I have nothing and in bad debt need honest advice!

costaerer

just want to wish you good luck! and i agree with what everyone else is posting. jsa, hb etc really do come in handy.
i did an access course last year and there are plenty of mature adults who want to 're start' their careers. but the thing is, if you do the access course over one year its classed as full time so you cant get hb and jsa. its a bit of a stupid rule but thats what it is. but you could do the access course over 2 years, so you could still claime hb and jsa, and if you got a job youd have time to do it. you can do the part time access course normally in the days or at night so whichever would be more convenient for you.
my husband did an access course full time the year before me, and he was in college 16 hrs a week - bit stupid its classed as full time but, hey! and he worked 30 hrs a week for a crappy wage , but money is money. he worked every night 5 hrs and sunday 10 hrs!
why dont you look for some delivery work, take aways etc often have adverts in the windows. try dominos. i know its not your forte, but money is money and if it gets you on the career ladder so you can further your education its worth it!

anyway good luck!

Hannah_10

Costaerer makes a good point about the draw backs of an access course, which was part of why I did an AS level. I was in college 3 hours a week (one night a week 6pm-9pm) for 1 academic year. It got me accepted to Uni exactly as if I'd done an access course, but then that was to a HND not a degree (although I was just going to do the final year afterwards to get a degree anyhow- because HND's are free of tuition fees in that particular subject).

SKINTEASTWOOD

Thanks everyone for all the information and advice its gonna take me a while to decipher it all.

Today has been a good day!!!!!

Firstly me and the estranged wife have had a long chat and I've told her my difficulties and although taking things slowly we seem to be getting on well and may possibly have a future :-)

I've also had a phone call today offering me a job 30 hours per week @ £5.97 per hour.

However the wife raised a disturbing point...... that she cannot afford for me to move back in any time soon as she would lose a huge chunk of her tax credits her council tax will go up and they would include any income I might earn in her award even though it will all be paid towards debts and not impact the houshold income, I'm not sure how we would work it out????? It seems like a bit of a no win government trap to me!


Also I know it sounds weird but I've never been so down about getting a job, the lure of further education has given me real hope for the future that I can turn a positive into a negative and finally work towards a worthwhile job I have always dreamed of, but I just dont know what to do! I dont really understand all the different course and degrees and access courses.... its been a while since I was in education, the amount of info is scary.

I suppose I have to decide whether to take the job and nibble away at my debts or try to put them on hold while I train.

I've been in contact with the cccs and completed a debt remedy and have written letters to all my creditors offering them token payments of £1 per month as I am on zero income.

The cccs however have said I need to contact them again when my circumstances have improved, as they cannot offer me a solution at the moment.

It's all a bit daunting but I'm starting to feel a bit better, If very confused

Hannah_10

Take the job, then ring adult education. Ask the following...

Can I get a prospectus for your part-time courses? (A booklet with all the details of all the part time course they offer)
What help is available for people on low incomes? (Coz £180 a week is a low income.)
When is the closing date for September 2010 enrollments? (Enrollment means signing up for a course).
Where actually is my local adult ed. centre?

If you don't like the answers ring the local 6th form where the 16-18 year olds all go and ask them the same set of questions but prefixed with the question... Do you do part time courses for mature students?

If you want to go to University you will need (as a mature student) some "evidence of recent study" meaning no matter what certificates you have from your teen years you need to show willing and do a course now if you want to be going to Uni in 2011 (you've missed 2010 by a mile anyway). Remember A levels? Well they've been replaced by AS and A2 levels. What that means is year one of A Level is now called an AS level and if you want to then do a second year it's called an A2, but you don't have to. Your two best bets for "evidence of recent study" are do an AS level (the easiest option for people who had 5 GCSEs at A*-C from school) or an access course (if your GCSE's were under the benchmark or if you feel you could do with a full on refresher of all your study skills). An AS level is one evening a week. An access course is full time.

Hannah_10

PS: I think probably not but... Check with the link below just in case you're still entitled to a few quid Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.

http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx

RAS

Skint

hannah is correct; at your age universites will consider alternative qualifcations. What you need to do is think what you would really like to do, then find out how to get on the course (whether it would lead to a job at the end as well) and go to a few universities that offer the course locally. Speak to the Admissions tutors at Open Days and find out who is interested in applicants with unconventional qualifications.

Example:

1. left school at 16 with few qualifactions, worked as an ag lab and then three years pulling the guts out of turkeys. Decided there was more to life and was able to do one A level in a year (not possible now but then it was). Was offered a place at one the the Russell group (best/posh) universities on the basis of that. Got a good degree and after a dodgy first year a good job where his previous experience was useful.

2. Did not even take quals at 16. Got into a lot of scrapes. Eventually got a clerical job in a hospital. Decided the doctors were no brighter than she was. Did a basic course through work, which she then dicovered allowed her to join year two of a degree. Dad was so stunned he helped out for two years, but hs ecould have done it anyway. Got a research post, a doctorate and a job as a university lecturer at a new university and then a posh one.

3. Was eventualy persuaded by her lover that being dyslexic did not mean she could not take exams. Started with GCSEs, then an A level. After about three years plucked up courage to ask a university for advice on her chosen career. it was designed based so they asked for a portfolio. Given an unconditional offer and 5 years later was working in that area.

if you cannot find a part-time access course look at a GSCE in English and foundation course with the OU. Many university accept a full course (60 credits) instead of A levels.

Hannah_10

RAS A-level in a year is rare, but it's still on offer where I live. Not required though as an AS will get you in, but if you wanted to you can still sometimes do one.

SKINTEASTWOOD

SKINTEASTWOOD wrote: »

However the wife raised a disturbing point...... that she cannot afford for me to move back in any time soon as she would lose a huge chunk of her tax credits her council tax will go up and they would include any income I might earn in her award even though it will all be paid towards debts and not impact the houshold income, I'm not sure how we would work it out????? It seems like a bit of a no win government trap to me!

Can anyone shed any light on the above dilemma from one of my previous posts???

And also do you know if my creditors would wait for their money if I was to turn to full time education?

Thanks guys

SKINTEASTWOOD

Any1 please???

sunfleur

Not too sure about this skinteastwod. When my dh went back to Uni full-time he didn't have to pay money to his ex-wife for his daughter while he was a student because he didn't have the money and the grant was for tuition/subsistence etc. That was 20 years ago now though. (we still managed to buy his daughter clothes and other things to help them).

On the subject of going back to Uni - you CAN do it. DH was 30 when he went back to Uni and came out with a First in Astrophysics and a PhD in same. He did have A levels from usual age but he did a foundation year to get his math skills up to scratch at the Uni that he did the degree with - this is getting more and more common to be able to do this with no qualifications at most Uni's now (30). Later I went to Uni as a mature student and I didn't have any CSE's or A levels. I did two Open University full credits part-time while working a shift job then was offered places at 6 universities - went to Durham - one of the top universities and ended up with a good degree. It can be done!