Student, Childcare and Benefits Advice please.

bestpud

I agree, on a gross income of less than £16k, you are likely to receive grants from student finance and also the uni.

Your ctc and child benefit will likely increase when your husbands hours reduce and you may well receive help with childcare.

Do they have a breakfast, or after school club at the school , as these tend to work out cheaper than other childcare.

If not, how about suggesting it? If a few parents are interested, they may look into it for you.

Your husband can request child friendly hours. They don't have to agree but they do have to come up with a good reason for saying no. Whe I wa sin my first year at uni, my OH's old employer agreed he could start and finish earlier on the day I needed dd picked up from school, and they weren't the most sympathetic company out there!

Oldernotwiser

Just to add, do check with the university regarding your timetabled hours as unless you're doing something like nursing you may be surprised how little you actually need to be there. A full time humanities or social science degree probably has fewer than a dozen taught hours, even if it's full time.

alwaysonthego_2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Just to add, do check with the university regarding your timetabled hours as unless you're doing something like nursing you may be surprised how little you actually need to be there. A full time humanities or social science degree probably has fewer than a dozen taught hours, even if it's full time.

I am doing an educational studies degree and I am timetabled to be in uni 2 afternoons and one morning.

SazM030306

Thank you for all yor advice.

The course I am doing is the Diploma in Dental Hygiene/Therapy, so unfortunately can't do this on the OU. There are no fees for the course, and I will be eligible for a Bursary (don't know how much yet) but it's the childcare I'm worried about.
Now that I've slept on it, I can see that I could easily manage to feed us all on a small budget, and we would have to give up things like the odd take away or pair of shoes lol
The thing is I want either me or my husband to be there for the children on a morning and after school. I don't want them going to morning or after school club. I know many children do and it's not a problem and I also know that it could be either that or Uni. It's so hard to know what to do for the best!

The course is 27 months, and pretty much fulltime, one student already in her second year said it's 9-5 or sometimes 8-6 every day.

It's hard to work out exactly how much you'll have to live off, not knowing how much DH will be earning, or what tax credits will be, or how much loan I will be entitled to.

I am certainly not indicating that DH will cut hours in order to claim benefits, if he did cut hours it would be to fit around children, and any benefits would be an advantage. He might even get made redundant the way things are going.

Anyway DH is leaning towards me putting it off for a year, me working for a year to stack up some cash, then going in Sept 10. I just want to get it done now!! I can see his logic though, but the sooner I do it, the sooner I can be earning a decent wage, the sooner we can stop caiming benefits, the sooner we can move house, maybe have more kids etc etc!

I'm rambling now I'll stop lol.

Thanks for listening.
xxx

bestpud

I can see where you are coming from - it's a dilemma isn't it?

Tbh, I don't think there will be a 'right' time to do it.

I think these things are often better than they seem at the planning stage. It seems we can spend ages working out every last detail and planning every scenario, and sometimes it is enough to put us off, but when the times comes, it all kind of falls into place iyswim?

If you contact the finance department of the uni in question, they should be able to give you a general idea of the grants/loans etc. They won't give detailed advice, obviously, but if you make it clear you are only after an indication, they will usually help.

I think, on your income, you will pretty much be eligible for full loan/grant/bursary (or whatever is available for your course) support as the threshold is around £21k I believe. It's certainly higher than £16 k anyway!

Plus they take off £1k (I think) for each child straight away.

Childcare grant thresholds are lower than the above but I am almost certain you will qualify for some help.

Get your DH to check out the possibility of child friendly hours. He may have to apply formally but it's worth sounding them out. Is his job one that can be done whenever, or does he have to be in work during certain hours?

My DH's job did not really depend on anyone else being there, and he could get his work done pretty much anytime during their opening hours of 7am-9pm iyswim, so it was easier to arrange.

princepilot

Damzel_In_Distress wrote: »

Now your just being stupid,I simply gave my opinion and offered adivce for you to go to the old style board to pick up some tips and adivce on budgeting.
There are people over that that feed entire families on £20 a month-it can be done.

You were implying you couldnt cope losing just 6 hours work...and that your husband was going to reduce them even more on purpose in order to claim benefits! ...:rolleyes:

Its hardly the right thing to do is it...Some people can't see past their own "logic" but in this case i think you are severely over-reacting.

If his hours get cut by his employer by a substantial ammount,or he gets made redundant because of the recession then panic.
. When you become a parent you dont get the option of doing what you want anymore,im afraid your children come first. So if you were truly worried you would go out and get a job instead of going to uni and being in a "situation"

Certainly getting your husband to quit his job to claim benefits why you go to uni is not the best choice in reality is it? :rolleyes:

Damzel_In_Distress,

Is it really called for to speak to people like they are crap?

Why do you come on boards like this? , is it to boost your own ego?

Benefits are there to help people. If she does a degree on benefits for 2 years and manages to get a better paid job then that benefits amount will be more than paid back over the course of the next few years.

Get off your high horse, get a life and do us all a favour and go away.

I hate people like you that hjave nothing better to do than to slate people for actually trying to do something. Benefits isnt fraud , they are actually designed for HELPING people. Cars are designed for driving , do you drive??

If so how dare you , walk you lazy !!!!!!! Not nice is it!

P.S Id like to see how people feed a whole family on £20 a month. Not possible! Get in the real world lady

MummyOnAMission_2

princepilot wrote: »

Damzel_In_Distress,

Is it really called for to speak to people like they are crap?

Why do you come on boards like this? , is it to boost your own ego?

Benefits are there to help people. If she does a degree on benefits for 2 years and manages to get a better paid job then that benefits amount will be more than paid back over the course of the next few years.

Get off your high horse, get a life and do us all a favour and go away.

I hate people like you that hjave nothing better to do than to slate people for actually trying to do something. Benefits isnt fraud , they are actually designed for HELPING people. Cars are designed for driving , do you drive??

If so how dare you , walk you lazy !!!!!!! Not nice is it!

P.S Id like to see how people feed a whole family on £20 a month. Not possible! Get in the real world lady

Ditto to that princepilot you took the words right out of my mouth!

Damzel_In_Distress

princepilot wrote: »

Damzel_In_Distress,

Is it really called for to speak to people like they are crap?

Why do you come on boards like this? , is it to boost your own ego?

Benefits are there to help people. If she does a degree on benefits for 2 years and manages to get a better paid job then that benefits amount will be more than paid back over the course of the next few years.

Get off your high horse, get a life and do us all a favour and go away.

I hate people like you that hjave nothing better to do than to slate people for actually trying to do something. Benefits isnt fraud , they are actually designed for HELPING people. Cars are designed for driving , do you drive??

If so how dare you , walk you lazy !!!!!!! Not nice is it!

P.S Id like to see how people feed a whole family on £20 a month. Not possible! Get in the real world lady

Number one i know why benefits are there-and if you had seen any of my other posts you would now why i know :rolleyes: Considering i am on IS myself....:rolleyes:

And if you go to the old style board you will see several families who in very very hard months have fed there entire families (including animals) for under £30 :rolleyes:

With reguards to everything else you have said im really not bothered what you think-i gave my opinion and adivce on where to look on this forum for budgeting ideas,Something which i belive this forum is for.I was not speaking directly to you.And the OP gave her responce-why you felt the need to attempt to be witty about it is laughable.:rotfl:

MummyOnAMission_2

Damzel_In_Distress wrote: »

i gave my opinion and adivce on where to look on this forum for budgeting ideas,Something which i belive this forum is for.I was not speaking directly to you.And the OP gave her responce-why you felt the need to attempt to be witty about it is laughable.:rotfl:

I thinks its more the manner and way you gave your 'opinion and advice' that got the response you did.
The OP no doubt appreciates your advice about the budgeting etc but to be sarcastic in your answers, judgemental and to call people stupid is not what I call advice. It could quite easily put someone off asking for help and thats not what this forum is about.

SazM030306

princepilot wrote: »

Benefits are there to help people. If she does a degree on benefits for 2 years and manages to get a better paid job then that benefits amount will be more than paid back over the course of the next few years.

That's exactly what I mean!! Thank you for puttng it clearly. x