Earn upto £3,500 for 30 minutes work!!! 'Access to Learning Fund'

Dreaming_2

Come on, the ALF is a limited pot and some people will need that money to keep on the course! Leave it for those who cannot work or have unforeseen circumstances to deal with!

Well I didn't see my dad passing away and mum being stuck with the mortgage. The comment about feigning illness wasn't meant to be taken seriously though it is just the state of things. It is too easy to get declared 'sick'. Like I said, my mum is on the road to recovery -now- and in a part time job for a local primary school. Things in general are looking up. She has been sectioned before and I think it was the most unpleasant experience in her life.

And I do work when I'm at university and last year over the summer, but this summer because of the economic conditions there has been very little work where I live. Unemployment has increased across the whole economy and I would speculate most of this is from temporary workers who are not long term, which is where students fit in exactly. Remove the jobs and then students are fighting for limited jobs.

I agree it's a limited pot but the fact is they don't really care about individual circumstances, they just want to prove to their superiors / the government that the money is going to people who are needy and so the assessment is as simple as 'are you disabled? do you have dependents?'. If you spend anything over £600 a term (not including rent) on everything, or about £3000 a year in total, then they say you are overspending (as this is the maintenence loan). I don't know anyone who supports themselves wholly off the maintenence loan.

As for helping out my family we are not what you would call rich and have to help each other out. My sister is no longer earning anything, she was on the equivilent of £2 / hour though.

What am I supposed to do when I'm broke and need a helping hand when neither the government nor University want to help? Like I said the biggest 'frivolous' expense over the summer (which has cost me £2500 to date) was a holiday for £150, which has been planned since last year. Not that it seems to matter, because without a handicap I'm fine supposedly.

I understand the argument that in a population x and population y where x is disabled and y is not then it is more likely that population x will benefit from the money but I thought the student support services were there to support all students on a case by case basis.

Add up your food, bills, everything you spend in a year minus rent and see if it comes to more than £3000. If it does you spend too much.

bestpud

Dreaming wrote: »

Well I didn't see my dad passing away and mum being stuck with the mortgage. The comment about feigning illness wasn't meant to be taken seriously though it is just the state of things. It is too easy to get declared 'sick'. Like I said, my mum is on the road to recovery -now- and in a part time job for a local primary school. Things in general are looking up. She has been sectioned before and I think it was the most unpleasant experience in her life.

And I do work when I'm at university and last year over the summer, but this summer because of the economic conditions there has been very little work where I live. Unemployment has increased across the whole economy and I would speculate most of this is from temporary workers who are not long term, which is where students fit in exactly. Remove the jobs and then students are fighting for limited jobs.

I agree it's a limited pot but the fact is they don't really care about individual circumstances, they just want to prove to their superiors / the government that the money is going to people who are needy and so the assessment is as simple as 'are you disabled? do you have dependents?'. If you spend anything over £600 a term (not including rent) on everything, or about £3000 a year in total, then they say you are overspending (as this is the maintenence loan). I don't know anyone who supports themselves wholly off the maintenence loan.

As for helping out my family we are not what you would call rich and have to help each other out. My sister is no longer earning anything, she was on the equivilent of £2 / hour though.

What am I supposed to do when I'm broke and need a helping hand when neither the government nor University want to help? Like I said the biggest 'frivolous' expense over the summer (which has cost me £2500 to date) was a holiday for £150, which has been planned since last year. Not that it seems to matter, because without a handicap I'm fine supposedly.

I understand the argument that in a population x and population y where x is disabled and y is not then it is more likely that population x will benefit from the money but I thought the student support services were there to support all students on a case by case basis.

Add up your food, bills, everything you spend in a year minus rent and see if it comes to more than £3000. If it does you spend too much.

Have you considered your mum was easily diagnosed as sick and offered a sick note because she was actually sick?

You are able to work! It is on a case by case basis but how many single students do you think would find a job if they knew they could rely on the ALF funding their summer break?

If your sister is no longer earning then she should be either looking for a job or claiming benefits. It is not the role of the ALF to fund your unemployed sister by proxy!!

Likewise your mum - the ALF is not designed to help you fund her because she doesn't want to appear destitute to the usual benefit agencies.

Basically, good on you for supporting your family, but the ALF is not there to fund such decisions! In short, it is not a substitute for welfare benefits and/or employment (for you or your family!)

Dreaming_2

Sorry, I didn't come across very well before, I think I was a bit upset.

Basically I had been told I could claim before because of circumstances (bereavement / lack of parental support etc.) but didn't because I was managing ok by working in the summer. This summer I was unable to and decided to try to apply but was advised that even with some extenuating circumstances because I don't tick the disability box that I have to adhere to a very strict spending limit. It was so strict (3000 pa) that I don't think anyone would be able to live off it, essentially restricting this funding simply to disabled students (or students with dependants), because a) it limits the amount of paperwork they do and b) it looks better when they have statistics that is is stereotypically needy people they are helping.

I should make clear as well that I have suffered badly from *things* in the past in part due to my dad dying and in part due to other circumstances but I have come through it with a being strong (as in I don't want to surrender to it again because it is a slippery slope) attitude, and basically my university wants you to lie down on your back like a tortoise flipped upside down before it will help. All I wanted was a loan to last the summer until I got my loan because I'm 2 grand in debt and so I would be able to pay my rent. I've ended up having to sell cherished possesions to pay the rent.

Again sorry if I came across as hostile (I was upset) and a lot of the reasons I listed were probably rubbish because I think we try to justify spendings but really I was the simple case of the poor student from the poor background who needed help with his rent because there were no jobs. So at least for me it wasn't on a case by case basis, they didn't consider me because I didn't fit their criteria. Ironically I believe I can re-apply for next year and I might get it but it's debatable whether I need it now because I covered my summer rent with selling things (that I had from before I went uni / 18th birthday present).

edit: for what it's worth it's not supposed to be compulsory to get a job over the summer, you're classed as a full time student the year round - which is why I can't get job seekers allowance. Students are supposed to spread their loan over 12 months but we all know that it doesn't stretch that far really, with rent for the 9 months you're at uni taking in some cases all of some people's loan.

bestpud

Dreaming wrote: »

Sorry, I didn't come across very well before, I think I was a bit upset.

Basically I had been told I could claim before because of circumstances (bereavement / lack of parental support etc.) but didn't because I was managing ok by working in the summer. This summer I was unable to and decided to try to apply but was advised that even with some extenuating circumstances because I don't tick the disability box that I have to adhere to a very strict spending limit. It was so strict (3000 pa) that I don't think anyone would be able to live off it, essentially restricting this funding simply to disabled students (or students with dependants), because a) it limits the amount of paperwork they do and b) it looks better when they have statistics that is is stereotypically needy people they are helping.

I should make clear as well that I have suffered badly from *things* in the past in part due to my dad dying and in part due to other circumstances but I have come through it with a being strong (as in I don't want to surrender to it again because it is a slippery slope) attitude, and basically my university wants you to lie down on your back like a tortoise flipped upside down before it will help. All I wanted was a loan to last the summer until I got my loan because I'm 2 grand in debt and so I would be able to pay my rent. I've ended up having to sell cherished possesions to pay the rent.

Again sorry if I came across as hostile (I was upset) and a lot of the reasons I listed were probably rubbish because I think we try to justify spendings but really I was the simple case of the poor student from the poor background who needed help with his rent because there were no jobs. So at least for me it wasn't on a case by case basis, they didn't consider me because I didn't fit their criteria. Ironically I believe I can re-apply for next year and I might get it but it's debatable whether I need it now because I covered my summer rent with selling things (that I had from before I went uni / 18th birthday present).

edit: for what it's worth it's not supposed to be compulsory to get a job over the summer, you're classed as a full time student the year round - which is why I can't get job seekers allowance. Students are supposed to spread their loan over 12 months but we all know that it doesn't stretch that far really, with rent for the 9 months you're at uni taking in some cases all of some people's loan.

No it's not compulsory to get a job, but the ALF is a last resort fund and they therefore expect students to gain money from other sources first. In the case of healthy and single students, that usually means getting a job.

Can you not apply for student grants if your household income is low? I don't think you should be relying on a loan given your family situation?

Dreaming_2

bestpud wrote: »

No it's not compulsory to get a job, but the ALF is a last resort fund and they therefore expect students to gain money from other sources first. In the case of healthy and single students, that usually means getting a job.

Can you not apply for student grants if your household income is low? I don't think you should be relying on a loan given your family situation?

At the time I just read it was for hardship and just needed a loan to last me the summer as I could not find a job. I'm ok now (got work at university + my student loan coming in) and have a budget in place where I should be able to save a nice bit of money by next summer, and *hopefully* then I can get a job next summer to not have to worry again. It was their refusal to help because I didn't have a disability - like I've said the job market around here (Leicester) has been hit by economic circumstances though now it's getting better thanks to investment - but while things were tough for me they wouldn't help.

I get a supplementary grant as well and the undergraduate bursary but university can be quite expensive. Now I've got things straightened out in a sense and lost some financial commitments I am on the straight and narrow but like I said again it was the refusal to work with me when I was in a tight spot. My friend who was in a similar tight spot again due to the summer where money tends to get thrown away (no uni / no job but still got to pay rent!) borrowed money off his parents which seemed to work, I don't think mine is a unique situation specifically. I don't see why they couldn't have loaned me the rent for the summer when I would have been able to pay them back considering it's difficult to get that short term parental loan. I was already deep in my overdraft and didn't want to exceed my limit.

heena_2

I've head about these also, through this can get part-time students?

zara3562

Hi, can anyone advise me about the alf? Im a new student on a nursing degree course. I get a bursary(yet to be paid) and half student loan...Its estimated that my bursary will be about £826 per month. I'm single with 4 children and am struggling at the minute. I will hopefully recieve a childcare allowance as well as the main bursary which will cover up to £180 per week....unfortunately my childcare is just short of £300 per week and im terrified that I wont be able to find the shortfall. Because previous bad credit(not loads just bad judgement) I dont have an overdraft and am sooooooo worried. Does anyone know if the alf might be able to help me and if so in what form??
Thanks guys xxx

N1SEXYTING

zara3562 wrote: »

Hi, can anyone advise me about the alf? Im a new student on a nursing degree course. I get a bursary(yet to be paid) and half student loan...Its estimated that my bursary will be about £826 per month. I'm single with 4 children and am struggling at the minute. I will hopefully recieve a childcare allowance as well as the main bursary which will cover up to £180 per week....unfortunately my childcare is just short of £300 per week and im terrified that I wont be able to find the shortfall. Because previous bad credit(not loads just bad judgement) I dont have an overdraft and am sooooooo worried. Does anyone know if the alf might be able to help me and if so in what form??
Thanks guys xxx

you should defibately apply, I'm doing a social work course and also get bursary and childcare allowance but like you my childcare is not fully covered. I applied at the beginning of the first term and was awarded about £750 towards my childcare and I re-applied in the 2nd term as advised by the financial adviser and was awarded a further £1400. so basically she gave me enough money to make up the shortfall of my childcare fees and what the NHS was giving me. in fact she implied to me that if i still needed further funds, I should re-apply but i decided not to. a friend of mine also on the course with no kids working parttime but still struggling also applied towards the end of the 3rd term and she got some money also.

I'm definately going to apply again this year as i'm in the same situation i was last year.

bestpud

heena wrote: »

I've head about these also, through this can get part-time students?

At my uni you can apply if you are doing 50% or more of a fulltime course.

I don't know if that is a standard rule or something they have come up with though.

You could email the finance advisor and ask, or it should be on the uni website, I'd have thought.

WOWICANDOIT

I am on a NHS funded course attracting a bursary of £8000 which is made up of basic bursary dependants allowance and PLA. I have also applied for the student loan which will be £2265 (approved just not through yet). I also work which i receive £4300 per annum I work 16 hours a week. I also gert working families tax credit £199 a week. . This totals about £28000 when family allowance is included. Yes this is a lot and despite having very high personal debts I can just manage ,I am single mum to 3 kids. My dilema is that i am in the second week of my course and have not yet moved into the clinical placement which make up 60% of my course. Whilst at college I am putting in 25 hours so can manage to work for 16 hours but come placement time i will be unable to work as much thus having a drop in wages and also loosing the working tax credit . My placements are 9-5 monday to friday. I will still work but I need to spend some time with the kids. I estimate drop in wages and tax credits will loose £100 a week.
My question is do you think I will be eligible to aply for the hardship fund if I apply now and explain my position wiil they take into consideration my drop in income.
Any help and advice will be great.