losing job benefits and university (complicated)

TanyaSam

Hi,

I have posted on here before and you have always been helpful so here goes.

Myself and my partner have two young children one is 8 weeks and one is 20months.

My partner works full time supporting us but earns minimum wage, as such we currently get some housing benefit top up with our rent and some tax credits

I am "due" to start training as a student midwife in September and have had an unconditional offer from the university as well as details of my NHS bursary amount and student loan for some time (this is actually more than my partner currently earns)

After looking into childcare costs for two very young children and investigating the financial help available with childcare we decided the most sensible thing to do was my partner to leave work and look after them full time whilst I train.

As such my partner gave in his notice at his job giving them the months notice required. Pretty much immediately they took on his replacement who he is training as we speak. He was so happy for me and even sold some of his tools to pay for my text books.

Now two days ago I had a call from the university saying due to government cuts there are now more students than places and some students will have to be forcefully deferred to next year.

it's not yet known whether I am one of these people but I am so worried if I am

My other half has franticly tried to take his notice back, and keep working but they can't keep him on as they have filled his position. We asked the job centre and they advised as he has wilfully given up his job we can't claim benefits.

Is there anything I can do? odiously we are both applying for every job going but does anyone know if we can claim JSA or something else while one or both of us look for work?

and

Does anyone know if the university are in there rights to do this? it doesn't seem fair and I'm totally heartbroken, I was so happy and tried so hard to get on this course, I jumped through every hoop and was one of a handful of over a thousands of applicants. Now it's all going wrong, I just wanted a better life for our family and now it looks like I have made us penniless and homeless.

Advise if you can I don't know what to do

Vader123

If you give up your job you can be sanctioned for up to 26 weeks. Your partner can still apply as the sanction starts from the date you apply.

I would also try to apply yourself as long as you can take up a job before september if you get offered one.

I can't comment on the university position.

Vader

TanyaSam

Vader123 wrote: »

If you give up your job you can be sanctioned for up to 26 weeks. Your partner can still apply as the sanction starts from the date you apply.

I would also try to apply yourself as long as you can take up a job before september if you get offered one.

I can't comment on the university position.

Vader

Many thanks that's what we were told, a friend of ours said for myself to claim jobseekers as part of a couple rather than my partner as that would bypass the problem of sanctions, and of course if I am deferred I would work until september next year.

If the worst happens and we have to claims JSA until one of us get a job I hope the jobcentre would understand the situation, possibly if we took in the correspondence from the university, and explained the situation arose due to circumstances out of our control.

It seems very unfair to be sanctioned by the job centre (one arm of the government) when we would be suffering due to cutbacks from another part

I even keep getting post saying congratulations on your success and letters saying how exciting it is to be becoming a student., it's like pouring salt into the wound an unconditional offer is supposed to be just that

i'm still praying i'm not one of these people

DX2

TanyaSam wrote: »

if we took in the correspondence from the university, and explained the situation arose due to circumstances out of our control.

Certainly something I would do, what has happened is beyond your control and hopefully the JSA will see this and not apply a sanction. Fingers and toes crossed you will not be one of the unlucky ones.

Oldernotwiser

Have you put your full situation in writing to the university or been in for a face to face interview? In your situation I would try to make sure that you're one of the people who does the course and somebody else is dropped.

TanyaSam

absolutely we've explained our situation in full to them we are hoping they will understand the seriousness of the situation they have put us in. my partner wanted to do the right thing and give the proper notice period

it takes time to train a replacement his jobs quite in depth and didn't want to leave the company in s**t

just the worrying is killing me! we've spent all night looking for somekind of job to cover us just incase but it seems to be a bit hard in the current climate! still hopefully either the uni or the the job centre will be able to help us. It seems very unfair odviously he's had to give his notice in so as not to stich up his work commitments and the uni keep us hanging by a shoe string, hardly any contact from the university I think I'd rather just know now so if the worse happens I can try limit the damage somehow!

thanks for replies

juno

As long as you were truthful on your UCAS form and you fully met the conditions of your offer then no, the uni cannot do this. They have to give you a place. They are probably hoping that by saying this some people will offer to defer or to do a different course.

The only way they can do this is if you didn't fulfil your offer and they decided to let you in anyway. Because your offer was unconditional this can't apply to you.

TanyaSam

juno wrote: »

As long as you were truthful on your UCAS form and you fully met the conditions of your offer then no, the uni cannot do this. They have to give you a place. They are probably hoping that by saying this some people will offer to defer or to do a different course.

The only way they can do this is if you didn't fulfil your offer and they decided to let you in anyway. Because your offer was unconditional this can't apply to you.

Yes i've been 100% truthful with an unconditional offer, I have jumped through every hoop, have passed the CRB - not so much as a parking ticket! have passed the occupational health and have passed my course with distinction on every module, getting the highest grade in my class. i've even been doing charitable work for a charity that help young familys struggling to add to my application.

i'm just worried if they are cutting places someone has to go, if theres no places what can they do! I know this sounds selfish as some of the other applicants are good friends but they still live with there parents and will be supported. If this goes wrong we have nothing, our parents live abroad

I even have a fantastic reference from the head midwife when i volunteered for a year helping on the local maternity unit just to help secure my application. fingers and toes crossed, anyone work in the job centre with any idea of how understanding they wou,d beif the worst happens?

juno

TanyaSam wrote: »

Yes i've been 100% truthful with an unconditional offer, I have jumped through every hoop, have passed the CRB - not so much as a parking ticket! have passed the occupational health and have passed my course with distinction on every module, getting the highest grade in my class. i've even been doing charitable work for a charity that help young familys struggling to add to my application.

i'm just worried if they are cutting places someone has to go, if theres no places what can they do! I know this sounds selfish as some of the other applicants are good friends but they still live with there parents and will be supported. If this goes wrong we have nothing, our parents live abroad

I even have a fantastic reference from the head midwife when i volunteered for a year helping on the local maternity unit just to help secure my application. fingers and toes crossed, anyone work in the job centre with any idea of how understanding they wou,d beif the worst happens?

They cannot force you to defer. They can ask and plead and beg and bribe you, but if you say you don't want to then it's tough for them, really.

dmg24

juno wrote: »

They cannot force you to defer. They can ask and plead and beg and bribe you, but if you say you don't want to then it's tough for them, really.

If you read any university website, they reserve the right to withdraw/ alter offers due to circumstances beyond their control. This is a situation that would be beyond their control.

OP, whilst I hope you do get your place on the course, there is no way to compel them to let you study.

Benefits_Bod

On the benefit front, there is nothing to stop you submitting a claim for JSA. At least that would put the DWP in a position of having to make a formal decision which, in turn, would give you the right of appeal.

Further, Housing Benefit / Council Tax Benefit entitlement is in any case not dependant on the award of other benefits, nor do the circumstances of the end of your employment affect potential entitlement to HB/CTB. These benefits can be claimed completely independently of any other benefit. If you are advised to the contrary, such advice is wrong.