Starting Out
Money skills for real life
You're figuring out life. We're here to help you figure out your money.
A free, practical course for 18–25 year olds who want to feel more confident with money, stretch it further and make choices that work for them.
You're making more decisions for yourself — about spending, saving, bills, borrowing and planning for the future. And there's no handbook telling you how to do it.
Starting Out is here to help.
It's a practical, interactive course where you'll explore real-life money decisions, try out useful tools and ideas, and build the confidence to make choices that work for you.
You don't need to be "good with money" - or “bad” with it - to take part, and there's no judgement about where you’re starting from.
When you’re starting out, there’s a lot to navigate
Join us to:
Feel more in control of your finances: understand the practical stuff and build confidence to manage your money day-to-day
Make your money go further: find a balance between spending now, saving for later and enjoying your money along the way
Build good money habits: find practical ways to make it easier to stay on top of your finances
Understand your options: explore spending, saving and borrowing, and think about your priorities and plans
Launching Autumn 2026
Our first course dates will be announced soon. Register your interest below to be the first to hear when bookings open.
Choose the edition that's right for you:
Starting Out: Young Workers’ Edition
This course is for: 18–25 year olds who are in work, including apprentices
4 interactive, online sessions
2 hours per session
Free to take part in
Starting Out: Students’ Edition
This course is for: students aged 18+
4 interactive, online sessions
2 hours per session
Free to take part in
If you’re interested in booking a bespoke version of ‘Starting Out’ for a group of students, employees or apprentices, please contact us for more details
Want to know more?
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Four interactive online sessions, each lasting two hours.
The sessions are practical and interactive, with opportunities to share ideas, ask questions and try things out.
You’ll be joined by other participants in similar – or different – situations to yours, from all over the country.
By the way, you're joining our first Starting Out course!
This is a pilot, so you're among the first people to take part. We'll be learning from your experience and using your feedback to help us develop the course for future participants. -
Session One
Your money story: define your money goals, think about your relationship with money, and understand the influence of comparison
Where’s it all going? Figure out where your money actually goes, and build a budget that you’ll be able to use day-to-daySession Two: the balancing act
Focus on your personal spending priorities, share ideas for ways to balance your budget, and get to grips with household bills and expensesSession Three: save smart, borrow smart
Understand the impact of borrowing and saving, think about your future finances, set some savings goals, and know where to get help with debt and scamsSession Four
Piggy Banking: spending with confidence
Set up our simple system to help you to stay in control of your money
Money on your mind:
Consider the link between wellbeing and money; recognise the signs of financial stress and know where to get help; plan your next steps and feel empowered to take action -
Starting Out is for 18–25 year olds who are beginning to manage their money more independently — whether you're studying, working or doing an apprenticeship.
You don't need to be good with money or have everything figured out. The course is designed for anyone who wants to feel more confident with money, make it go further and build good habits for the future.
Choose the edition that’s right for you:
Young workers’ edition – for people in work, including apprentices
Students’ edition – for students aged 18+
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We recommend coming to all four sessions so you get the most from the course, as each session builds on what you've covered before.
We know life happens, though! If you can't make a session, you’ll be able to use our online materials to catch up.
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Yes! There’s nothing to pay. Starting Out is completely free.
At Crosslight, we believe everyone should have access to good money education and the practical skills and confidence to manage their money. So we offer Starting Out free of charge, with no cost barrier to taking part.
There’s no catch and no expectation to pay anything. You’re very welcome to make a donation to support Crosslight’s work if you’d like to, but this is entirely optional.cription
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You'll receive an email with everything you need to know about joining the course, including the session dates and how to access the online sessions.
We'll also send you a reminder before the course starts (including a text message if you’ve opted in), so you won't have to worry about remembering the details.
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Yes, absolutely. You'll have access to online catch-up materials after the sessions, so you can revisit anything you've missed or want to go over again.
We'll also point you towards useful information, tools and trusted resources to help you put what you've learned into practice and find out more about specific topics.