EMA advise please

C_Ronaldo

Silky where is it you live, 21 miles to get to a college, how long would that journey take

SuziQ

The EMA isn't paid every week anyway,only term time,plus a few bonuses if the student has full attendance and reaches academic targets. My daughter didn't need this incentive to work as she is desperate to get to Uni (results nect week:eek: ) but it most certainly helped in our situation (when she was originally aawarded it I had a low-paid job,currently I'm unemployed) it helped also as some of the trips swere subsidised due to EMA-she had a week in Seville at a language college in February,which I would have struggled to fund fully.

As someone else says there does have to be a cut off point. As for Child bnefit that's a whole other debate-I personally think it should be in future limited to the first 2 children and over £50,000 a year or whatevere the CTC limit is,no CB. I have read on here of those who don't need it and are saving it-that was how it was for me with my oldest, we both worked full time and I was able to save for her,but by the time the second had arrived my husband had become seriously ill with Lupus and couldn't claim any help as he was self employed. That CB then became essential-as it is now.

Oldernotwiser

silkyuk9 wrote: »

we payed half of the train ticket. Also i want my daughter to have some kind of social life, rather than sitting at home watching Jeremy Kyle!!

If you can afford this, then great. But willingly funding your daughter's social life whilst making her pay all her college expenses herself is a strange sense of priorities and sends out all the wrong messages. Surely it would be better to tell her that you can't afford to help with train fares because you'll be funding her college expenses as these are far more important?

LadyMorticia

C_Ronaldo wrote: »

Silky where is it you live, 21 miles to get to a college, how long would that journey take

I used to live 23 miles from the upper school I went to and that took approx 25 minutes. Not sure if that helps or not. I think it depends on how many stops the OP's daughters bus has to make etc.

My journey was a direct route as I went by taxi due to being in foster care and the SS thinking it was best for me so I think the OP's daughters journey may take a little longer.

xx

C_Ronaldo

LadyMorticia wrote: »

I used to live 23 miles from the upper school I went to and that took approx 25 minutes. Not sure if that helps or not. I think it depends on how many stops the OP's daughters bus has to make etc.

My journey was a direct route as I went by taxi due to being in foster care and the SS thinking it was best for me so I think the OP's daughters journey may take a little longer.

xx

id go by train if possible

Oldernotwiser

LadyMorticia wrote: »

I used to live 23 miles from the upper school I went to and that took approx 25 minutes. Not sure if that helps or not. I think it depends on how many stops the OP's daughters bus has to make etc.

My journey was a direct route as I went by taxi due to being in foster care and the SS thinking it was best for me so I think the OP's daughters journey may take a little longer.

xx

That's one fast taxi!:D

bestpud

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

That's one fast taxi!:D

I live 30 miles from uni and drive it in 30 mins (if I don't get stuck behind a tractor or HGV)!

doelani

I have read this thread with interest before posting..........

a lot of people are in the same position , my daughter has just left school after staying on to do her A Levels. She was not entitled to EMA as our "household" income was to much. You will see from my signature that we have not exactly had extra money over last few years due to our own mistakes but this has not effected my daughter in anyway. Our income also is less due to hubby having children who live with his ex-wife who he pays for ( not saying for a minute he should not )

I know how frustrating it can be and I will be honest knowing others who got EMA by lieing annoyed me at first, but whats the point of letting it get to you so much ? My daughter did not get it , she travelled 20 miles a day to school for 7 years , she worked part-time from she was 14 and bought all her own "things" Once she turned 17 she also paid for her driving lessons and paid to keep her car on the road. Once she turned 16 I gave her £20 per week which was just over her CB payment I recieved to try and help because she dod not get EMA but she paid for her own lunches etc from this We only got basic element of tax credit of approx £10 per week and occassionally got money from her dad.

I would add that only 2 in her class of 18 did not get EMA, but not once did she complain about it. Her teachers commented on her not getting it and she just relied she was not entitled and that was the end of it.

Try not to make her think the EMA is important , it is not what staying on at school is about. I ahve stepchildren who say they are staying on at school to " get the money " not to get more qualifications. My daughters teachers wanted her to go to college, we said if she wanted to we would "find " the money to support her through this but in the end she decided not to and she is working instead.

Your daughter will survive without the £30 a week , you cannot miss what you never had lol just think in 2 years times when your CB and tax credits ( if you get it ) stops when she leaves school.

The household income has to be set somewhere and like me you fall below it.

silkyuk9

C_Ronaldo wrote: »

Silky where is it you live, 21 miles to get to a college, how long would that journey take

the college is 21 miles from our home, its in another town. We can pay either £35 per month for travel by school transport, or get the public bus which goes round the houses so to speak which will take approx 45-50 minutes. The school bus would proberly take around 35 minutes i would imagine.

The only prob with the school bus is that we would have to pay a fixed ammount, which would be for travel back and forth, Monday to Friday. However, my daughter will only be going 3 days per week, and possible an early finish on one day would mean her hanging around until 5pm to catch the bus back, were as public transport runs every hour.

Now when she has a placement which would hopefully be in our town she may not go to college for 3 days per week, she might in effect miss a few days out. not sure about this as the current year has not begun yet, but i do not want to pay £35 a month if we are not using the transport to its capacity, its one of those things im affraid.

Public bus could work out cheaper but is more hassle, its a catch 22 situation.

silkyuk9

doelani wrote: »

I have read this thread with interest before posting..........

a lot of people are in the same position , my daughter has just left school after staying on to do her A Levels. She was not entitled to EMA as our "household" income was to much. You will see from my signature that we have not exactly had extra money over last few years due to our own mistakes but this has not effected my daughter in anyway. Our income also is less due to hubby having children who live with his ex-wife who he pays for ( not saying for a minute he should not )

I know how frustrating it can be and I will be honest knowing others who got EMA by lieing annoyed me at first, but whats the point of letting it get to you so much ? My daughter did not get it , she travelled 20 miles a day to school for 7 years , she worked part-time from she was 14 and bought all her own "things" Once she turned 17 she also paid for her driving lessons and paid to keep her car on the road. Once she turned 16 I gave her £20 per week which was just over her CB payment I recieved to try and help because she dod not get EMA but she paid for her own lunches etc from this We only got basic element of tax credit of approx £10 per week and occassionally got money from her dad.

I would add that only 2 in her class of 18 did not get EMA, but not once did she complain about it. Her teachers commented on her not getting it and she just relied she was not entitled and that was the end of it.

Try not to make her think the EMA is important , it is not what staying on at school is about. I ahve stepchildren who say they are staying on at school to " get the money " not to get more qualifications. My daughters teachers wanted her to go to college, we said if she wanted to we would "find " the money to support her through this but in the end she decided not to and she is working instead.

Your daughter will survive without the £30 a week , you cannot miss what you never had lol just think in 2 years times when your CB and tax credits ( if you get it ) stops when she leaves school.

The household income has to be set somewhere and like me you fall below it.

Thanks for that reply, i agree with what you said, and most of what have said is what we will do.