Course curriculum

  1. 1
  2. 2

    • ABSA Leaders: Sharing Perspectives and Concerns

    • The Importance of Research

    • Financial Wellbeing

    • Financial Life Skills Have Never Been More Important!

    • Research of Boarding Parents 2017-2018

    • The Perspective of Boarding Parents

    • I Crashed
  3. 3

    • Boarding Houses Have an Opportunity and a Responsibility

    • A Simple Action Plan
  4. 4

    • Building Boarder Financial Capability

    • Before you go ...

Boarding Parent Perspectives

92% indicate that financial education should be part of the boarding school program.

Peer Pressure

Nina (Parent of Boarder - QLD)

I am aware of the pressure my child is under to spend money and use cards for online purchases which we don’t allow. But because so many other boarders have access to these cards there is a lot of peer pressure. Boarding staff must provide lessons for our children about this. They should not allow this pressure to build. This needs to be managed.

Compulsory

Joanna (Parent - South Australia)

Financial education is vitally important for our children. The boarding school has a role to play in helping our children build some financial awareness and understand how important trust and ethics are in financial decision-making. There should be some financial education workshops that are compulsory for boarders each year.

Protected from Real World

Katie (Ex-boarder NSW)

I know of boarders who have struggled with their finances when they left school. Sometimes parents can help them out, but if that is not possible, like for my friend, it can be very stressful. Giving all boarders a financial education starting point would be helpful for everyone. We are very much protected from the real world as a boarder. Our electricity, accommodation, internet, heating, meals etc are all covered and we hear no conversation of their costs and the need to budget for them. When we leave school, these costs become real very quickly. It is very daunting to suddenly have to pay for everything.

Rssponsibility

Tina (Parent - NT)

If there are boarders gambling or not using their own money responsibly, I would expect the boarding staff to notify families and to work through a solution. I would not like my children exposed to or pressured into using their money irresponsibly. I would be very concerned if boarders were being allowed to gamble, and my child was regularly exposed to this.

ABSA

Australian Boarding Schools' Association

Future financial wellbeing

Richard Stokes, CEO

ABSA has partnered with TWA to develop and implement a long-term solution to help our boarders develop their financial wellbeing for the future. TWA’s approach of supporting youth, parents and the broader community is unique and innovative. We believe in this approach. Future financial wellbeing should be invested in. It should not be a matter of chance!

Life skills are essential

Tom Dunsmore (General Manager)

Our duty of care for the 21,000 boarders in our schools includes a focus on financial life skills education. It is essential that we help boarding houses to develop the financial capability of boarders.

Pricing options

Different prices for different clients for different time periods.

Extra Value

Bonus options giving greater value

  • Bundle

    Access this course in the bundled courses for boarders. Better value for boarding staff and parents of boarders.

  • 15 Minute Check-In

    If you are a boarding school director, we will provide a free 15 minute phone or online video consultation to support the development of your financial learning plan. (Annual subscription.)

  • Boarding Family Stories

    We want to build boarding-specific resources that resonate with families. If your boarding families have stories to share, we would love to see them and perhaps integrate them into our future resources. Helping us, allows us to help the wide variety of families that access boarding schools around Australia.

Survey comments

Parent concerns

  • The boarders are too sheltered from the real world.

  • The ‘free for all’ with my sons access to his private boarding school WIFI, not only allows, but almost encourages gaming when there’s a moment of boredom. Many of the games that the boys like and play are unrealistic ‘win money/gambling style games’. I believe all of this leads to the real possibility of a generation of young men with gambling addictions. It’s uncharted territory & it bothers me a lot. Even with the safe network we’re told about, I feel a total lack of control over this. I think education on more realistic financial skills would take the sting out of the make believe (& it would give the kids something else to do other than sit on their phones, computers or the damn PlayStation that they have in the boarding house!).

  • Not enough girls get this form of financial education in school, let alone the boarding house. Attitudes need to change.

  • Many kids doing VET courses don’t do accounting or even math's as a subject in Yr 11 or 12 & therefore don’t have basic skills needed to budget let alone the understanding of saving.

  • Would be extremely happy to have my son receive financial life skills education.

  • Read other comments within the course!

  • Girl boarders
  • Mixed boarders
  • Boy boarders

FAQ

  • Can boarders do this course?

    This course is not designed for boarders, rather their parents and the boarding staff looking after them.

  • What is the purpose of the course?

    This course provides background information, including research, opinion pieces and ideas that can help parents and boarding staff to enhance the financial capability and wellbeing of boarders.

  • Why are there different price points?

    The price for a parent is low because only 1-2 parents may access the course. The price for boarding houses is incrementally higher because multiple staff may access the course over various time periods of employment.

  • Why is the course aimed at both parents and boarding staff?

    TWA believes that both boarding staff and parents have a shared responsibility in forming a solution to boarder financial capability and wellbeing. Hopefully, this course prompts a shared conversation.

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