A Very LONG story!

jenaimepastacopine

Ok:

I am currently a student about to go into my fourth year at university having spent a year in Paris as part of my course. The year was compulsory. I am age 21, started studying French and History in September 2006. (that may be relevant?!).

Last year, before moving out to France I applied for my student loan as normal. Some time in August I receive a letter from SLC stating that I will be receiving just £2710 for the whole year. This is a major shock as I normally get a full means tested loan, coming to around £4500. I was advised to call my LEA (Lancashire) and ask them what was going on.

I called the LEA and spoke to an exceptionally rude man who was my 'assessor' . He told me that because I was taking a year off to 'work', I was only entitled to £2710 which is the maximum for those taking a year out to work in industry.

This is absolute rubbish as technically my status last year was 'ERASMUS work student'. That is, I was spending 12 hours per week working as an assistant in a school in Paris, getting paid a small amount. My job was recognised by ERASMUS and they now give funding to all assistants. Normally, all ERASMUS students get a FULL student loan. However, perhaps because ERASMUS only just started to provide funding for assistants, my LEA assessor decided to class my assistantship as a proper job, and there reduce my loan to this tiny amount. Furthermore, he took great delight in telling me that I would not be getting the LEA travel grant last year, which works out at about £200 towards flights.

After complaining to my University ERASMUS co-ordinator, she has had a clarification of the rules from the DfBIS (or whatever the Govt department for higher education is now) and they have stated that they are REMINDING all LEAs that ERASMUS work students are indeed to be treated as all other ERASMUS students and therefore get the full loan.



SO, really I am after advice. What witht eh exchange rate last year, i had o beg borrow and steal to survive and am now in massive debt with BANKS rather than SLC. I don't really know what the chances are of getting any loan backdated, probably next to zero. I do think that i may have a better chance of getting my travel costs reimbursed but i just don't know how to approach the whole thing?

Please could someone point me in the right direction as to what to do? THANKS!

Oldernotwiser

You would be much better to post this on the Student Board where you'll find others who've been in the same situation.

jenaimepastacopine

this isn't the student board?

Oldernotwiser

jenaimepastacopine wrote: »

this isn't the student board?

I am really sorry, I must have been having a senior moment!

jenaimepastacopine

Lol! Any advice anyway?

Oldernotwiser

Could you clarify whether you're now getting the full loan that you should have received last year?

nervousftb_3

i don't know what your chances are of getting the loan backdated, but if i were you i would start building a case of who you spoke to, when you spoke to them, any letters you recieved, proof of your ERASMUS status etc. and then get onto the LEA with all this information to hand and speak to somebody senior. I would guess that it depends on how much of a fuss you made when you originally found out, as if you only made one phone call and then went off to paris and never did anything else about it, they may be less inclined to help you out.

student_advisor

You should make contact with your student support services/student union so that they can help you build a case - it's what they're paid for!

Good luck.

Lokolo

Keep the banks happy. Get a job.

Any sort of income is going to get them more on your side than your enemy. Banks are much harsher on those that have no income.

Have you spoke to university about ALF?
Have you got a budget planner?
How much do you owe? And at what rates?