if you got £30 a week....

fashiphoti

what would you spend it on?

i'm not sure if everyone knows this, but students who continue their studies (i.e just finished their gcses) can get up to 30 squid a week if their parents/guardians earn less than 30k a year..type EMA into google and its the first result that comes up for more info.

im getting the ema and it will definitely help make the transition into a levels easier..i'll spend it on lunch, textbooks i.e revision materials, and to pay for school trips etc..

if you're already getting ema, let me know what you spend it on, and if your child gets/will get it, tell me what you hope they'll use the money for!

Oldernotwiser

Welcome to MSE.

bestpud

Yes, welcome to mse!

Just to warn you:

You could be opening a hornets nest by discussing what ema is spent on! Many on here feel it is an unfair system and should only be spent on study costs!

Personally, I agree it's a great benefit for those from low income families.

Broke_Student

I recieved the full £30 a week for 2 years but I managed to to save every penny of it and the £500 bonus for university (I knew I would need it for rent if I made it to London). I used to managed to survive off my free bus pass, packed lunch/subsidised lunch and was lucky enough to get pocket money from an uncle. I also had money from summer work which I used for living costs instead of luxuries.

edit: I have decided to remove my opinions on the EMA system to avoid debate and as it is not what the OP asked for.

lufcgirl

I'm 24 now and we never got it when I was at college, however my brother is 16 now and has decided to go into FTE.

He's doing a bricklaying course, so if he needs any tools, he'll pay for it out of his EMA. Other than that he'll spend it on whatever he likes, it saves my parents funding him and they give him his lunch money and thats it.

sahun

When I got my £30 a week from the government it was wuickly spent on the average student fuel.
......Beer and Petrol
Now as a Uni student i really miss that money, so have had to give up on the car and just stick to the beer!!

aaranj

when i get ema, i will be using it for the following:

textbooks
train tickets to college
college trips
driving lessons (when i turn 17)
put some away for uni
x-mas and birthday presents

999

fashiphoti wrote: »

what would you spend it on?

i'm not sure if everyone knows this, but students who continue their studies (i.e just finished their gcses) can get up to 30 squid a week if their parents/guardians earn less than 30k a year..type EMA into google and its the first result that comes up for more info.

im getting the ema and it will definitely help make the transition into a levels easier..i'll spend it on lunch, textbooks i.e revision materials, and to pay for school trips etc..

if you're already getting ema, let me know what you spend it on, and if your child gets/will get it, tell me what you hope they'll use the money for!

Hello Fashiphoti.

Might you be another student recruited by a PR firm to drum up interest in EMA? Personally I have no problem with this but if so I just think that it would be more honest to say so. If not and you are posting the above information out of a sense of civic duty then I apologise for having doubted you.

PS - if you are applying for the first time this year then good luck. I believe there are quite a few problems. You might not be spending as much as you had hoped.

Masomnia

I got EMA whilst I was in Sixth Form, and yeah most of it went on lunch, buses and stationary etc. When/if you start thinking about unis you'll be wanting to visit them on open days so keep some aside for that.

If you can save some then it would be a really good idea for whatever plans you have for the future. If I were you I'd get an ISA and begin paying into it when you can.

mummytofour

I got £10 a week ALG last year, it didnt even cover my train fare! So I used it on friday mornings to take myself and dh out for coffee, made a nice treat anyway.

Chris2685

When I was at school (about 6 years ago now!) a bunch of my mates got paid EMA when they carried on into 6th form. I never did though. Apparently my parents earned too much for me to be entitled to it... Well I never got any pocket money, and my parents were by no means rich! Not poor, but no richer than these kids who were getting EMA!

I had to work for £3 an hour at a supermarket to get my £30 a week! EMA just makes kids lazy if you ask me...

Hehe I sound like a grumpy old man