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Ema Problems
sunrise27_2
Posts: 1,349 Forumite
not sure if this is the right place to post this but I desperately need help before I scream
my daughter has just finished a hairdressing course where she was not eligible for ema as my husband and I earn too much
in May while still on the course she found a nail course that she wanted to do , when she went to make enquires she was told that she could claim ema , she argued the point with them and said she couldn't get it as we earnt above the limit, she was told that because it was an e2e course she was entitled to it regardless. She was still adamant that she wasnt.
they gave her the forms to claim for it anyway which she filled in and got a contract back dated the 2nd June saying she could get it from the 31st may - 29th August ( the course finishes in November )
she didnt' get it signed until the 28th June as that was the day the course started.
last week on the 7th July she was called into the office and told that she wasnt' going to get the ema as on the 28th June the government had changed the rules and it was now means tested,
she was distraught - although we earn too much but its only just above the limit after paying the bills , mortgage etc we cannot afford to give her £30 a week. She was looking long term and was going to use the ema to take driving lessons so that when the course finishes she is mobile to be able to go for different jobs or if there are no jobs available she can do mobile work.
we rang the ema department 3 times on Wednesday 7th July speaking to 3 different people each checked with their team leader and each one came back and said it was all ok and she was entitled to it but the college have got an email and said because the form was signed on the 28th June she can't have it
I have now spoken again to the ema who have told me that this is right but if she had gone into the college and got the form signed even the day before , even though the course didn't start till the 28th she would be entitled to the money until the end of August
I do think that once enrolled onto the course the ema shoud be there until the course has finished
I went on the direct gov website on the 7th july and there in black and white it says if you're on an e2e course you'll get the maximum £30 weekly ema payment regardless of your household income
surely if the rules changed on the 28th June that shouldn't still have been on there on the 7th July ???
my husband luckily told me to print it off in case it changed which surprise surprise it has now but I have it in writing with a date on the sheet of paper
my daughter has just finished a hairdressing course where she was not eligible for ema as my husband and I earn too much
in May while still on the course she found a nail course that she wanted to do , when she went to make enquires she was told that she could claim ema , she argued the point with them and said she couldn't get it as we earnt above the limit, she was told that because it was an e2e course she was entitled to it regardless. She was still adamant that she wasnt.
they gave her the forms to claim for it anyway which she filled in and got a contract back dated the 2nd June saying she could get it from the 31st may - 29th August ( the course finishes in November )
she didnt' get it signed until the 28th June as that was the day the course started.
last week on the 7th July she was called into the office and told that she wasnt' going to get the ema as on the 28th June the government had changed the rules and it was now means tested,
she was distraught - although we earn too much but its only just above the limit after paying the bills , mortgage etc we cannot afford to give her £30 a week. She was looking long term and was going to use the ema to take driving lessons so that when the course finishes she is mobile to be able to go for different jobs or if there are no jobs available she can do mobile work.
we rang the ema department 3 times on Wednesday 7th July speaking to 3 different people each checked with their team leader and each one came back and said it was all ok and she was entitled to it but the college have got an email and said because the form was signed on the 28th June she can't have it
I have now spoken again to the ema who have told me that this is right but if she had gone into the college and got the form signed even the day before , even though the course didn't start till the 28th she would be entitled to the money until the end of August
I do think that once enrolled onto the course the ema shoud be there until the course has finished
I went on the direct gov website on the 7th july and there in black and white it says if you're on an e2e course you'll get the maximum £30 weekly ema payment regardless of your household income
surely if the rules changed on the 28th June that shouldn't still have been on there on the 7th July ???
my husband luckily told me to print it off in case it changed which surprise surprise it has now but I have it in writing with a date on the sheet of paper
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Comments
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I have just found this on a website
this means that courses starting from the 28th June 2010 the e2e variant of ema will not be available to new learners and all new learners will be income assessed,
for learners whose programme starts before the 28th June the current arrangements will continue until the end of the course or 10th January 2011 whichever comes first
does that mean that if my daughter had started the course on the 27th June then she would have been paid ema until the end of the course in November ???
if this is the case I am even more annoyed as her and her friends liased with both colleges for a suitable start date for the new course, she finished the hair course on the 24th June and could easily have started the new one the next day on the 25th June ( if someone , anyone !!! had told them of the new 28th June rule ) she would now not be having any problems and would be paid to the end of her course at the end of November !!!0 -
Um, if she was going to use the £30 per week for driving lessons AFTER her course, then surely the lack of it shouldn't hinder her being able to do the course?
I know it must be frustrating that she has missed out by days. However, you can't blame the staff at the college - there are so many changes taking place at the moment, and with many students involved, the staff cannot be held liable for chasing up each individual student over the course of a couple of days. There have been many changes taking place in regards to government funding of various things recently, and updating of websites does take time.
I hope your daughter enjoys her course, and maybe she can do a part time job somewhere during her course to ensure she has the funds available afterwards to get her driving lesssons?0 -
if this is the case I am even more annoyed as her and her friends liased with both colleges for a suitable start date for the new course, she finished the hair course on the 24th June and could easily have started the new one the next day on the 25th June ( if someone , anyone !!! had told them of the new 28th June rule ) she would now not be having any problems and would be paid to the end of her course at the end of November !!!
The 28th June was a Monday - she would hardly have been likely to start a new course on a Friday, even if the new rules had been known.0 -
I know this forum isn't here to voice personal opinions but I just have to say I think it stinks and is yet another way of keeping the working classes out of eduction :mad:I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!0
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Oldernotwiser wrote: »The 28th June was a Monday - she would hardly have been likely to start a new course on a Friday, even if the new rules had been known.
no but even if she'd got the paperwork signed on the Friday and didn't start the course until the Monday she would have been entitled to the ema money
its not fair0 -
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because many students whos parents earn even just over the limit aren't entitled to any help so therefore cannot afford to carry on their education0
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But surely you get child benefit and tax credits for her?Sealed pot challenge #232. Gold stars from Sue-UU - :staradmin :staradmin £75.29 banked
50p saver #40 £20 banked
Virtual sealed pot #178 £80.250 -
no but even if she'd got the paperwork signed on the Friday and didn't start the course until the Monday she would have been entitled to the ema money
its not fair
I can see where you are coming from, but you must admit the previous government had been pretty lax in handing out money right left and centre without a care of where it was coming from.
She ought to be thankful that she is getting an education! 1000's in this world don't!!!
Driving lessons - paid for by the taxpayers - hey come on that is taking it a bit far!!
Why doesn't she do the normal thing and get a part time job like the rest of the kids do? At least she would feel the satisfaction of knowing that she got there under her own steam.0 -
When you say
"although we earn too much but its only just above the limit"
do you mean you earn over £30,810 per year, if not you can still claim a partial ema allowance I believe.0
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