Son left education- losing large percentage tax credits

elisebutt65

My son thought this as well, and started an apprenticeship instead of carrying on with college. Unfortunately he's being made redundant at the end of March, so we're up the creek now. No WTC/Ctc/cb and no keep coming in. He turns 18 in a few weeks as well so hopefully he can go on job seekers. I'm on long term sick at the mo and I get full pay for another few months, then down to half pay in April,before my chemo finishes in June so we're well boggered for money coming in. I'll have to apply for HB which I really didn't want to do, having worked my way out of the benefit trap a few years back.

Was his course to start last Sept or this coming year? Really the more qualifications the better at the minute.

princessdon

elisebutt65 wrote: »

My son thought this as well, and started an apprenticeship instead of carrying on with college. Unfortunately he's being made redundant at the end of March, so we're up the creek now. No WTC/Ctc/cb and no keep coming in. He turns 18 in a few weeks as well so hopefully he can go on job seekers. I'm on long term sick at the mo and I get full pay for another few months, then down to half pay in April,before my chemo finishes in June so we're well boggered for money coming in. I'll have to apply for HB which I really didn't want to do, having worked my way out of the benefit trap a few years back.

Was his course to start last Sept or this coming year? Really the more qualifications the better at the minute.

I would advise something like the princes trust and registering with connections. It's sad when apprenticeships go wrong, but he can still go to college and therefore will be a student.

Hmm71

burmesejack wrote: »

If you'd read the post properly you'd see that myself and my husband both work- I'm 40 years old and always have.

Mara69 asked the question before you said that you and your husband both worked so there was no post for her to have read properly.

Dunroamin

dktreesea wrote: »

There's plenty of advice on here for parents who are not prepared to make their child homeless to earn more. It's not that easy to either get a job or to up your hours, let alone get a second job.

No wonder so many low income parents are still having children, even though their eldest one has reached 16. it's the only way they can afford to support their 16 year old. What a sad indictment of today's Britain!

But it's very easy to remain in education or training and this is what should be encouraged.

Fortunately, very soon this won't be a problem any more.

Own_My_Own

Dunroamin wrote: »

But it's very easy to remain in education or training and this is what should be encouraged.

Fortunately, very soon this won't be a problem any more.

I'm just very glad this starts next year and not this year. My dd is going to begin her A-levels this year, and it is reassuring to know that everyone in her class is there because they want to learn, and not because they had to stay in education.

dktreesea

skintmacflint wrote: »

And what a sad indictment of a benefit system so generous which over the years has encouraged people to have kids they can't financially support, as well as encouraging private industries to pay their workers buttons and private landlords to charge the earth for inferior housing.

Housing benefit really exists so that the private sector will agree to take over provision of housing from the State. We have a low wage economy, with insufficient housing, but which has workers too poor to justify investment in housing by others based on what they can afford to pay for it.

Usually what happens in economies like ours is that the State is a major provider of housing, precisely to stop the kind of speculation, cr*p housing and rampant inflation that occurs in our rental market, not to mention enabling people to hold onto enough of their incomes so they can afford all the children they want with minimal assistance from the State.

It's crazy isn't it. We incentivise low income families to have plenty of children, but don't invest sufficient money in educating them, not to mention gifting ourselves a housing nightmare for the generations to come.

The "investment" instead in so called workcare providers, like A4E, would be described as cronyism and corruption in most other western countries.

dktreesea

Dunroamin wrote: »

But it's very easy to remain in education or training and this is what should be encouraged.

Fortunately, very soon this won't be a problem any more.

How so? Won't it become even more of a problem?

dktreesea

Own_My_Own wrote: »

I'm just very glad this starts next year and not this year. My dd is going to begin her A-levels this year, and it is reassuring to know that everyone in her class is there because they want to learn, and not because they had to stay in education.

Really? There are heaps of children in Scotland, in S5 and S6, who stay at school because they can't get places on college courses. A complete waste of time and money, restricting entry to vocational courses because the government claims it can't afford to provide places for everyone who requires them. Those same children probably won't have suddenly decided on an academic career and going to uni, just because they had to stay on.

What's the point of keeping children in the education system until they are 19 when they could have been done and dusted, fully qualified and out in the workforce by 17 or 18?

Own_My_Own

Own_My_Own wrote: »

I'm just very glad this starts next year and not this year. My dd is going to begin her A-levels this year, and it is reassuring to know that everyone in her class is there because they want to learn, and not because they had to stay in education.

dktreesea wrote: »

Really? There are heaps of children in Scotland, in S5 and S6, who stay at school because they can't get places on college courses. A complete waste of time and money, restricting entry to vocational courses because the government claims it can't afford to provide places for everyone who requires them. Those same children probably won't have suddenly decided on an academic career and going to uni, just because they had to stay on.

What's the point of keeping children in the education system until they are 19 when they could have been done and dusted, fully qualified and out in the workforce by 17 or 18?

I don't understand why you quoted me and starts you post with the 'Really ?'.

You make it appear as if I have written something wrong and you are going to correct me, then you agree with me.

Very strange post.

Dunroamin

Own_My_Own wrote: »

I'm just very glad this starts next year and not this year. My dd is going to begin her A-levels this year, and it is reassuring to know that everyone in her class is there because they want to learn, and not because they had to stay in education.

They won't have to stay in education, it's "education and training" which includes apprenticeships and jobs with training. What they won't be able to do is sit round at home all day playing games.