I'm confused if I will get benefits of help or not - can anyone give advice?

RACHIE77

Hi there,

Okay so I don't really know where to begin, I can't seem to work out if its financially possible for me to study, and i am hoping someone will be able to help!??

My current situation is that I am working part time, I work 22 hours a week, my part time salary works out at about 12k a year.

I have 2 children and pay out childcare for only 20 hours a week in total as half the time family and friends help out.

I am really stuck in a rut with my job and have been looking for a good few months (6 months+) for a similar part time job that pays just as well but can't seem to see anything...

It has always been an ambition of mine to complete my degree but didn't think going back to university full time would be financially possible, however I have seen on here that there are grants and benefits available and wondered if anyone could give me guidance as to how much I could recieve?

I also wonder if anyone could give me an idea on just how many hours a full time course is (on average of course)?

Thanks in advance!

Rachie

Karnam

ok well hours vary. my degree is 8 hrs a week full time and this is the same for all english degrees from the university of london. history is 4 hours a week from queen marys in london and kings college in london. so full time is a possibility depending on subject.

the child care grant pays 80% off all child care (including holidays, reading weeks etc.) and parents allowance is around 1200 a year per child. im not sure the position on student loan for part timers but if you are considering a humanities degree then it might be worth just doing full time.

if you are a single mum you can get income support whilst at university (although i believe this is also only if you are full time) and if you get housing benefit now, then you should be still eligible when you are a student.

student loan: be warned, if you are doing a different degree you might get less money!

i know this is all vague, but i dont know the excalt position now since it changed a year or two ago. plus it depends on how long ago your degree was began. best ask the LEA (in your town hall)

RACHIE77

Thanks Karnam, so you only get income support if you are a single parent? I'm not but there wouldn't be much income if it was just relying on my partners wages to support the whole family so guess its not an option to study then, I have looked at my LEA website and they point to some student finance website, so I phoned them up and they said they couldn't tell me anything until the 2006/7 rates were agreed??

Bargain_Babe-a-Licious!

Rachie...

If you want to go full time starting in Feb this year, you will automatically qualify for the current 2005/6 fees, ie, £1200 pa rather than £3000 pa.
Your partners income IS taken into consideration & there are means tested grants available up to an income ceiling of about £30k!
I have been investigating this for myself so it's all current info.
I too am juggling the option to go full time this Feb.

elisebutt65

Karnam wrote:

the child care grant pays 80% off all child care (including holidays, reading weeks etc.) and parents allowance is around 1200 a year per child. im not sure the position on student loan for part timers but if you are considering a humanities degree then it might be worth just doing full time.

if you are a single mum you can get income support whilst at university (although i believe this is also only if you are full time) and if you get housing benefit now, then you should be still eligible when you are a student.

Just to clarify - You can't get income support when you're a student - single parent or not. You can get Child Tax Credit - I currently get £117/week. I also get £4300/year student loan and a additional single parent learning allowance - grant not loan +85% childcare grant. You can claim housing benefit - I get £24/week towards my rent and as you're with a partner you can claim the 25% single person discount - whilst you're at Uni.

In between years - July - October you can try to claim IS - I get it as a single mum and then have to sign off when I start again, and get full HB and CTB during that 3 months, then have to do all the paperwork to claim again - sigh.

I have a 5yr and 10yr old and I can manage - just. I have 2 c/cards with £400 limits and try not to use them except in the summer hols when things tend to cut it close. I don't take the student overdraft as they offer silly money and then cut you off when you graduate. If you're partner works then you're probably claiming WTC already but this should go up as you'll be a non-earner - the grants don't count as income when means testing.

As for time spent in Uni - I think it depends on your subject, I'm doing a degree in Tourism Business Management and when I go ack after semester break - Monday - I'm doing 2 fullish days - Mon - 9-3 and Fri 10-4. It's the travel tht does my head in - I have to get my bf to stay round the night before so he can take them to school for me as I have to take the 7.43 train to get to Brum for 9.00am - I always take it as read that it's going to be at least 30 mins late - lol.

However - all said - I love it!! My brain is waking up after 20plus years of slumbering through dull office work and pub work and waitressing, then child rearing. The feeling of getting an A++ is soo amazing!!!!


Go for it!!!!!

RACHIE77

Can you go full time in Feb then? That would be ideal but I thought I'd have to wait until the September intake??

My partner is self employed so I guess his actual income figures are a little blurry but his taxt return last year said a 'profit' of £10k....?

Bargain_Babe-a-Licious!

Yep... full time in Feb ! :-)
A guy in the finance dept. @ my uni was SUPER helpful & I am like a woman possessed when it comes to finding out information...
Also, the LEA (local education authority) in your area are the people who assess your joint incomes etc for the student grants - try to latch on to someone knowledgable there.
First, you are going to have to get on your local uni's website to see what's on offer this Feb. :-)

Crispy_Ambulance

"Just to clarify - You can't get income support when you're a student - single parent or not."

Sorry, but this is completely and utterly wrong.

Most students are unable to claim benefits if they are studying full time. However, students who are lone parents and who have a disability ARE eligible for Income Support and Housing Benefit. Your student loan income is taken into account during term time, with some money disregarded for books and travel. therefore, many lone parents will have income that is too high to receive any Income Support (IS) during term time, although they may qualify for some Housing Benefit. Students with a disability, who qualify for premiums (extra amounts for living costs) may get some IS as well as Housing Benefit. During July and August, your student income is ignored, so if you qualify for IS and Housing Benefit, you should receive it in full.

Child Tax Credit is not affected by student income and you can continue to receive it regardless.

Your students union advice centre can do calculation for you to give you an idea of how much you would receive.

elisebutt65

If you read my post all the way through - you'll see that I said I do get IS/HB during July to October.

I also get DLA for my hands, but don't get any premiums. The money coming in from the loan is just too high to get any IS during term time. But I do get some HB - as I said.

Crispy_Ambulance

I did read your post. The reason I pointed out that you were incorrect is that you said that all students can't get Income Support which is not the case. There is a big difference between not being eligible for a benefit and not actually receiving it because your income is too high. Far too many students do not claim the benefits they are entitled to because they believe that students can't claim benefits, and that is what they are sometimes told by officials as well.

Social Security Law is complex, especially the rules concerning students. Your circumstances will not be the same as another student's which is why I suggested that the OP seeks advice from an experienced welfare rights adviser. Very few CABs will have up to date knowledge on student funding and how it interacts with benefits, so the best place to go is the Student Union Advice Centre.

Hope that helps.

louloubelle79

If you are a NHS student you get some benefits and a bursary...

http://www.nhsstudentgrants.co.uk/