A New Survey Has Revealed Irish Parents’ Greatest Worries For Their Children In College

A survey has just been released that has listed the nine greatest worries that Irish parents have for their children in college.

Conducted by the Irish League of Credit Unions, the release of the survey coincided with the announcement of the Leaving Certificate results just two days ago.

Of all those surveyed this year, these are the nine greatest fears of Irish parents with children in college:

9. Sexual heath issues (2%)

8. Not making friends (4%)

7. Teenage pregnancy (4%)

6. Being homesick/lonely (6%)

5. Skipping lectures (8%)

4. Misuse of alcohol/drugs (10%)

3. Money issues (17%)

2. Difficulty passing exams (19%)

1. Not getting a job after college (30%)

Interesting, while not getting a job was the main concern of parents for their children, it was only the fifth highest worry for students themselves. See the top nine worries of students below:

9. Other e.g. juggling with work/raising family, time mgmt. (8%)

8. Sex, drinks or drugs (3%)

7. Moving away from home (9%)

6. Not making friends (12%)

5. Not getting a job (35%)

4. Course quality or suitability (49%)

3. Finding course too difficult (52%)

2. Finance and debt (60%)

1. Passing exams (74%)

The study delivered a wealth of information on the state of third level education and its current effect on Irish families, revealing 94% of parents support their children financially through college and contribute €453 per month per child, parents save for an average of eight years to put their child through college, and students living outside the home spend an average of €1,033 euro per month while those living at home spend €474 per month.

On a more optimistic note, the study also revealed that 64% of students say they are looking forward to a bright future in Ireland after they finish third level education, which is an increase of 28% from 2013.

To read the full survey, click here.