please help..!

lindsey_123

hi im new to the forum and looking for some advice if anyone can help..?

Im 20 years old and i am currently 8 wks pregnant, i have been in education and university for 2 years. Therefore i havent been in work.

I have been searching what types of help and benefits i may be able to receive, but they all state i must have been in work for a certain amount of weeks. I am unable to find anything about the type of help avaliable to students who have been in full time education.

I intend to leave my studies this month, should i get a job? althought i still wouldnt be entitled to maternity allowance or SMA.

I have a partner who is 24 years old and in full time work, and is classed as living on his own. His wage wouldnt be enough to support us all..

Just wondering if anyone has be in this situation or can help??

I do intend to keep the baby.

Plans_all_plans

Congratulations! I know how worried you must be though, I was in a similar situation myself!

You will not be left in the lurch financially by having this baby. When it arrives you'll get tax credits, chiuld benefit etc. Check here for everything you may be eligible to claim http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Expectingorbringingupchildren/index.htm

Have you even got a part time job currently? You may be eligible for maternity allowance or employment support allowance if you can't get maternity allowance.

I also think you should consider deferring a year at uni, rather than quitting. Go to your student union and speak to your personal tutor about your situation, they will tell you your options for staying at uni. There is financial help out there for students in your situ. Speak to your student services centre and they will advise you.

Good luck!!!

Pee

I would suggest the CAB, or the benefits checker on this website.

Somne else will be along in a moment who will know more about it, but I am sure that you would be entitled to something - i think it would be income support.

I wuld think very carefully before moving in with your "partner" as then any benefits would be based on househld income, but worth feeding those figures into the benfit checker if you are ready to move in. (Sorry, you don't really say much about that.)

Also your college or uni may have bursarys to help and child care arrangements so that you can continue with your studies, if you wanted to.

Plans_all_plans

Pee wrote: »

I wuld think very carefully before moving in with your "partner" as then any benefits would be based on househld income, but worth feeding those figures into the benfit checker if you are ready to move in. (Sorry, you don't really say much about that.)

I think the benefit of moving in together (for both the child and OP) far outweighs any possible financial gain to be had by staying apart. You can't put a price on having an involved father in your child's life in my opinion.

rachbc

why quit your course - you baby won't be due til the summer and completing the year will make it easy to come back at a later date a finish your course if you so choose.

Speak to stuedent services and check out what support they might offer.

You won't be able to claim IS til you are 29 weeks so will have to be looking for work and claim JSA til then - surely staying on at Uni has got to be better than that - job hunting when preg in this climate is going to be tough!

lindsey_123

Thanks for the speedy replies..!

I am considering quitting my course as i wasnt doing very well or enjoying it a recent bad grade and this news made me make my mind up about leaving uni even more.

The university i attend is also 2 hours drive away from my home town which is also where my partner is. so it would make returning after having the baby very difficult. also it was a course unique to that university so i wouldnt be able to complete a third year anywhere else.

I dont have a part time job and i didnt whilst at university the most recent job i had was in the summer april 10 - august 10 but even this doesnt entitle me to maternity allowance?

Plans_all_plans

Could you defer your course for a year Lindsey to get on your feet and take it from there? You dont even have to go back, it's just gives you the option to continue. There's nothing like a baby to make you pull your finger out with your course, believe me!! You also need to remember that if you want to get back into higher education in future, you'll be hit by the tuition fees rise.

For maternity allowance I think (double check) that you have to have had a job for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks prior to your child's birth. You could even get a part time supermarket job now (while you're not showing a bump) to try to get maternity allowance.

McKneff

When you say OH is 'classed as living on his own' what do you actually mean.
The statement is a bit ambiguous. He either does or he doesn't.