Single parent/student/pt worker really need help!

CherryRea

Hi all.
Really stuggling at the min so just after some advice

I'm a single parent to a 5 year old daughter. I'm also a nursing student in my 2nd year so still about 18 months to go. I also work p/t and that's where the problem lies.
As a rough SOA

Income
Bursary - £1227
Tax credits - £228
CB - £81.50 (??I think)
Wages minimum of £250 but I'm always having to do overtime just to get by

Outgoings
Rent £695
Council tax - £0
Gas/Electricity - £70
Water - £18
TV license £12
Internet £12.50
Childcare - £504
Loan (from parents) - £405
Food - £120 (can't really get this down anymore as it has to cover everything including lunches for me and DD during the week)

My biggest problem is petrol.
As a nursing student half of my course is spent on placements. As I drive I can get put anywhere in the county (sometimes having to cross county) so it can vary from £50 a week right up to my last placement which cost me £80 a week for 6 weeks I'm always having to borrow from my parents. Now whilst I can claim back petrol expenses it takes about 8ish weeks for this to be processed so I'm just left waiting for it

The other problem I have was when I started the course I applied for help with my rent. It's a private rent so I think it was LHA I had to aplpy for. I was told I earn too much for help. Fair enough because if you take into account my p/t earnings it does look as though I'm earning a good amount. But I have such high outgoings I'm having to work p/t + a lot of overtime just to cover them all. I'm already doing 40hrs a week at uni/placement so it's hard work doing extra hours on top of that plus having DD. I'm so tired I could cry!

The lady at the council told me If I didn't work p/t she thinks I could get some help but the problem is when you apply you have to hand in 2 months worth of bank statements. If i gave up work I'd have to go 2 months before I could apply just so it looks as though I'm not earning anything. The fact is I couldn't survive those 2 months!

I'm really struggling. I really feel sick from all the worry. I was just hoping it anyone knew of maybe anymore help I could claim?
I hate having to ask but it would only be until I'm a qualified nurse but which time I would be back on my feet earning an ok wage without having to pay huge amounts in childcare nor having to work p/t on top of a fulltime course. Plus the loan repayments I'm paying to my parents are going to be cleared by the time I finish my course so that will be an extra £400 coming in!

Sorry for the long post. Thanks in advance

Oldernotwiser

Can your parents not wait for the loan to be repayed when you're working, or at least allow you to make smaller payments. This seems to be your main problem as you have a really high income for someone in your position.

Also, you don't mention maintenance from your child's father - that would help.

squif33

Hi have you applied to your univesity's learning fund? They usually prioritise single parents and as your high outgoings are due to costs associated with your course, i'm sure they would give you a grant to help make end meet.


Hope this helps, and good luck!
claire

frasersmum123

I agree with Oldernotwiser - cant your parents wait until you are finished university and have a job before you pay them back, as at the moment you are doing all these PT hours just to pay them back.

Jowo_2

You net nearly £1800 per month which is a fantastic sum for a full time student (though I appreciate you have huge expenses).

One of your biggest problem is not petrol but your debt to your parents - start negotiating smaller or deferred payments with them. Your rent and childcare costs are the two highest costs but you may not be in the position to reduce them, only you really know if you have options there.

Complete a statement of affairs on the Debt Free wanabee board and the members there will review it and suggest how you may be able to reduce some of your expenses. You say that you have reduced your food bill to £120 which is very frugal and thrifty but did you know you could go further and nearly halve it? - a member of MSE has produced a website with recipes where a family of 4 can feed themselves for £100 per month.

http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/

Download the budget planner from the MSE website as it's clear you are not including all your potential costs, such as car insurance, MOT and repair, for example.

You can double check your benefits on the Turn2us website, though I think it's not suitable for students. Even so, it's worth checking, perhaps at Citizens Advice, whether or not you are actually any better off working, for example, if it's costing you a fortune in childcare and travel while the sum simply reduces your means tested benefits by a similar degree(such as housing benefit). You are to be applauded for working but the fact remains that some households are not better off in employment - blame the system, not the recipient.

I don't understand your reference to the 2 months worth of bank statements when applying for LHA. Yes, councils are notorious for being slow to process LHA claims, but I believe the claimant can submit a request for an interim payment if the council has not processed it after 2 weeks if they have received all the necessary information from the claimant. Are you suggesting that if you give up your employment, you are not eligible for LHA for the first two months? I just don't understand what you are saying or what the council meant by the 2 month period.

Are you allowed to take out a student loan? If so, how much would this be and how much is it?

CherryRea

Thanks all for the replies. Just to answer a few questions
The money I have to repay to my parents has already been reduced in the last 12 months. I feel awful as it is but they are not able to make the repayments off their own back (it's a loan they took out for me to pay off debts from a few years ago) so It's not able to be lowered anymore. I've been paying it for 3 1/2 years so only 18 months of that left.

I'm not able to take out a student loan. I'm a nursing diploma student so is entitled the bursary rather than a degree student who can get the bursary + loan

I will definitely make enquiries regarding this uni learning fund! I had no idea about this so that's definitely an option.

I have no idea where my DD's dad is. All I do know is that he is now living in New York. We were very young when we had DD so have never really been together nor have I had any money from him (or should I say his parents) since DD was a baby

The 2 month thing with the LHA is that when I apply I have to give them 2 recent bank statements. According to my last 2 months bank statements I'm earning £300ish ontop of the money I already get from the bursary and tax credits. I was told when I reapply I'd have to give 2 months bank statements which show no other earnings other than bursary (and TC obviously)
So in other words give up work and apply for LHA 2 months later. She said there's no point applying as soon as I give up work because my bank statement they use to work out my income will still show me an earning from pt work
I'm sorry I'm not very good at explaining this

Jowo also I can't reduce the childcare costs anymore. It's a set payment agreed with my childminder who has my DD before and after school, gives hem her evening meal (if I'm at work) plus having her fulltime through the school holidays, but yes I do see it's such a huge expense. Sadly if I want to complete my course it's a necessity for now I'm sure many wouldn't agree but that's my take on it

I will also work on reducing the food bill. Think i might find that tough to be honest but will give it a go

Oldernotwiser

squif33 wrote: »

Hi have you applied to your univesity's learning fund? They usually prioritise single parents and as your high outgoings are due to costs associated with your course, i'm sure they would give you a grant to help make end meet.


Hope this helps, and good luck!
claire

If the ALF gives money to the OP, they will effectively be paying back her loan for her!

Jowo_2

Rather than ALF (access to learning fund), perhaps the previous poster meant the University hardship fund which is different.

The OP should see if there are any grants/loans/bursaries available for students on low income. The Turn2us site, plus a number of websites specifically for students, lists them and some are focussed on those on low income or with dependents, for example.

It is a shame that the major reason the OP is struggling now is that they began full time studying before their personal debts were resolved, but it looks like the course she is on will be a good investment in a future career that will leave her a lot more financially stable. It is the debt repayment that seems to be the main killer for her.

Is the USA considered a REMO country for the purposes of court orders for child support? It says REMO for certain US states here but I'm not really well versed in the process. I expect a lot of non resident parents try to pretend they are overseas anyhow and the OP is not in the position to know if they have returned. It's hard for a UK person to get US citizenship, though its not clear if the non-resident parent is a UK citizen living there or is a US citizen by birth, for example.

http://www.courtfunds.gov.uk/os/remo_countries.htm
http://www.csa.gov.uk/en/setup/parents-living-abroad.asp

dmg24

Jowo wrote: »

Rather than ALF (access to learning fund), perhaps the previous poster meant the University hardship fund which is different.

The OP should see if there are any grants/loans/bursaries available for students on low income. The Turn2us site, plus a number of websites specifically for students, lists them and some are focussed on those on low income or with dependents, for example.

It is a shame that the major reason the OP is struggling now is that they began full time studying before their personal debts were resolved, but it looks like the course she is on will be a good investment in a future career that will leave her a lot more financially stable. It is the debt repayment that seems to be the main killer for her.

Is the USA considered a REMO country for the purposes of court orders for child support? It says REMO for certain US states here but I'm not really well versed in the process. I expect a lot of non resident parents try to pretend they are overseas anyhow and the OP is not in the position to know if they have returned. It's hard for a UK person to get US citizenship, though its not clear if the non-resident parent is a UK citizen living there or is a US citizen by birth, for example.

http://www.courtfunds.gov.uk/os/remo_countries.htm
http://www.csa.gov.uk/en/setup/parents-living-abroad.asp

The OP is not in hardship or on a low income. The university will not assist in paying a non priority debt.

Jowo_2

dmg24 wrote: »

The OP is not in hardship or on a low income. The university will not assist in paying a non priority debt.

Thanks, yes, I agree that their criteria could well mean the OPs circumstances are seen more as self-inflicted rather than unavoidable hardship but she could still check (I've tried to word this better to be less harsh as I don't mean it to be judgemental but I'm tired and my brain isn't really is't in gear, sorry to be sloppy).

I had a quick browse of Uni sites and some of the criteria is very strict - for example.

"Funds may be allocated to help in the following circumstances which lead to additional and unexpected costs: Illness, Accident, Death of a close family member, Death of a sponsor, Natural Disaster in home country, Political upheaval in home country. This list is not exhaustive and is used for illustrative purposes only.

It is important that the financial difficulty is unforeseen and not the inevitable consequence of insufficient primary funding and may affect ability to stay on their course.

As all applications are considered on an individual basis, there is no maximum or minimum award but applicants should regard any award as a contribution towards their needs. They are unlikely to receive a grant large enough to meet any shortfall in full.

Students should have explored other resources such as family loans, bank loans from their home country, and will normally be expected to be working part-time to help meet the costs, (health permitting). Only basic expenditure is taken into account."

hippychick1

Hi Cherryrea

I am also a single parent student nurse, and I receive HB. Have you told the council the total you receive every month for your bursary? They don't take all of it into account, only the basic bursary element, which is quite low.

The total bursary I receive every month is around £1650, but I also get £370 in HB. I have just taken on a part time job, so will have to see how this affects HB.

Don't give up!