want to study degree p/t but no help with tuition fees? any suggestions?

foreign_correspondent

Are you sure about the OU finance / funding? Have you called tham to speak to an advisor for advice?

bigheadxx

skcollobcat10 wrote: »

brians_daughter wrote: »

i cant save up and go full time - i need to support my children. i would need a to be earning a minimum of 800pcm (outgoings are below, if i was f/t i could cut out the fuel to/from work and some of the childcare, and some of the non-essential contracts expire in november)

not going - yeah thats seeming the only option - but just exploring all options as i am trying to better myself i was looking for suggestions of anyone whos been in a simular situ

18k sounds a lot - in effect its not - £1100 pcm, i have £250 childcare, £450 household bills not including food, £200 travel to and from work. so thats 900 before i have paid for shopping and 'non essentials' such as mobile phone, gym etc - which i am still in contract for. i have done a SOA on the debt free board and i have cut everything to a bare minimum.

The course is going to be around £1500-£1700 pa depending where i study. i would also need to take into account study materials and travel to and from the education facility.

If i could go f/t i would and hope to get a job that would fit around the hours, but doesnt seem possible at the minute using this years timetable



I think this is a complete wind up. Why didn't you get educated at the age of 16 - 18 before you even thought about having kids or is it something that you have only thought of now?

As the system is, whether you are living together or are married both sets of salary will be taken into account. You both have plenty of money per annum to allow a little bit of skimping and saving if it is something you feel you REALLY need to do. You have decided to better yourself in later life therefore I do not really think that you can get any help at all. I started a career change at 30 years old but I got no help whatsoever.

I think that you both have to sit down and decide what is best for both of you and your children and if needs must, and it is important enough to you well consider downsizing (bit hard I know in this present climate) or consider saving up for the next 2 to 3 years so that you have some savings behind you. The only way that I can think that you might get help is if you were unemployed or in extreme hardship financially, the rest of us have ended up doing a couple of jobs to keep going.

Why shouldnt people on modest incomes get access to higher education funding. The cut off point for grants and loans is ridiculous. If you are rich you can afford to pay if you are poor it gets paid for you. The rest of us just have to get on with life and pay our taxes.

I was fortunate enough to get a higher education but why should that be a barrier to getting trained in a different career or topping up your skills.

I could leave work tomorrow and get my fees paid and a loan but then how would I pay my mortgage?

Fire_Fox

brians_daughter wrote: »

i cant save up and go full time - i need to support my children. i would need a to be earning a minimum of 800pcm (outgoings are below, if i was f/t i could cut out the fuel to/from work and some of the childcare, and some of the non-essential contracts expire in november)

not going - yeah thats seeming the only option - but just exploring all options as i am trying to better myself i was looking for suggestions of anyone whos been in a simular situ

18k sounds a lot - in effect its not - £1100 pcm, i have £250 childcare, £450 household bills not including food, £200 travel to and from work. so thats 900 before i have paid for shopping and 'non essentials' such as mobile phone, gym etc - which i am still in contract for. i have done a SOA on the debt free board and i have cut everything to a bare minimum.

The course is going to be around £1500-£1700 pa depending where i study. i would also need to take into account study materials and travel to and from the education facility.

If i could go f/t i would and hope to get a job that would fit around the hours, but doesnt seem possible at the minute using this years timetable

Thanks for replying

I can't find your SoA on the DFW board? £1100 is way more than you and your kids need to survive - there is a thread on the DFW board entitled "live on £4k for a year" .... that's an entire family (not including rent and council tax, neither of which you would pay as a full-time student). :eek:

Also it's great you want your OHs house to stay his, but basically you are intending to struggle while he is paying into a 'savings plan' - in the long run he will come away with a nice little nest egg and you will have nothing. You may split you income and outgoings anyway you please, but you can't expect the taxpayer to pick up the tab.

Your other option is to find a suitable foundation degree and take that route in to a full honours degree - you will get some form of funding (probably a loan not a grant) but will only actually be in college one day a week. I know of students that hold down a full time job and have a family, tho I can't say I understand how they manage it. Some colleges have childcare facilities - might be worth investigating?

Oldernotwiser

bigheadxx wrote: »

skcollobcat10 wrote: »

Why shouldnt people on modest incomes get access to higher education funding. The cut off point for grants and loans is ridiculous. If you are rich you can afford to pay if you are poor it gets paid for you. The rest of us just have to get on with life and pay our taxes.

I was fortunate enough to get a higher education but why should that be a barrier to getting trained in a different career or topping up your skills.

I could leave work tomorrow and get my fees paid and a loan but then how would I pay my mortgage?

£55,000 pa is hardly a modest income!

Oldernotwiser

brians_daughter wrote: »

The course is going to be around £1500-£1700 pa depending where i study. i would also need to take into account study materials and travel to and from the education facility.

That's very expensive for an OU course, most of the units are less than half that and you wouldn't have other expenses, like travel. What are you hoping to study?

aloiseb

I think it's good that you want to do the degree. I did one a couple of years ago, part-time as I have two kids and a husband to support too. The fees were about £2000 for the whole thing, as it was in my home town. I'm still paying it off, along with credit card bills etc...we muddle along. It's been worth it, because I really felt it was something I was doing for myself, and my own career. I like to think it was good for the children to see me doing it too, though they will probably claim neglect later on!

The worst part will be doing your course work at 2am. (you get into bad habits..that's why I'm still up now)

I don't care what the others say, it is definitely possible to feel short of money on any income. The criticisers don't know what commitments you have for your £55K, so you should probably ignore them a bit.

We pay £195 per month for our elec and gas too, in a small semi. I can't imagine how it comes to so much either.

lulaloo

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

That's very expensive for an OU course, most of the units are less than half that and you wouldn't have other expenses, like travel. What are you hoping to study?

I think the OP is talking about a p/t uni course rather than an OU course in her first post, which is about right. I'm currently doing one and my fees are £1500 per stage (each stage is 15 months)

To OP - regardless of what anyone else is saying about your household income, the fact remains that the student finance people will look at your household income and not your individual income. Also, you can't say 'it's not that much because I pay x amount off my debts'.

My household income last year was £27k, so I am not eligible for any funding (I think the cut off is about 22-23?) However, about 7k of my income last year was commission and I don't have a hope in hells chance of making that this year. In addition to paying off my debts and funding my course I'm not left with much each month, but I know that at the end it'll be worth it.

On a brighter note, my employer has said that they will fund my course next year. This is mainly due to the fact that most employers can get a 60% grant if they are putting employees through courses. I know that this scheme ends in March 2011, so you have to get your claim in before then.

It might be worth checking with your employer whether you qualify. Even if they don't want to pay for it, they might let you get the grant and take a small drop in salary to pay the remaining 40% back to the company.

bestpud

bigheadxx wrote: »

skcollobcat10 wrote: »

Why shouldnt people on modest incomes get access to higher education funding. The cut off point for grants and loans is ridiculous. If you are rich you can afford to pay if you are poor it gets paid for you. The rest of us just have to get on with life and pay our taxes.

I was fortunate enough to get a higher education but why should that be a barrier to getting trained in a different career or topping up your skills.

I could leave work tomorrow and get my fees paid and a loan but then how would I pay my mortgage?

There is definitely a section of modest earners who lose out on student funding imo. They tend to be the ones earning betwen £20-30k, depending on whether they have other commitments.

However, on £55k the OP does not come into that bracket!

There is a reason they have an income cut off and if people have £55k coming in and no disposable income, then that is due to their lifestyle choices, and student finance is not about maintaining lifestyles!

brians_daughter

right..in reply to some of your comments.1st thanks to those that are supportive

why did i not go into further ed when i was 18...unfortunatley my mother died, my father took it badly and i needed to leave college to look after my 2 young brothers who were 10 and 6 at the time

its newish relationship - i am not paying into ohs 'savings plan' we had a legal agreement set up when i moved in that 25% of any equity that is in the house after the date i moved in is mine, this will be 50% when i am paying towards mortgage

Oh also pays out £350 pcm for his own childrens childcare and £400 in maintenance so to ask him to pay my childrens childcare is unrealistic.

4k a year thread..... yeah i would love to but as you see my travel expenses to and from work and childcare come to 6k pa. 1
8k after tax is approx £13-13.5k ish? so 1/2 my wages go on these 2 essentials. my car insurance is over £60 pcm due to the fact i have only been driving 2 yrs and had an accident last july.

The car i drive is worth more in scrap, so i cant sell that to fund anything. once i have paid my share of the bills and life insurance, childrens swimming and other activities which i deem necessity ie swimming is a skill i feel taht they need, they go to the local kids group etc and i am left with very little. i do not squander what money i have, i dont go out much,a nd dont buy myself anything i do not need, i save what i have left but i dont have a lot to save in the 1st place!

i dont expect the public to pick up my tab. hence the questions about LOANS, not grants/funding.

my employer will not contribute as i took the job 12/18 months ago when i got made redundant - prior to this role i had a 'good job' with a great employer who let me work 4 days a week, i earned considerably more but with current economic climate etc'good' jobs for life are hard to come by. hence my wish to re-train. My employer knows it is a 'short term fix' for me and i am on a rolling 3 month contract

i called OU you have to pass the credit check to get the finance

finally my SOA was posted by my brother and i have cut back what i can

as i say, thanks to those that gave advice, to everyone else maybe you should ask for the full facts prior to judging people in future.

tonysgirl

Hello
I am also studying with the OU and while I don't have the childcare you have my credit was poor when I started and I managed to get on their budget a/c. Each course is £300-£600 approx so you may have to take longer (mine will be 5 or 6 years) and do less each year ? The interest on the OU ac/s is really very low and they take only £30-£60 per month during the time of the course. This is important as the payments don't start til the course does regardless of when you register.
By the time you get to the longer courses which are the more expensive you might be earning more money or be in a better position to fund it ?
Good luck !