What life skills do you wish you’d been taught at school?
Posted by FriendlyChaosMonster@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 103 comments
I’ve been asked to teach some A-Level students a two hour lesson on ‘life skills’.
What do you wish you’d learned at school that would have helped you later on?
DameKumquat@reddit
Basic first aid, when to contact emergency services, basic consumer rights and doing chargebacks on a credit card, and public speaking.
The most useful course of my life had everyone in turn stand up and talk for 3 minutes on a topic written on the board behind them. Introduce yourself, the topic, ideally say what you're going to say, failing that ask the audience what they know about it, say pretty much anything for 30 seconds, summarise, thank audience. Terrifying but so so useful...
SeniorMoonlight21@reddit
Schools should not be teaching that, somethings are down to parents, not a school. But obviously a lot of parents these days can not be bothered to do this.
DameKumquat@reddit
Life skills by definition are something schools don't normally teach and you hope families will, but that's what OP asked about.
Born-Jaguar3666@reddit
I think its so weird with all the bullshit they teach you that they dont make more time for: 1. Swimming. i can understand this one it might cost more than they can budget 2. Driving, most people are going to learn to drive anyway. Why not make it part of the school curriculum. Again this would be expensive so i can understand 3. Cooking/ nutrition there is no reason why i should be learning about some random war that happened 2000 years ago or about greek gods over preparing a healthy meal for myself. One of the schools i went to did have cooking classes but it was so basic we basically only made flap jacks or cheese cake. Cooking should be as important as maths or english IMO. 4. Finances. To leave the schooling system after 10 years without knowing how to do a self assessment to pay your own taxes is abysmal. Or things like interest or mortgages which will be compulsory to learn about at some point in your life unless you plan to be hermit. Like theres not even a mention of taxes etc unless you opt to study business in my country. We shouldn’t be surprised we all know the reasons why these things l are not taught
SeniorMoonlight21@reddit
Most schools talk about all of this in maths when it comes up related to the topic being covered like ratios/percentages/etc. Most of these things are also talked about in PSHE/Citizenship lessons.
Born-Jaguar3666@reddit
Not really man i did top set maths and you mentioned pshe which tells me your from the uk. They might mention paying 20% income tax in maths exams. Or what your taxes contribute to or pshe. I mean we should have full on exams based around calculating your tax self assessment or how much interest you will pay on certain loans over the years. We go into depth on so much useless stuff. Y would they not make time for that instead. We know why.
Amazing-Visual-2919@reddit
Financial skills should be taught if they're not these days. First aid too.
SeniorMoonlight21@reddit
I am not meaning this as an attacking against you, but most of the time they are. People just do not pay attention and then they leave school saying stuff like this.
Yes often there is not a standalone lesson, but its pretty standard to talking about financial stuff in other lessons. We talked about it in PSHE, and we learned about mortgages, credit, etc when doing subjects in maths in was related to like interest, fractions, ratios,etc.
Amazing-Visual-2919@reddit
I'm pretty sure I didn't get taught finances at school but it was a few decades ago.
Things might have changed but I bet a lot just depends on how good your teacher was.
CoopssLDN@reddit
Totally agree with this. It’s crazy really it’s not taught. Credit card management, how mortgages work, starting and maintaining a pension fund. Key skills
Impossible_Delay1023@reddit
Your far off it’s funny, I agree with what your saying but let me simplify this for you. The average person hasn’t even been taught how to budget. It’s utter insanity imo
pm-me-animal-facts@reddit
You are taught how to budget and what a mortgage is in UK schools. The issue is that it’s hard to grasp the concept and retain the information when it’s so abstract to students. This means that students either struggle to retain the information or lose interest.
Impossible_Delay1023@reddit
This wasn’t taught when I was school so I do appreciate the response
BassIck@reddit
I agree with both of those and I would also add self defence
Interesting-Law7788@reddit
Online safety, car maintanence, basic handyman jobs.
Otherwise-Eye-490@reddit
Honestly basic social skills - talking to strangers, introducing yourself etc.
I’m a teacher and tbh we must get this bit right as our sixth formers are pretty confident etc but I recently manned the sign in table at an event for multiple local schools and OH. MY. GOSH. The amount of sixth formers who couldn’t walk up to me, make eye contact and say ‘good evening, my name is xxxx, I’m from YYYY school’ and identify the name of their teacher who’d booked the tickets was staggering. It was eye opening. I really think so many schools have gone so far into being cuddly and nurturing to students with anxieties, neurodivergence, etc, that these poor kids are going to be spat out into the world unequipped to do basic things and just navigate life without a parent or teacher to speak for them. I’m not saying we shouldn’t nurture, but we are doing them a disservice if we take it so far that we never make them do anything that makes them uncomfortable.
Moto-Ent@reddit
Im surprised this isn’t higher up. A lesson on basic professional social skills would do them a load of good.
ClueAcceptable6004@reddit
Financial literacy, life skills and above all; having a hobby and playing some kind of outdoor sports.
Maleficent-Win-6520@reddit
Self defence
ThrowAwayAccountLul1@reddit
I dont really like these questions because people approach it with an attitude that they'd suddenly pay extra attention in these lessons than otherwise they would have.
Do you really think 14 year old you was going to be enthralled in a lesson about intrest rates and savings accounts?
RockAndHardPlace81@reddit
I don't think anybody believes that there will be 100% attendance or attention paid to these lessons, I don't think that is the case for any lesson or class! Point is that if there is at least a kid or two in each class who is grateful for the information and mentally bookmarks it for later on, it's worth doing.
Strange-Bite-1685@reddit
I see the vast majority of people say things about how to deal with mortgages, loans and tax from school.
I was a Maths teacher for a few years and if you're taught percentages, you can work out all the maths you typically need to, what is needed is the literacy and reading aspect to be taught alongside it.
If you can work out percentages and know how take 20% off a number, you know roughly how much you'd lose in tax for example...
I guess school is typically there to give you the skills to go and research and understand what you're reading... Sadly it fails alot of the time...
RockAndHardPlace81@reddit
Speaking as a former accountant, percentages will only get you so far in understanding tax enough to know your options. I think it would help to teach them different kinds of tax (i.e. teach them how tax and NI change depending on whether you're employed or self-employed.) and how to easily find information about the current rates/thresholds. This might help more young people feel able to run their own business rather than rely on a payroll person knowing this. Even covering tax rules on selling on Vinted/eBay would be helpful for them as this is so common. Many adults also don't understand that NI and tax are calculated differently, one is calculated for the job and the other is for you for a year. If you have multiple streams of income/jobs, this comes in handy. - Teaching a kid what a tax code means and their basic payroll rights as employee (i.e. illegal to pay employees late; illegal ways employers may deal with payroll errors) can help them know what to do if they get a job and things don't go to plan - Tax allowances and the like affect that percentage. Your choices and circumstances may affect those allowances and they deserve to know that for future planning.
buginarugsnug@reddit
This. We were taught about VAT in school but we weren't taught anything about income tax, NI, IHT, stamp duty, CGT etc etc. You see a lot of posts on the personal finance sub along the lines of 'why am I being taxed when I haven't met the 12750 threshold?' because no-one teaches them how it works!
RockAndHardPlace81@reddit
Amen. And so many employers actually treat employees illegally in payroll in some cases because they don't know enough. Unfair practices in recovering overpayment, witholding wages, cutting working "hours" without cutting actual time person is on the clock. Many people assume the payroll manager knows best but we just need a bit more education. I forgot to add it in my original comment but it would be good to educate kids on working out SMP and SSP etc. also. If they want kids or get ill, it might help them to know in advance what the provisions are.
buginarugsnug@reddit
Unfortunately a lot of people cannot connect two and two together. Kids need to be taught how to apply these things to real life to give them a better understanding of how to use it.
I'm not sure if it is now different since I was at school, but we were only taught about tax. There was no explanation of pensions, investments, loans, debt or anything like that. Being able to work out a percentage does not give you the financial literacy you need in life.
Jlaw118@reddit
Just overall managing money and finances in general with real life maths problems.
Since leaving school 14 years ago, I’ve never had to work out the area of a triangle or circle, or tried to find what X squared - 3 is. But I’ve earned interest on savings, had a mortgage, had other debts and paid interest out. I’ve worked, earned a living and paid tax and national insurance and learnt over time by myself how the financial system works. Thankfully I’ve done alright.
But I wish I’d have left school a bit more clued up and prepared for such a world. You’re expected to leave school, go to sixth form/college and then jump straight into the world of work and fend for yourself.
North_Still_2234@reddit
You've misunderstood what those maths lessons taught you. They taught you how to think logically and methodically, and how to follow a process to achieve a result. You dont think thats been useful in your life?
Jlaw118@reddit
Some of it is is useful yeah. I hear a lot of people complain about another day going by where they haven’t used algebra. But I do use the basics of it in my day to day life. I run my own business and accounts so finding out the value of X by reversing a sum is pretty much my day to day life, and having to think methodically has been a massive help. Also needing to work out percentages, averages and other similar equations has also been beneficial.
But a lot of the maths in school has also been pretty useless in my life. Especially working out the area of spaces and Pythagoras Theorem. Whereas such equations have been beneficial to a close friend of mine who does a lot of woodwork and builds things like garages and other structures, where he does need to heavily work out the area of a room, and the geometry of triangles. But that’s because he does what he does, and is a small percentage of people who would use that in their day to day lives compared to how many people need to know basic maths and equations
North_Still_2234@reddit
Nah, you still don't get what I'm saying.
Its not about teaching you maths, its about teaching logical thought.
ghost-bagel@reddit
Yeah, it’s mad that they don’t teach either of the basic principles of long term saving (whether it’s investing or just how pensions work) or how debt works.
Fluffy_Ad2274@reddit
Did you not learn about compound interest at school?
Jlaw118@reddit
I honestly don’t think we did
ghost-bagel@reddit
It may have cropped up in a couple of maths problems, but not beyond the context of “solve this maths problem”
T_raltixx@reddit
Taxes, Housing and other vital adult financing.
OwineeniwO@reddit
Stuff about work, which jobs can get you what type of life, where to and how far they can travel for work, I'd tell them how many people retire every year which means all these jobs are up for grabs, remind them that allthough their parents had kids it's up to them to be proactive if they want that themselves, remind them that how they are treated in school won't be how they are treated in the real world, good and bad.
EatingCoooolo@reddit
Credit and Credit scores
Western_Froyo6627@reddit
Basic money management / the impact of credit scores and loans. It took me until my late 20s to fix what 18 year old me got up to with all of that "basically free money"
2roundabout@reddit
So your school didn't teach maths?
Western_Froyo6627@reddit
Loans/BNPL/credit stuff is often more about literacy and law than it is about maths.
I can calculate interest fine (basic numeracy when I've been given the figures), but these things are worded or calculated in ways to deceive. The way credit scores are calculated isn't common knowledge, so that's not just maths either. If it was all just basic maths, taught at school level and everyone understood it easily, credit wouldn't be such a pillar of the financial world.
Great-Ad-632@reddit
Yep agreed. It’s too early to learn about mortgages, but I’ve seen 19 year olds with shocking credit scores from taking out phone contracts Willy nilly and having no understanding of hard or soft searches
Ashamed-Assumption12@reddit
This! That credit cards, BNPL & overdrafts are not free money.
Frosty_Leg4438@reddit
100% the risks of social isolation.
They’re in a magic period/opportunity of their lives where they can grow a squad and group of friends that they’ll never have again.
I think telling them how important this is and how treasuring it as a key to their mental health is a fantastic thing to try (and not replace it with social media).
However you would need to be careful how to land the message considering there will be some in the audience that know the importance of friendships but are struggling to forge them (you won’t want them to feel worse)
Delicious_Pomelo7162@reddit
I wish I could upvote 100 times. This is so important because the less-sociable ones amongst them (including those with diagnosable inter-personal issues) will go on to whatever’s next for them and that may well be something which has no definite requirement to be socialising in-person.
Social media/content is far too good at filling that particular hole now, so they won’t necessarily be shaken out of their isolation by a deep need to feel human interaction like similar people in previous generations would’ve. This is an entirely new problem that we’re facing as a society.
I personally think we need to have a public awareness drive similar to 5-a-day specifically for making sure people know that they really need in-person social interaction.
yorkspirate@reddit
I disagree with this. Telling people at that age the need to make friends because they'll never have that opportunity again would fester very unhealthy and toxic friendships which are worse
CouldBinteresting@reddit
Not worth an entire lesson but one of my bosses once said "push yourself to do things you feel uncomfortable doing. That is the only way you grow and develop." I have been telling my kids the same and used it with my daughter. Where I went to school we had to stand up and do presentation as part of language lessons from primary school so was not overly shy. My middle child was very shy and I kept pushing her to go up and ask for her own water from the waiter or read in church and now she is super confident. I would say that is definitely something everyone needs to learn. Sometimes doing things that feel hard at the time make us a stronger person later on. It's about trying and not just giving up just because it is not easy.
TheSpaceFace@reddit
CBT techniques are pretty much a universal technique to deal with stress, anxiety and other health issues.
Once you learn it, it can be applied to a lot of mental health conditions. It only takes about 10-20 hours to learn how to do them.
RockAndHardPlace81@reddit
Any good free online resources you could recommend?
TheSpaceFace@reddit
https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/self-help-cbt-techniques/
RockAndHardPlace81@reddit
Thank you that is brilliant!
TheSpaceFace@reddit
No worries, CBT Therapy which is rather pricey is just them going through these techniques in more detail anyway, CBT therapy can be great and I did it and was worth it for me, but technically these techniques can be learnt and applied by anyone learning it themselves.
RockAndHardPlace81@reddit
Stuff I wish I'd been taught before moving out:
eadipus@reddit
Basic media literacy, we used to get multiple newspapers in our form room and look at the same headline/story and how it was reported. If its rage bait the truth is normally in the second last paragraph as its the most skipped one and it keeps the regulators away.
How to lie with statistics, double fuck all is still fuck all and so on. Never trust a survey with self selecting participants. The book is a classic for a reason.
Boring IT skills, how to use a file structure; touch typing; using search in a webpage/document to find relevant stuff; cut/copy/paste; RTFM
Reading terms and conditions/contracts/basic consumer and employment law. A lot of questions on the legal and work subreddits basically come down to "what does the contract say?". Things like exclusions in insurance, product returns and your employment contract and handbook. The understanding that people will lie to your face but its what's written down and signed that actually matters.
No_Chemist2922@reddit
Soft skills, lots of people are lacking basic personable skills these days. We are a society, and can never function by ourselves; I know people who can even hold a simple conversation for more than 10 seconds.
LoadResponsible4118@reddit
As someone who can’t hold a conversation more than “fine thanks, how are you?” I wish I was apart of more teams/clubs in my childhood. Definitely would have given me more exposure to being a part of a team/communication skills that have been lost/not reinforced early. Granted I was a shy kid so my mum and dad probably didn’t want to see me struggle but knowing and looking back now I would have rather struggled then than now…..
elephantsweetjotato@reddit
Navigating difficult conversations eg dealing with difficult colleagues, clients or managers at work, how to remain professional and calm, communicate well but also advocate for yourself so you can influence situations, not get overly stressed etc
Something lots of fully fledged adults struggle with and also I think really important to boost confidence especially for young people who may be part of a minority or lack confidence, girls and women etc
Imaginary_Finger7844@reddit
Financial skills.
Budgeting etc.
Historical_Project86@reddit
How to bend, not break the rules.
THROWRAsaltylemon@reddit
How to actually pick a career and how to progress in it, and all the steps involved with getting a job, I feel school just glossed over that. Also the lie that life gets better and simpler when school ends, it's always an uphill struggle in most aspects.
ross-dirext-words137@reddit
Investment. Like what a ISA is. Index fund. How pensions work.
hayley-pilates78@reddit
Money management. The importance of a retirement fund and how to built finances for first property
jellywelly15@reddit
Budgeting, portion management and stock control of foods, especially for anyone living alone/ cooking for one.
charliekeery@reddit
anything finance, wtf taxes are and how much (inc ni and everything) they'll take when i get payed. and as someone else said, budgeting.
generally how to be an adult lol, rent vs mortgages, how to actually apply for jobs (we did cvs and mock interviews but not the actual applying) so i was stuck there, and also that you don't need to know what you're doing straight out of school.
GlitchingGecko@reddit
Shopping on a budget, and healthy meal planning, so that ingredients are shared over several meals and food isn't wasted.
Consumer rights and personal rights, especially regarding the police and medical staff. I was taught as a child that I wasn't allowed to refuse anything from either, and that ended badly.
What the symbols on clothing mean, and how to use a washing machine.
Exercises that can be done at home without gym equipment.
kobestarr@reddit
ActionBirbie@reddit
At school? Nothing.
At home? Lots and lots, too many to name.
Rosetti@reddit
Everyone always says financial literacy, budgeting, investing, getting a mortgage etc, and honestly I just don't agree. I just don't think kids at that age are gonna care about it at all. I don't think I would have when I was that age.
kifflington@reddit
Asking for help (no, not Googling stuff). So many adults seem to think, 'Welp, I'm an adult now so I guess I'm on my own with literally everything.' Every day's a school day.
hexaspex@reddit
This! Also googling stuff and identifying what results are useful to you, not just asking gpt and taking it's where as fact.
IllPanic4319@reddit
Understanding politics and how the government effects every aspect of adult life
WaitingCommenter@reddit
and just how far reaching some proposed/executed policies can be.
That_Organization901@reddit
They are A level students, I’d presume they’re off to uni soon so maybe look at balancing that student finance realistically.
It’s a massive wedge of money at first but when broken down, it’s peanuts. Loads of students go big on accommodation because they think they can balance their food down to pasta. That way they can afford a car and a gaming pc. Some takes I hear are hilarious.
Maybe do a media literacy clinic off the back off this. Get them to bring you all their hottest TikTok takes and break down the facts and risk/reward.
surreyade@reddit
That full grown adults can be as thick as pig shit and not to give them the benefit of doubt - they really are that thick.
jenni_jen85@reddit
Budgeting
ExoticExchange@reddit
Budgeting is just basic numeracy.
I’m not trying to be rude but what would you actually expect such a lesson to contain?
BashfulOtter7532@reddit
Realistic expectations of how much things cost when you are paying all of your own bills, getting a sense of how quickly all of those “ it’s only £20 a month” things add up in the context of tax and rent and groceries and utilities etc.
You think it’s basic numeracy, but most of these kids won’t know what numbers to add because they’ve never had to consider the above, and suddenly have a headline figure salary of £30k that they think they’ll see all of rather than losing most of it to necessities
anotherangryperson@reddit
I work with people who have a good education including one who has a maths degree but because of executive dysfunction they cannot manage budgeting
Western_Froyo6627@reddit
Budgeting properly is definitely much a skill beyond basic numeracy because it requires the ability to prioritise things, which not everyone has- sometimes due to no experience or some developmental difficulties (autism/ADHD).
It's especially difficult if you've come from a family that has benefits to pay for housing, no/reduced council tax, etc. Because you've never seen the cost of accommodation, all of the bills, and no one to ask about it.
Financial literacy has become a privilege these days.
jenni_jen85@reddit
Hmm maybe I oversimplified it but a financial lesson on how to manage money because it may be basic numeracy but many adults struggle with finances. A lesson on smart money management, and how to save money would be helpful.
themoaningcabbage@reddit
It’s basic numeracy in the short term but long term financial planning isn’t and I think a lot of kids would benefit from being taught about the value of savings, interest, how to use credit cards/ paying them off, stress testing a budget even something as simple as how income changes affect your budget and why/ how lifestyle creep happens
InWales-notfromWales@reddit
Money/Investments and I wish we'd been taught second language/s before age 11/12. Also something like meditation/mindfulness and conflict resolution skills. I was very shy, I think early lessons in these areas may have helped me to be more confident.
CaterpillarFalse3592@reddit
I wish CDT had taught usable household DIY skills like hanging a door, instead of making weird things out of MDF.
I wish home-ec had taught more about how to make tasty hot meals rather than baking questionable cakes.
Drama could have taught more breathing, posture, the kind of thing that really let's you perform.
Music could have taught basic piano if they'd just got a load of cheap keyboards and let us concentrate on that.
North_Still_2234@reddit
Drama could have taught public speaking and presentation skills
CodeToManagement@reddit
Finances / savings / job progression / pensions and how it all links together
Like yes they teach math but actually showing the effect of compound interest on your savings and pension and why it’s important to get started asap
Also jobs. Most people just go get a job then don’t understand about having a career plan, how important it is to keep moving up and what that does for your lifestyle and your prospects for the future. Teaching kids to actively own their career and not just do the bare minimum or wait for opportunities to happen is important
Away-Ad4393@reddit
Some early years child care to girls and boys.
North_Still_2234@reddit
DIY skills, car maintenance, and how to cook on a budget.
duvagin@reddit
personable sincere networking without feeling like a chump
reditcyclist@reddit
I'm fine but I wish they taught basic logic and an understanding of statistics to everyone.
cutluv@reddit
Relationships, not necessarily romantic ones, but like getting on with people, negotiation, diplomacy etc.
Distinct_Sir_9086@reddit
I wish I was taught how to invest. All that birthday money and occasional cash invested would have benefitted me today.
Tastetherainbow_2016@reddit
Life skills like budgeting, saving, how mortgages and insurance work, even down to the basics like setting up direct debits. All would have been infinitely more useful than e.g, the history of the church of england or the erosion rates of different types of rock
Its always made me lol that there was no point in my primary or secondary education where a teacher pointed at a world map and said “This is Europe, this is Africa, this is America” and so on, basic Geography. Tony Blair and his “Reading Righting and Rithmetics” BS did a number on my generation’s education. How tf he said that shit with a straight face I dont know
MiddleAgedDread123@reddit
a basic understanding of pensions
bebi4@reddit
Anything and everything to do with understanding taxes instead of random maths/algebra that most of us never use
Aware-Turnover6088@reddit
How to invest money for the future.
MeghanSOS@reddit
Simple DIY that anyone can do.
TytoCwtch@reddit
Financial skills. Credit cards, loans, interest, mortgages, investments, pensions etc
Velo_Rapide@reddit
People always say things about financial skills. But without maturity those would be wasted anyway.
Probably more cooking would be the best things for health and well-being. But I can't imagine a world obsessed with money and growth to be interested in providing that skill...
Runningwithducks@reddit
I wish I spent more time doing extracurriculars. You don't learn life skills by watching a powerpoint presentation as a teenager. You learn them by actually getting out and living.
811545b2-4ff7-4041@reddit
Revision skills and methodology.. it just wasn't taught back in the 90s
Cool-Doughnut-1489@reddit
Financial literacy. Especially knowing how to invest my money and not just simply saving them in a bank account.
mdmnl@reddit
"You know, like numchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills... Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills!"
Our school did a pretty good job of the basics (wire a plug, basic cookery, social dance - painful but necessary).
From seeing what my kids are being taught it's better now, especially with an emphasis on applications of subjects (maths as applies to personal finance, not just how many apples does Senga have?).
Beary-Cute-Gamer@reddit
How to get a mortgage or general financial advice around investing or loans.
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