Mature A level student in need of help

Midnight_Club

Query solved due to information from other sources. Thanks.

mynameistallulah

There is nothing stopping you studying part time and hence getting more hours at work.

princessdon

you need to re-speak to your learning establishment Re access to learner support and also times of classes. This may involve you moving some classes to evening, doing part time study etc - see how flexible they can be - but Student Support was heavily hit last year and from what I have seen isn't looking any more healthy for 12/13.

But it can be done with no assistance. For Example I worked 30 hours a week plus and studied (without any help). In fact I had a mortgage much younger than you and worked full time through college and Uni. I worked most evenings, weekends and holidays - so yes was tough, but can be done!

duchy

Midnight_Club wrote: »

Hello everyone, this is my first post. I am 24 years old, and in order to rectify the mistakes I made as a teenager and turn my life around, I am studying full time on a GCSE course with the aim of studying A levels in September. I am going to have nowhere to live in September. Is it true there is no financial help available? Apparently I am not entitled to housing benefit as I am a full time student, but I think direct.gov uses the term 'full time student' for only university students, who obviously get grants and maintenance loans? I am not entitled to income support or Job seekers allowance because I currently work 15 hours per week at my permanent employment, but this may be going down to 10 hours as I am taking 5 AS levels in September and I will have 30 class hours.

Is there really no help? I have spoke with housing organisations and student services at my college and as of yet there seems to be no help I am eligible for, because I am in this no mans land of being a mature student in FURTHER education, and not HIGHER education where all the financial support is. Can anybody help me out or point me in the right direction, please?

Thanks in advance.

Sometimes you need to take a alternative path.....
If you are taking A-levels as a route to university why not dump the AS levels and take an Access course instead -which will be fulltime for one year and is an acceptable qualification for university (Meant for people like you taking a second chance). So a year shorter than the A level route.

If you have some relevent experience in the field you want to study you might be able to go straight onto a foundation degree *this* September with your GCSEs and some relevent work background -The foundation is a two year course and is a qualification in its own right or can be used as entry to the 3rd year of the applicable honours degree course. This of course would mean you'd be considered a university level student with student loans and grants from September this year. Obviously this depends on what you want to ultimately study and where but if you do a search on the UCAS site you'll see who offers foundation course but I found there was a bit more fleibility in accepting students with GCSEs and relevent experience than the qualifications listed on UCAS implied. My son is starting this year taking this route so it can be done .

DomRavioli

Is there a reason you cannot study on the OU? As someone who had to give up college a long time ago due to ill health, I have got onto a full degree course without any AS/A levels, and am able to work whilst studying. Its an alternative to a brick uni, although they don't do all courses. Might be worth looking into, or maybe as other posters have suggested that you get yourself into work and take evening classes, or classes that fit around your work.