Advice please - returning to studentdom

singingjojo_3

Hello,

After 10 yrs working I am returning to study an MA.
For the past 7 years I have been teaching and paying into the Teachers pension scheme - what should i do about this?

Also - do I get reductions on things like council tax etc..?

Do I have to inform anyone?

Are there any funding opportunities that I am unaware of?

Is there anything I can do / need to know... etc..!

Thanks.

HockeyDuo8083

I can only speak for my situation in scotland, it's different to other parts of UK. I am returning to study in August after 4 years away. I will be contacting our Council to get the appropriate form for a Council Tax exemption. This usually must be stamped by your uni and sometime you can get the forms from uni too. The same goes for railcards etc. If you look on the websites for various places or call them up they can tell you about any student discounts and how to apply. If you don't ask you won't get.
Same goes for funding, you maybe entitled to a student loan or other grant/bursary.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/index.htm

Sorry don't know anything about pensions!

HTH

Piggles12345

What discipline are you studying?

There tend to be very very few MA funding opportunities. If you are planning to carry on to PhD level, you could look at applying for 1+3 funding (assuming you are not a natural scientist). If not, there is not too much chance of funding for just an MA.

However, just to make doubly sure of this, you should talk to your department and see whether they are aware of any funding. A lot of non- natural science departments have bursaries which are usually taken as partial fee waivers. Although they do not cover all of the fees or living expenses, they do contribute! Talk to the head of graduate studies in your department.

As for council tax, if the house that you live in is occupied by all full-time students, you will not have to pay any council tax. If there is one person working, you ought to be liable for a 25% discount (assuming the MA is done full-time). All you need to send the council is proof of the student status of the relevant people in your house.

Sorry, I have no idea about pensions. You should ring the people to whom you have been paying and ask for their advice. This advice will also be available from the support services at your university.