Unit 6

The learner will understand what it means to ‘pay your way’

Discuss with the group what it means to pay your own way and establish the importance of being responsible for yourself. As adults we cannot rely on other people to pay for us all of the time.

The learner understands why they need to pay their own way

Explain the fact that not everything we use or consume is free, therefore must be paid for – ask the group for examples of items that must be paid for. Ask the group what would happen if they did not pay for one of their suggested items.

Ask the group to navigate their way to Activity 6.2.1. This is a comic strip depicting different scenarios relating to non payment of some items / services i.e. not paying for a cinema ticket and therefore not being allowed in or not paying an electricity bill resulting in no light in the house. Ask the group to discuss what they see in the comic strip and the consequences of each scenario.

When we go out with friends, it’s also important that everyone pays his way. It is always nice to treat your friend to a cup of coffee or a trip to the cinema – but not when you’re paying all the time. In the same way, it’s great when someone invites you out and offers to pay – but we can’t expect them to do that all of the time. Always be ready and able to pay for yourself – it’s the most fair way to do things, and it will give you a great feeling of being responsible for your own life.

Discuss with the group the fact that if you do not pay your way, people may think you are ‘sponging’ off others. This means taking advantage of someone’s good nature. Remind the group that a person can’t pay for friendship.

Ask the group to explain how they think a friend would feel if they had to pay all of the time and how they would feel if they had to pay for their friend all of the time. Discuss the emotions around consequences of non payment.

The learner needs to know what they are paying for in their own day-to-day life

We each have an income – sometimes that income comes from the government, sometimes it comes from our families, sometimes it comes from our employers – money we earn because we work.

With that money, we have to pay for the things we need –

• we pay for a place to live when we pay our rent
• we pay to keep our home warm and bright when we pay for our electricity and gas
• we pay so that we can keep in touch with our friends and family by paying for our phone
• we pay for having the channels and programmes we like when we pay for our TV services
• we pay for the public services we use when we pay our bin charges;
• we pay for the food we eat when we give some of our income to whoever does the shopping in our home, or when we do the shopping ourselves in the supermarket

Ask the group to navigate their way to Activity 6.3. This game asks the learner to choose an item or service (pictorial) which they use in their everyday life and they must drag it to pictures representing, themselves, their parents/family or support worker, identifying who pays for what in their lives.

The learner needs to know the mechanics involved in paying their own way

The answers given by the group in Activity 6.3 will influence this session. Many of the learners may not pay their own bills; however, they should know and understand the different ways in which they can pay their bills and the frequency of bill payments.

Discuss with the group what a bill is and ask for suggestions as to what services we use that we receive a bill for i.e. phone, electricity, gas, bins.

Ask the group to navigate their way to Activity 6.4.1. This will show an example of what a typical bill looks like. An audio will state what the information is and why it is on the bill.

Ask the group if they know how to pay a bill. Explore with the group the various ways in which you can pay a bill i.e.

• by telephone (you need a credit card or laser card for this)
• on the Internet possibly
• by going to the post office
• by going to your bank
• by posting a cheque or postal order

To recap on the session ask the group to navigate their way to Activity 6.4.2. This is “MoneyCounts”, a game in which the learner is asked to navigate the character through a “typical day”.

The character will encounter different scenarios in which they will have to make decisions. These decisions may be around using facilities, going out shopping, going out with friends etc. The choices the character makes will determine the eventual financial outcome of the game.