Cooking courses, DIY lessons & more: teen life skills on a budget

Struggling to teach teens to use a washing machine or master some basic cooking skills before they leave for uni? Help is at hand – provided you know where to look.

One company is running an ‘Independence Day Bootcamp’.

Aimed at students it claims to teach ‘everything you need to become an independent adult in one day’.

Bold claims, with a very bold price tag, advertised at a whopping £1,995.

This one day course at the company head office in Huddersfield includes a three-hour ‘kitchen workshop’ which claims you can ‘take the first steps to becoming the next Jamie Oliver’.

There’s a two-hour ‘housework’ workshop including how to do laundry, a one hour ‘DIY’ class and thirty minutes of gardening tips plus a Q&A session.

Forking out £2,000 for a one day course can seem a rather drastic option; if not just plain crazy, when surely it’s actually down to parents to teach their teens the basics of student survival?

So here’s how to give your kids a valuable lesson in how to save money with some cheaper ways to learn the basics.

Jamie Oliver wannabees can save money on the ‘Bootcamp’ version and book a three and a half hour course at Jamie’s own cookery school in London www.jamieolivercookeryschool.com.

Here the ‘Quick & Easy Food’ course costs £150 and you’ll learn five recipes that can be whipped up in under 30 minutes including ‘crispy garlicky chicken’ and ‘quick Asian fishcakes’.

Takeout pizza may be the staple of many a student diet, so save money by learning to make your own.

For older teens, Jamie’s one hour ‘Pizza and Prosecco’ course teaches you how to make fresh pizza for a slice of their takeaway price.

It costs £35, including a glass of fizz to enjoy with your freshly baked pizza.

Waitrose has cookery schools across the country in London and Salisbury.

Courses include ‘Quick & Simple Healthy Suppers’ which is a two-hour evening course for £50 or there’s a two-hour ‘curry night’ option where you can learn to cook curry and there are some free beers thrown in to enjoy with your curry when you’re finished!

Ingredients are included within the cost of all courses.

Or you could even get away with stocking up on a good ‘Student Cookbook’

The ‘Student Cookbook: 100 everyday recipes’ is currently selling for £2.80 on eBay including postage.

For a quick, free guide on all you need to know, get them to check out the short videos on ‘How to do Laundry’ on the Ariel website.

It includes everything from deciphering washing instructions to sorting laundry and there’s even advice on how much washing liquid/powder to use.

Plus there’s a section on how to work the machine itself, along with a troubleshooting guide with useful stuff like how to check the filter which could save a costly call out.

Persil also does an aptly-named ‘How to wash clothes in the washing machine’ guide with clear jargon free info on temperatures and washing cycles for different items.

Within a hall of residence or shared house; there’s probably not going to be much call for serious DIY and home renovation.

However, between putting up shelves, curtains or assembling flatpack furniture, it could b worth taking up one of the several one day DIY courses to teach the basics.

A one-day basic DIY course at Trill Farm in Axminster, Devon costs £85.

Includes everything from how to put up blinds, shelves, hang pictures and get your TV sorted. Runs from 9.30 – 4.30pm and includes lunch.

At the Good Life Centre in London you can do a variety of one day, (or shorter), DIY courses.

The basic ‘Drill Skills’ course costs £70 for the morning and includes how to put up curtains and shelves and master the basics of using a drill.

How to manage your money has got to be one of the most important life lessons for students.

So why not sign up for the free ‘CAP Money Students’ course that covers budgeting and banking along with information on student debt in three short sessions.

Choose from mornings, afternoons or evenings. Courses are run by Christians Against Poverty at over 760 locations across the UK. Find your nearest one here.

Perhaps a bit niche, but surely a fair few students still use a bicycle?

If yours is one of them, you can send them on a practical one-hour bike maintenance course.

The ‘Fix It’ course from Evans Cycles costs £15 and courses take place every two weeks at locations across the country including Glasgow, Manchester, Reading and Chelmsford.

The £15 price includes a manual and goodie bag.