Scamming EMA!

Darksun

Benefit fraud can be reported anonymously, see https://secure.dwp.gov.uk/benefitfraud/ for details.

'Course, you have to decide whether or not you want to report people. It's a complex moral, political and sociological question that has plagued philosophers for centuries...

Sorry, I'm in the middle of writing an essay on political philosophy :P

JohnV85

How about scrapping EMA altogether, and giving what money would be paid to students directly to the colleges, etc?

I have no doubt that the money would be better spent and actually better achieve the aims it sets out to rather than giving it to students, who I would suspect mostly (although there will always be exceptions) spend in on non educational items.

mistyarthur

I think it is a good benefit but it does encourage people to stay on even though they are not remotely interested in learning, previously you could guarantee that the sixth form would have no wasters in the lesson because everyone wanted to be there. In my school when the ema came in (the year after me) the amount of pupils staying on doubled!!!

Neato

JohnV85 wrote:

How about scrapping EMA altogether, and giving what money would be paid to students directly to the colleges, etc?

I have no doubt that the money would be better spent and actually better achieve the aims it sets out to rather than giving it to students, who I would suspect mostly (although there will always be exceptions) spend in on non educational items.

I disagree with this point. My college is supposed to get £3000 (I think) per year to spend on my education. This just doesnt happen. We have to pay for school (writing) books. We share textbook even to the extreme of one between 3/4 at times. Were charged for things like spare pens...so what are they actually buying me?? A chair and a table?? I know that doesnt add up to £3000 a year. The EMA is not supposed to be solely for educational items, college are supposed to pay for the majority of those anyway. EMA is so that you can study without the added pressure of having to get a job. Personally I have a paper round aswell. Sometimes EMA will pay for my books, sometimes for new clothes...just as it would if i had a part time job. People scamming EMA should be reported but as for people bragging...thats not necessarily a bad thing. To get your EMA you have to turn up at college and achieve your target grades. So to brag they have to go to college so the EMA is an incentive to turn up. So as annoying as it may be they are actually benefiting themselves. However they should be reported so that they get their suitbale amount.

savvy

mistyarthur wrote:

I think it is a good benefit but it does encourage people to stay on even though they are not remotely interested in learning, previously you could guarantee that the sixth form would have no wasters in the lesson because everyone wanted to be there. In my school when the ema came in (the year after me) the amount of pupils staying on doubled!!!

I agree with you there!! As a lecturer it is VERY difficult to motivate/keep on task/manage the students who have quite openly admitted only being there for the EMA!! They don't care that they disrupt the learning of those who do/need to be there for their career choice!

looby75

If it wasn't for ema my little brother wouldn't be able to go to college and would be stuck in some dead end factory job (if he had been lucky enough to get one) or on the dole. As it is he is a joinery apprentice, doing really well and because of his £30 a week is able to have opportunities our parents were never able to give the rest of his siblings. The EMA is great imo.

mistyarthur

But the point is a lot of people don't want to do any work and all you have to do to get the basic ema without bonuses is just turn up. I'm not saying ema is a bad idea it is a good idea but it does make people stay on just to get it and its the ones who were never going to get a good job because they never even tried earlier on, and they aren't going to suddenly change their mind like savvy says.

looby75

mistyarthur wrote:

But the point is a lot of people don't want to do any work and all you have to do to get the basic ema without bonuses is just turn up.

Even that would only work for so long. You have to reach the minimum required level of whatever course you are on in order to qualify for EMA, the bonuses are only awarded if you exceed those levels, so even if you are just doing a course to fill in time and get the £30 you still have to put at least SOME effort in. And surely when a kid see's their mates getting £100 bonuses for putting a bit extra effort in it's possible it will give them a kick up the backside and make them work more.

Sassy_Student

BusinessStudent wrote:

I asked my parents to say I lived with my nan and they refussed!

And would you also stick your head in a oven if they did?

I went to college in Cornwall, which piloted EMA. While i did not recieve EMA, my little sister now does (family arrangments changed). yet it didn't really bug be too much - I went to learn.

to those people who only go for the money - £30 a week for 2 years, compared to good A-levels and a good degree and earning power. I know which one I choose.

But did you know that It's been proven that if you work more than 10 hours a week then you will probally drop a grade... worth thinking about.

Minimods

BusinessStudent wrote:

The people who get EMA only go to college because of their money, they brag about how much they get each week and go clothes shopping during breaks. Everyone should get it or no one at all

Very true. The chavs that get EMA just go, do the bare minimum work (ie just show up) and get £30 per week for basically hanging out with their mates.

I have never been entitled to EMA (I am 21 now anyway) and £30 a week is nothing to me, but why should I not get it because my parents earn a decent wage? Do they really think my parents would give me £30 'pocket money'.

I am just smug in the thought that these people that cheat the system will not get anywhere in life, so I will keep working and it will pay off in the end.