Your money blog: Is it possible to secure an affordable deal when it comes to boarding school?

Although they’ve become increasingly popular with students from overseas in recent years, the rising cost of British boarding schools has actually prevented many middle class families living in the UK from being able to afford them.

The top five most expensive British boarding schools have more than doubled in price since 1994. But along with the more elite establishments, there are cheaper alternatives when it comes to boarding.

“Some good schools charge fees of just £21,000 (Dh98,727),” says Sarah Sparling of UK boarding school specialists Anderson Education. “They may have a charity foundation that offers funding, or they’re located further away from London and the South-east, which make them less costly.”

Campbell College boys school in Belfast, which sits on 100 acres that include a lake and a forest, is recommended by the Good Schools Guide and yet costs a mere £12,576 a year.

Failing that, British passport holders might consider a state boarding school, which usually charge annual fees of about £12,000.

For second and subsequent children attending the same school, sibling discounts are often available.

A parent of a particularly gifted child might consider applying for a scholarship – but don’t expect it to mean a discount off the fees. “These days, finances are reserved for bursaries and means-tested pupils,” says David Wesley, the director and founder of The British Boarding Schools Show.

He claims that many British boarding schools select half their sixth form students “based on almost perfect GCSEs” and the other half are chosen “because they think they will contribute to the community”. “They might be a great chess player, or a talented sailor, for example,” he says. “The advantage of scholarships is they can really help with applying for university, especially for students wanting to head to the United States to study. A scholarship can really help your child to stand out.”

Ronald Mangravite, author of the book American Prep: The Insider's Guide to US Boarding Schools, says that many US boarding schools have generous financial aid programmes that even upper income families can access. He adds that American universities place a high value on students who have been to boarding school. "Many college placement officers at the schools are personally acquainted with their college counterparts; it's a kind of club, in many instances."

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Your rights as an employee

The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.

The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.

If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.

Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.

The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Details

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Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
not be younger than 25 years old
not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially

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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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