# Student Loan Repayment Threshold... Ridiculous?



## Saz100 (Apr 18, 2013)

Hi all,

So I am moving to Dubai from Edinburgh in a few weeks. My wage is going up slighting but the monthly repayment of my student loan is DOUBLING! 

According to the SLC this is because the cost of living in Dubai is cheaper than the UK. Should I be concerned by this extra expense? Or do you find it balances out okay?  I would have thought the cost of living in Dubai is much higher than Edinburgh.

Thanks for any comments.


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

Refuse to pay and wander off.


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

Bigjimbo said:


> Refuse to pay and wander off.


I concur - they stop calling you after a while.


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## Saz100 (Apr 18, 2013)

Chocoholic said:


> I concur - they stop calling you after a while.


Even if you've already told them you're moving? Haha I'm too honest!


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## xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxStewartC (Mar 3, 2012)

Saz100 said:


> Even if you've already told them you're moving? Haha I'm too honest!


All credit to you (though I think the whole concept of student loans is evil). Might be worth challenging their decision but I guess they have a neat and tidy table of stats to back up their case.


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## Saz100 (Apr 18, 2013)

StewartC said:


> All credit to you (though I think the whole concept of student loans is evil). Might be worth challenging their decision but I guess they have a neat and tidy table of stats to back up their case.


Yeah I tried to challenge it, I tried to file a complaint, I tried to speak to the manager and finally, as a last resort, I tried turning on the water works. Nothing works with these heartless money-theives.


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

Saz100 said:


> Yeah I tried to challenge it, I tried to file a complaint, I tried to speak to the manager and finally, as a last resort, I tried turning on the water works. Nothing works with these heartless money-theives.


Wandering off is surprisingly effective....


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## Saz100 (Apr 18, 2013)

Bigjimbo said:


> Wandering off is surprisingly effective....


Even if you've already told them you're leaving the country? I feel silly...


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## Krom (Apr 7, 2013)

I'm leaving the UK next week.

I have no intention of telling them.


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## BBmover (Jun 15, 2013)

I told them and husband had to write a letter that he was supporting me and not have to pay anything unless my circumstances change with work. But there is an online account that I can pay into voluntarily. 
I'm too honest as well.

Out f interest, what happens if you don't tell them and not pay, if or when you return to the UK?


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

BBmover said:


> I told them and husband had to write a letter that he was supporting me and not have to pay anything unless my circumstances change with work. But there is an online account that I can pay into voluntarily.
> I'm too honest as well.
> 
> Out f interest, what happens if you don't tell them and not pay, if or when you return to the UK?


If you leave uk and then dont pay, the debt becomes statute barred 6 years after last payment/acknowledgment of debt.
Once a debt is statute barred - they can ask you for the money but cannot take you to court or enforce the debt.
Therefore, if you dont intend to return in the near future - worth considering your options!!

Cheers
Steve


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

Don't know how it works for UK but it works anything like Canada - why would you suggest NOT to pay your student loans? One way or another, government supported student loans are backed up by .. well, the government. So tax payers end up paying for it in one form or another. 

In another perspective, it wouldn't be any different than people leaving debt behind here in Dubai and making it difficult for the rest of us with ridiculous bank/government rules that follow.

Maybe I missed the sarcasm?


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Is not the reason to come out here for most people to pay off bills and to save money? I would think double payments woulndt be an issue as you will be making large payments to it anyhow to knock it out hopefully the first, if not by the start of the second year.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

w_man said:


> government supported student loans are backed up by .. well, the government.


While the UK government seem more than happy to let Vodaphone, Amazon, Google, Kraft and plenty other companies off with billions, I find it relatively easy to sleep at night.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

w_man said:


> One way or another, government supported student loans are backed up by .. well, the government. So tax payers end up paying for it in one form or another.


And yet, I'm not paying any tax either.

If my fellow countrymen are hell bent on voting in a government that believes greed is good and there's no such thing as society, then I'm more than happy to let them pick up the tab for my 4 years of boozing.


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

BBmover said:


> I told them and husband had to write a letter that he was supporting me and not have to pay anything unless my circumstances change with work. But there is an online account that I can pay into voluntarily.
> I'm too honest as well.
> 
> Out f interest, what happens if you don't tell them and not pay, if or when you return to the UK?


Nothing.

Oh and if you stay out oif the UK until your 50+ then its cancelled.


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

It strikes me with great surprise that some of you suggested that the OP should default even if the OP has funds to commit. 

I think that the heart of these programs is to allow students to attend higher education but really if you are planning to dodge the pay back rules I think this is no good.

We do have similar programs in Canada and people get jobs and pay back, but if there is abuse I would be the first to write a petition to bring it down. No point in trying to support higher education if some try to dodge returning the funds even when employed.

Honor the terms of your agreement. Be grateful you could use that program to get educated. And no, it is not a nice thing to suggest that Government should cover you in this case. It is not warranted.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

StewartC said:


> All credit to you (though I think the whole concept of student loans is evil). Might be worth challenging their decision but I guess they have a neat and tidy table of stats to back up their case.


Remember that the student loan only pays part of the cost of the degree course - not all of it. If the individual cannot pay back a small proportion of the cost of the degree through their salary, just think about the much larger sum which the state and taxation system effectively carries which cannot be repaid either. That in itself is good reason to restrict access to only he best.

Its good reason for returning to the good old days when only the top 30% go to university as that all that the economic system actually needs. Labour unfortunately lowered the barrier to entry so much that the economics simply didnt add up.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

twowheelsgood said:


> That in itself is good reason to restrict access to only he best.


Not knowing the word "the" should certainly be a barrier to entry.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Nor should being a pointless pedant 

Your point exemplifies what has gone wrong - the bigger picture ignored while focusing in the minutiae of individual 'ooman rights'. Meanwhile the education system suffers financially at a macro level because everyone demands their share even though it will do them no good in the long run.

Labour just used the education system as a dam to hold back a generation as Labour could not generate an economy to employ them on the wealth creation side of the equation, and the state was already overburdened with the otherwise unemployable.

This is getting all very Graudian vs Daily Heil. The point is that if more people are to enter a system, and the system already generates enough people, then someone has to pay for the excess and strangely enough, the general principle of 'user pays' seems to be objectionable in this case.

My personal view, being an engineer, is that for example, all engineering, full on science, and mathematics courses, Chinese language courses and other economically generative export courses should be free, and all the rest should pay through the nose. One can then discuss which ones fit in either category.

The OP doesn't say what their degree course was but I could hazard a guess when they say that someone asking for a loan to be repaid,is a 'heartless money thief'. I would suggest that they probably shouldn't have been allowed on the course in the first place as the economy simply did not need them or their discipline. Yes, I'm an old g*t who has paid large amounts of taxes for the last 30 years and hates seeing it squandered.

Generation Y attitude or what ?


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Canuck_Sens said:


> It strikes me with great surprise that some of you suggested that the OP should default even if the OP has funds to commit.
> I think that the heart of these programs is to allow students to attend higher education but really if you are planning to dodge the pay back rules I think this is no good.
> We do have similar programs in Canada and people get jobs and pay back, but if there is abuse I would be the first to write a petition to bring it down. No point in trying to support higher education if some try to dodge returning the funds even when employed.
> Honor the terms of your agreement. Be grateful you could use that program to get educated. And no, it is not a nice thing to suggest that Government should cover you in this case. It is not warranted.


This thread is much more relevant to British citizens than those from Canada or other countries.
The UK economy has been very stretched in the last few years by greedy bankers, large companies (both UK and Foreign) doing everything to avoid paying tax, MPs fiddling their expenses and voting for large salary increases, doctors and nurses with no pay rises for 3 years, floods of immigrants from EU countries claiming benefits and working in low income jobs etc. etc.
All the above has left many UK citizens pretty fed up with this situation and they are often looking for their own way to financially protest against these inequalities.
One way to protest, is to not pay debts owing in the UK to these greedy bankers and government organisations!
Hope the above clarifies the context of posts that have been written by my fellow countryfolk!!!
Cheers
Steve


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

twowheelsgood said:


> My personal view, being an engineer, is that for example, all engineering, full on science, and mathematics courses, Chinese language courses and other economically generative export courses should be free, and all the rest should pay through the nose.


Good point, maybe even further incentives for those that then take these needed skills abroad?


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

Stevesolar said:


> This thread is much more relevant to British citizens than those from Canada or other countries.
> The UK economy has been very stretched in the last few years by greedy bankers, large companies (both UK and Foreign) doing everything to avoid paying tax, MPs fiddling their expenses and voting for large salary increases, doctors and nurses with no pay rises for 3 years, floods of immigrants from EU countries claiming benefits and working in low income jobs etc. etc.
> All the above has left many UK citizens pretty fed up with this situation and they are often looking for their own way to financially protest against these inequalities.
> One way to protest, is to not pay debts owing in the UK to these greedy bankers and government organisations!
> ...


Absolutely disagree - the greed you mention is in every capitalistic country. There are MANY in both Canada and US whose savings are gone because of the banks being greedy. Sure, Canada is slight more protected and that's what Canadian government would like to feed you but even Canadians lost money in the wall street meltdown.

Having said that, NO ONE should be defaulting on loans. Specially loans which are provided by the government under schemes such as student loans. You're lucky you are getting those - most countries don't offer such services. People who default on these loans make it worst for the coming generations to access these services.

I find it funny that the same people who are providing excuses for defaulting on student loans in the UK would be the first to jump on some guy coming on this forum asking question about defaulting on loans in UAE and doing a runner. We have all seen those threads and the response. 

Anyways ... sorry for the hijack - :focus:


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

Steve,

I thought responding you, but W_man did it pretty awesomely.
I second w_man's every single word.


And shame on you all who suggested the OP to default. Perhaps Osborne should have cut these kind of services in the UK when he tabled some unreal cuts even further on the spending review on June 23rd. Ok I am being bad now, but hopefully you see our point.

Or will you shy me away stating that this is more important for UKyers than everybody else? No wonder UK hired a Canadian to do what the FED has been doing iam laughing cuz never seen so much irony in my life. Carney put up a real show just a day or two ago.

In fact. Had a good laugh at the British parliament exchange. It was fun. The level of exchange there is unreal. If you folks wanna have some fun check on Mr Ball exchange with the Ex chequer on youtube.


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## BBmover (Jun 15, 2013)

twowheelsgood said:


> Remember that the student loan only pays part of the cost of the degree course - not all of it. If the individual cannot pay back a small proportion of the cost of the degree through their salary, just think about the much larger sum which the state and taxation system effectively carries which cannot be repaid either. That in itself is good reason to restrict access to only he best.
> 
> Its good reason for returning to the good old days when only the top 30% go to university as that all that the economic system actually needs. Labour unfortunately lowered the barrier to entry so much that the economics simply didnt add up.


I'm wondering if I would have been in that top 30%???? 
The student loan helped me as a mature age tax payer/student to supplement my university course books, part of my rent, travel in London as well as working evenings and weekends, minimal wage,in a restaurant. Struggled to make ends meet, worked hard at university attending lectures on sometimes 3 hours sleep after my shift and graduated! Not too badly either! 
Would I be considered as the 'lowered barrier to entry'?
Been paying off my student loan, notified them of my move to Dubai, given my new address in Dubai and set up an online account to pay off voluntarily until I start working here, even though I don't have to.....UK tax payer for the last 19 years and I have no intention on defaulting on my loan.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

w_man said:


> People who default on these loans make it worst for the coming generations to access these services.


Congratulations - You've won the Million Dirham Du prize draw, PM me for details on how to claim your prize.


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

Let me get this straight, corporate greed in government justifies individual greed. How is the person moving away to avoid paying taxes and using that move as a way to scam the system by defaulting on a government loan any better than the corporations you complain about.

Financial protest my arse.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

The sanctimony is high in this thread.

From Wiki

2011 Chief Executive Tax Avoidance Issue

In January 2012, a BBC Newsnight and Exaro investigation revealed that Ed Lester, the head of the SLC, was being paid his salary via a private firm, allowing him to reduce his payment of income tax and national insurance contributions. It was subsequently announced that he would be treated as a regular employee in the future. In May 2012, Lester announced he would be leaving the Student Loan Company at the expiration of his contract in January 2013 although he insisted that the controversy had no bearing on his decision.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

So you are saying that when one legally pays X in tax, and your employer changes the terms of employment so that you pay 3 times X in taxes, you should just carry one ? Plain fact is that the public sector cannot pay the going rate for high quality individuals whose experience they require. They certainly couldn't afford me. Even if he stayed in the public sector, he would end up with quite a few years of a public sector, inflation proofed pension, the cost of which is crippling the exchequer these days.

Sorry, but nobody is that stupid.

Note that he said the controversy had no bearing - not that the increased taxes had no bearing 

The advantage of a service company apart from lower taxation, is that you can have what holidays you want, you can work multiple jobs, you are not bound 9-5 Monday to Friday and the employer doesn't have a NI payment obligation. On the downside, there's no pension, no paid holidays, no healthcare, no tenure. That suits some people - low cost of employment and high flexibility.

Each to their own, according to their desire.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

twowheelsgood said:


> So you are saying that


No, what I'm saying is that you should look after yourself and your immediate family first and foremost because nobody out there will do it for you. Of course if you borrow money from corporations then you should pay it back as that's part of the contract but for any reason, if circumstances dictate you can't, then don't sweat it either. It's not the morally correct thing do as these entities are headed up by people a lot richer than you, default on deals all the time in a professional capacity and at the heart of it all, wouldn't p!ss on you if you were on fire.


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## Felixtoo2 (Jan 16, 2009)

I've been trying hard not to reply to this thread but I've had to give in. 
I've been on this site for years and I've seen loads of threads about people doing runners and leaving debt in Dubai. It's a very sad state of affairs when some regular posters are commending and recommending not paying loans that someone signed up to even before coming to Dubai.
It seems that the bottom of the barrel had been reached and it is very interesting to see who is scraping about in the bottom of it. You took the loan, pay it feckin back, it's that simple.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

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