Going abroad as part of uni course

UKroseblue

Hi

I need so me info please as I need to make a decision before the end of November.

Currently I'm a second year full time student studying, as part of my degree, a language. The third year is spent abroad either studying or working, in (my case) an EU country.

I have a 15 year old daughter who is currently in year 11 so will be doing her GCSE's in May and is hoping to go into the 6th form. At the moment I receive child benefit and child/working tax credits as I still work an average of 16 hours per week (and still will be when I am abroad - I'm lucky in that my employer pays an average salary year round but I work full time in all uni holidays so averaging 16 hours per week)

If I go abroad on my own (ie without dd) for an academic year (8 months) will I still be entitled to claim CHB and TC's? Particularly as the year abroad is an integral part of my course.

Secondly, If dd decides to accompany me and either goes to school/college abroad or works part time to improve her language skills, what, if anything would I be entitled to then? She will be 16 (in August) when we go (in September 2011)

I know this is unusual but any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

silvercar

If your daughter doesn't accompany you, where will she stay? I would expect the person that is looking after her to be able to claim CB and TX.

From your daughter's point of view, accompanying you for a year means returning when she would have been half way through an A level course, so she would probably need to drop back a year. Is she happy to do that?

Being you knew about the year abroad when you applied for the course two years ago, what plans did you make? It seems a major decision that should have been thought through when you committed to the course.

UKroseblue

Thanks for your reply. I had thought it through and initially my dd was going to come too and the advice i received from CB when I asked them at the time was that as long as she was in FTFE at a school or college in the EU, I could receive CB for her. I have since received conflicting info from my uni that said as I wasn't residing in the UK, i wouldn't be entitled, but as the year abroad is part of my course and i would be ordinarily resident in the UK, I'm not sure if this is the case and I posted hoping someone had possibly experienced this or knew of someone else who had done this. I haven't spoken to tax credits yet.

My dd will be staying with my parents if she doesn't come with me, who don't want to apply for CB for her and are happy to have her stay with them. I would still be responsible for her and she would visit me as often as she could pending school/college work and I will be returning home to work some of the time.

She understands she will need to start her A level's a year later but can see the benefits of living abroad for a while, but she is hesitant hence not being entirely sure about coming with me or not. We're lucky she has the choice, I know but the decision will be hers.