Midwifery applicant and financial options

dagrowler

brilliant thanks all, i've got someone calling me back later today (alledgedly). i spoke to a lovely lady who agreed that the other person i spoke to was wrong so they're looking into it.

PHEW!

dagrowler

ok all sorted! the people i spoke to today were brilliant and got it sorted within the hour. i've got a new letter coming out to me this week to say i'm allowed the maintenance loan.

yaroo

tabathaxx

can i ask where you are studying? im going to de mont - well thats my conditional offer - if not its coventry where i have an unconditional offer. glad things seem to be sorted - if they arent just keep on at them - it will get sorted eventually!

dagrowler

oxford brookes for me, hopefully, if i can get my access course done. i have two weeks left to go! eeek

Taiko

tabathaxx wrote: »

Glad to have found this - ive been looking for somewhere to vent for a few months now

no you dont have to apply for your busary first - i have my confimation of the loan already but not for the bursary as you cant apply for this until you actually have a firm offer that you have accepted. You can apply for the loan at any time.

the people (and i use the term loosely) who answer the phone at the SLC dont know about the health courses being exempt from the previous degree bar on loans so they will probably tell you you are not entitled - dont give up you are!!! the computer system is also not aware of the exemtption so you may well get an award letter which says you are entitled to £0

YOU ARE ENTITLED TO THE LOAN but you have to talk to someone senior for it to be sorted. The person on teh end of the phone may say that they have spoken to them themselves (they wont have) - you need to speak to them yourself - insist and if you have to hold hold - they wont ring you back!!

this is the palorvour i had to go through to eventually be told - oh yes you are entitled to it - sorry the system is not aware of cases like this!!! I now have a letter which confirms this (they didnt want to send one - said i could just look online - no thanks i want something in writing) and i start at uni in september!!

LEA's know about the exception, but that's because we've been doing it for years on end. SFE have completely new staff and do struggle, relying too much on the system.

I manually check every assessment I do as I don't trust it completely, and quite often I have to do a full manual to get it right.

Buttonmoon_2

Oh dear Tabathaxx it sound like you have been given the run around!!!

I sent my bursary forms off on Friday (I have accepted an unconditional offer) so I won't hold my breath for a smooth ride. Thanks for the heads up!!!

Congratulations and good luck to all the money saving midwifery students and midwives!!!!

Buttonmoon_2

I just thought I would update on my student loan experience to date...I filled out the online application (via directgov) and when checked online at the copy of the correspondence that they are sending out to me the breakdown showed a big fat £0 for maintenance just like Tabathaxx.

I gave them a call and asked why and pointed out that I was entitled to the maintenance element and that I had heard reports of glitches in their system that was sending out incorrect information. The advisor said that he would speak to an advisor and they would call me back. I was hesitent but thought give them the benefit of the doubt this one time and suprise they did actually call me back within an hour. They said that they would manually override the decision becasue I was entitled and to ignore the first letter to come out and sign and return the second correct one.

I would just echo the advice already given to call them up to sort it out, they must be getting used to calls soon enough.

dagrowler

Buttonmoon wrote: »

I just thought I would update on my student loan experience to date...I filled out the online application (via directgov) and when checked online at the copy of the correspondence that they are sending out to me the breakdown showed a big fat £0 for maintenance just like Tabathaxx.

I gave them a call and asked why and pointed out that I was entitled to the maintenance element and that I had heard reports of glitches in their system that was sending out incorrect information. The advisor said that he would speak to an advisor and they would call me back. I was hesitent but thought give them the benefit of the doubt this one time and suprise they did actually call me back within an hour. They said that they would manually override the decision becasue I was entitled and to ignore the first letter to come out and sign and return the second correct one.

I would just echo the advice already given to call them up to sort it out, they must be getting used to calls soon enough.

exactly the same as happened to me! there are some good people working there! very good service in the end i think!