anyone know of a cheap student course

falc_2

My au pair is a student, studying Italian and English 8 hours a week. I thought that because she was an au pair and studying we would get the 25% reduction in council tax, but no such luck. It turns out that she would have to be a full time student. I'm just wondering if there's any loophole or way round this? Are there any courses which don't cost much to enroll in and aren't particularly demanding that she could enroll in so that we can get the exemption? All ideas gratefully mooted, although obviously we would never do anything fraudulent.

Pink.

Hi falc,

You should get more help with this on the Student Money Saving board so I'll move your thread over there.

Pink

ftbworried

Falc, are you the only other adult living in your property? How much would 25% off your council tax bill save you? Even if she enrolls on a full-time course she would have to attend it too, which obviously would take up her time! Therefore, is it really worth it?

Oldernotwiser

How old is your au pair and what nationality?

kittiwoz

There's no such thing as a student discount on council tax. Full time students are discounted persons for purposes of council tax, like children, so if you are the only other adult in the house and your au-pair was discounted you'd qualify for a 25% single person's discount.

I doubt therefore that your proposed scam will work. Don't expect too much sympathy from people who are often suffering a degree of financial hardhip in order to undertake courses for far less cynical reasons.

retepetsir

You have an au pair but are not willing to pay council tax....?

Okkkkk....

Voyager2002

The OP is not planning a scam!

I have had au pairs in the past, but council tax was never an issue. Anyway, I would argue that the au pair is in fact a full-time student. A full-time student spends a certain amount of time attending classes, and a lot more time doing homework and private study, which includes practicing the 'target language'. If the au pair is taking both languages at the same College, it should be easy to get a letter from them confirming that his/her total study obligation adds up to a full-time commitment.

Anyway OP, are you the only adult in the household? Because if not, the au pair's presence will not make any difference to your council tax situation.

Oldernotwiser

Voyager2002 wrote:

the au pair is taking both languages at the same College, it should be easy to get a letter from them confirming that his/her total study obligation adds up to a full-time commitment.

This is not the case. There is a very specific definition nowadays of what what is meant by a full time student. However many hours of part time study someone undertakes, they are not a full time student. A full time student is someone who's on a full time course. It's quite simple really.
The other thing to consider is the fact that unless the au pair is under 19, s/he will have to pay for any other courses.
I really think that this is a very daft suggestion!

falc_2

seems very unfair to me when she studies just as hard as any dossing student I have ever met on a full time course. When I took her on she told me she was a student which means £350 less council tax but apparently it's only certain courses that are recognised as eligible. Because she does two part-time courses they don't count. I was just thinking that there must be courses which don't cost much which do count, and thought the clever money saving community would know if anyone did, but I guess that just doesn't exist...

3plus1

You are a student if you are:

- attending a university or college course which lasts for at least an academic year, takes at least 24 weeks a year and involves at least 21 hours of study per week during term-time; or

- under the age of 20, and studying for more than three months and at least 12 hours per week for any qualification up to A level, ONC or OND standard. Correspondence courses, evening classes, or courses taken in connection with a person's job, such as on day-release, are not included.

[...]

Foreign language assistants registered with the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges are also treated as students.

It doesn't sound as if she qualifies as a student for council tax purposes.

Oldernotwiser

falc wrote:

Because she does two part-time courses they don't count. I was just thinking that there must be courses which don't cost much which do count, and thought the clever money saving community would know if anyone did, but I guess that just doesn't exist...

Well yes, the community does know the answer; I'm sorry that it's not the one you want.