Fiona Devine is Professor of Sociology at Manchester University and has been a visiting fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. She has published extensively and is a former Chair of the editorial board of the journal Sociology.

'It is an absolute pleasure to read and in my view is one of the most theoretically and methodologically sophisticated books within sociology and the sociology of education to have been published in the last decade or more … Devine's book has the real feel of an insider …'. Journal of Social Policy

• 1. Introduction; 2. Material help with education and employment; 3. Financial choices and sacrifices for children; 4. Expectations and hopes for educational success; 5. Fulfilling potential and securing happiness; 6. Contacts, luck and career success; 7. Friends and networks in school and beyond; 8. Conclusion; Appendix A. The interviewees; Appendix B. Doing comparative research; Notes; Bibliography.

Fiona Devine is Professor of Sociology at Manchester University and has been a visiting fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. She has published extensively and is a former Chair of the editorial board of the journal Sociology.

'It is an absolute pleasure to read and in my view is one of the most theoretically and methodologically sophisticated books within sociology and the sociology of education to have been published in the last decade or more … Devine's book has the real feel of an insider …'. Journal of Social Policy

• 1. Introduction; 2. Material help with education and employment; 3. Financial choices and sacrifices for children; 4. Expectations and hopes for educational success; 5. Fulfilling potential and securing happiness; 6. Contacts, luck and career success; 7. Friends and networks in school and beyond; 8. Conclusion; Appendix A. The interviewees; Appendix B. Doing comparative research; Notes; Bibliography.

Fiona Devine is Professor of Sociology at Manchester University and has been a visiting fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. She has published extensively and is a former Chair of the editorial board of the journal Sociology.

'It is an absolute pleasure to read and in my view is one of the most theoretically and methodologically sophisticated books within sociology and the sociology of education to have been published in the last decade or more … Devine's book has the real feel of an insider …'. Journal of Social Policy

• 1. Introduction; 2. Material help with education and employment; 3. Financial choices and sacrifices for children; 4. Expectations and hopes for educational success; 5. Fulfilling potential and securing happiness; 6. Contacts, luck and career success; 7. Friends and networks in school and beyond; 8. Conclusion; Appendix A. The interviewees; Appendix B. Doing comparative research; Notes; Bibliography.