YOU HAVE YOUR SAY
EVERY week, Money Mail receives hundreds of your letters and emails about our stories. Here are some from our article on how to help your children tackle their student loans . . . I WOULDN’T take it for granted that student loans will be written off after 30 years. I fear politicians will eventually axe this guarantee and claim it is not their fault — like they did with the women’s state pension age. M. B., Buckinghamshire. AN EDUCATED society surely benefits the whole country. We must be missing out on brilliant students who are not prepared to be saddled with the debt. L. C., Rossendale, Lancs. UNLESS you want to enter a profession such as law, medicine or teaching, you shouldn’t waste time and money on university. For many, an apprenticeship with real-world experience is a better route into employment. S. D., Peterborough. I RECENTLY paid off my student loan — you do notice the money being deducted from your pay each month. Even so- called ‘ Mickey Mouse’ degrees are needed nowadays as, when you apply for a job, all the other applicants tend to be graduates. K. L., Hampshire. THERE is no point in paying off your child’s student loan if you don’t have to. Help them in other ways, such as putting something towards a deposit on a property. Or assist them financially while they are still studying. G. Y., Grimsby, Lincs. I WANTED my son to go to university, but he didn’t do well enough in his exams. Instead, I helped him get his first job in IT. He is now 21 and on a salary of £25,000. You don’t always need a degree to be successful. S. E., Dorking, Surrey. WHY should the taxpayer fork out for these students? If you want a degree, then pay upfront. A lot of people go to university just to avoid getting a real job. A. Y., Newcastle. WE CURRENTLY have a real shortage of engineers and doctors in the UK. I don’t know why we’d put young people off pursuing these professions by saddling them with huge debt. It’s a national embarrassment. B. D., West Midlands.