shouldn't audition. That clearly wasn't what I was saying. But from reading all the information that people have written about, one can see how you can seriously end up in debt. Know what you will be getting and what all the extra cost are going to add up to. At least we are getting some money from the government, especially MDS's where the most talented will get nurtured. The middle earners, well they get battered financially. Hope everyone get enough funding to Persue their future careers.

[macnatt]

I thought I would throw an international perspective in the mix. We have always been very impressed with the level of funding and assistance available to UK dance students. In Australia all vocational schools seem to be privately funded. We have no allowances or loans to cover maintenance costs for anyone, With the exception of WAAPA in Western Australia, which has a university degree and allows students to take out what we call HECS (our name for student loans which only covers course fees). I am not sure if any other state has a classical course in their university, but most vocational or fulltime ballet programmes as far as I am aware across the country are private businesses or private schools and privately funded by parents with hefty fees. From my perspective, our government seems to only be interested in funding sports or academics and the arts are completely underrated and ignored. My dd is thrilled to be studying in a country that seems to have appreciation for the Arts, funding issues aside, the sheer size of audiences and numbers of ballet productions and theatres is testament to the intrinsic value of the Art. Although DD is a British citizen by descent (I was born in UK) we still pay full international student fees and have to fund her accommodation ourselves, but opportunities in UK and Europe are far more abundant than at home. I feel like she has found her spiritual home in London surrounded by people who understand and appreciate her love of ballet, we couldn't appreciate these gifts more even if at home we are living a frugal life to support her dreams. I just hope that one day she will be able to pay her own rent and her dad and I can retire!

[CouldDoBetter]

Personally I think that the government spend an incredible amount on dance training - the problem is that so many want the funding compared to the number of opportunities at the end of the training so many are disappointed. Unfortunately it costs a lot of money to train a dancer.

 

It is very difficult for anyone to make it without a lot of support from their families - and that is not just financial.