Oran Hall | Planned path from rural Jamaica to a university education

The cost of tertiary education is high, often beyond the reach of many bright and ambitious young people. This is particularly so for those who are from rural Jamaica, generally far from where our universities are located. Nonetheless, some have shown that it is possible with good planning.

One such student is – let’s call him – Andy Green. He and his mother had a plan for him to get a university education so that he could be trained for a career in sports medicine. The plan included going to university just after high school.

They decided his education would not be funded by a students’ loan because of what they saw as the stereotyping of people who use state funds at interest to finance their education. The plan was to delay university for one semester, using interest-free loans from family, grants and scholarships for two years, then Andy using a work and travel programme to cover his costs. So far, so good.

At the end of his second year of university, Andy engaged in a work and study programme in the United States to generate sufficient funds to cover the expenses of the third year. This made it necessary to engage proven experts in the business of landing students good jobs with reputable employers.

Andy’s research helped him to identify a good agent and a good sponsor. The sponsor helped him secure the legal documents he needed to live and work in the United States, for example, his social security number, and sourced insurance for him. He paid his programme fee to the agency, which sent it to the sponsor and also assisted in setting up the embassy appointment for him to get his visa.

Agency and sponsor fees vary from agency to agency and sponsor to sponsor, depending on the type of job in which the student is to be placed. Andy indicated that fees range from US$820 to US$1,800 – which must be paid before the student leaves Jamaica.

Some students borrow to meet this expense. In fact, some agencies themselves lend to the students with interest, and students are generally required to start repayment before they begin to work. Beyond that, students are responsible for their air fare. Fortunately for Andy, he was able to borrow from family.

During his time in the US from late May to early September, Andy worked as a lifeguard at schools, apartments, hotels and swim clubs. Unlike students who worked in the fast-food business and in the park service, for example, he had to be certified, receiving his pool operation certificate after successfully completing the required training programme. His workweek was typically 40 hours with varied working hours depending on need, but there were provisions for overtime work at a higher rate.

Andy is quite satisfied with his experience. The financial rewards were good. He was able to save enough to take care of his living expenses – rent, food, travel, utilities – for year three of his university life. Very importantly, he expects to be able to pay the tuition for the two semesters of the current academic year, and has bought some important tools he will need to study and learn effectively.

Although 75 per cent of the students he met were Jamaicans, he met students from countries such as Mexico and Turkey, thus exposing him to new cultures. He likes the work experience he gained, and the development of his communication skills. In particular, he believes he is now able to speak more directly and is more articulate.

Green has now settled back into life in one of the communities in close proximity to the University of the West Indies, where many other university students also live. Proximity to the university means he does not have high transportation expenses and has kind neighbours who share the produce of their land with him, thus easing some of his food expenses. His social life is robust as he is able to play football on the community football field and is quite involved in church activities.

One challenge he has to work on is budgeting. He confesses that he finds it challenging to stick to his budget, often overspending. He has to work assiduously on this as he could set himself back if his overspending erodes his financial resources. Although he will not likely earn much interest on his funds, he should do everything possible to earn what he can.

After this year, Green has one year to complete his first degree and plans to go on to higher study to fulfil his life dream of being a sports medicine practitioner, which may lead him to go abroad. So far, the plan seems to be working; the discipline and organisation he has shown so far, if applied in the future, should take him to his planned destination.

Oran A. Hall, author of Understanding Investments and principal author of The Handbook of Personal Financial Planning, offers personal financial planning advice and counsel.finviser.jm@gmail.com