Refused JSA Help Student

pcdave21

Hi

Can someone please give me some advice. I applied for a HNC at college and they accepted my application and put me onto a HND 2 year course which seemed even better. ( clarify for some I only found out within the last 2 months)

Now its summer and the end of year 1 all the student loans are done etc, I have enough money to last 1 month at a push and so far cant find a job anywhere not even McDonalds are hiring (been looking for months). I applied for JSA as a last resort and some snooty women just phoned and taken great pleasure in telling me that unless I drop out of my course im entitled to absolutely nothing from no one at all as im not disabled and don't meet any other of the special criteria. In other words im a normal bloke.

Is there anything I can do to get help from the government in anyway crisis loan etc? . Surely they cant just say tough luck. I have no money left and cant last july and august wont be able to pay rent or bills or afford the fuel I need to go to hospital every week.

Any idea or is giving up my education the only option. The kicker is from what I understand if I had been on the HNC I asked for I would be able to claim as technically I wouldnt be a student over summer looking for work and available .

I honestly dont know what to do.

Oldernotwiser

No students are able to claim for the holidays between years. Your student finance package is intended to cover the holiday between years, which is why you receive less money in your final year.

pcdave21

I would have been able to claim if I had only been on the HNC as would not be a student right now. They put me on the HND so im still technically a student.

However looking around its clear that there is absolutely no way that the government is going to assist me in anyway. Unless I decided to be a sponger and give up my course. That I will not do. As I do not wish to be on JSA just need some help for a month or two.

I dont even think I can get a crisis loan or anything else. So homelessness here I come. Oh well I suppose I can rough it over summer think I have a tent somewhere

pipscot

Agree with Oldernotwiser - you won't be able to claim any additional support as a full-time student since you are already receiving support in the form of your student finance package.
You have 3 options - you can give up your course (not advisable!), you can go to your education provider and ask about emergency finance loans or you can keep trying to find work (best option!)
Re: finding work - it is difficult, but try the job centre, apply for every job you can see e.g. waiting on tables, cleaning, care work etc. You may have to look further afield e.g. increase your search area to a larger radius. This may not be the sort of work you like doing but it is short term and necessary while you need the money.
Hope you get it sorted out soon!

pcdave21

Thanks for the helpful reply pipscot never thought about going back to the college and seeing if they may be able to do anything.

oldernotwiser on the otherhand your rudeness was not appreciated and not helpful in the slightest but as long as you feel slightly better kicking someone when down and struggling and in a dire situation then I suppose im glad to have helped.

Blobby8_2

pcdave21 wrote: »

Thanks for the helpful reply pipscot never thought about going back to the college and seeing if they may be able to do anything.

oldernotwiser on the otherhand your rudeness was not appreciated and not helpful in the slightest but as long as you feel slightly better kicking someone when down and struggling and in a dire situation then I suppose im glad to have helped.

Wheres the rudeness ?
You had money given to you , you failed to budget, now you have non left, tough innit ?
Why you have failed to get a job in nine months is a mystery too.
By the way the money doesnt come from the government it comes from taxpayers, who strangely enough have to work to a budget too, its a life skill.

withabix

It has never been any different for at least the last 25 years. It is not something that has just happened recently.

pcdave21

Blobby8 wrote: »

money doesnt come from the government it comes from taxpayers, who strangely enough have to work to a budget too, its a life skill.

Im 26, Had worked for the last 8 years full time. I know fine well where my tax money went. What I believe you failed to understand was I was as far as I was aware on the HNC for 1 year. I only found out within the last 2 months they had placed me onto the HND. And as for getting a job in the last 9 months I was on a full time course studying getting a job was part of my plan within the last 3 months of this year. Unsuccessfully or did you not see the part where I had been applying for jobs. So I have found myself with not enough savings no job yet and my backup plan of going onto JSA if a last port of call has now failed.

Can you understand yet while im slightly worried or would you like to continue to be unhelpful. And as for his rudeness if you dont think he was rude thats your opinion. It was mine that berating me about not doing my research was rude.

Thankfully at least one of the posts was helpful without looking at like im trying to be a scrounging laze about.

Oldernotwiser

If you had written the full facts in your first post (as you've now corrected it to read) you might have received a slightly different response, although I still think that 2 months is time enough to realise that you need to allow money to cover you for the summer or to find a job.

I hope you manage to sort something out.

shouldbeshot

Oldernotwiser isn't rude, just maybe blunt! Even then I don't think its in a bad way, its a rather honest way, no reason to skirt around the subject.

Whether you dropped out or whatever you wouldn't be able to get JSA till 28th June anyway.

Apply to the Access to Learning Fund, although do it pretty sharpish. There is also something called a "Summer Assistance Fund" for students who cannot work over the summer but cannot recieve income support

Caz3121

pcdave21 wrote: »

IAnd as for getting a job in the last 9 months I was on a full time course studying getting a job was part of my plan within the last 3 months of this year.

Not sure what course you are on but when I did my HND the college attendance was nowhere near full time and, as I did shift work I was able (had to) to continue working full time. Before I got my timetable I had thought I would need to drop to part time but never considered not working at all through the year. Most students have at least part time/weekend jobs.