Studying, can i claim anything?

CandyCakes

Hi,

I hope this is in the right place.

I have recently finished university and have started a new course which i paid for myself. The course is classed as 'full time' but i'm only there 14 hours. All together the course requires 40 hours of study time each week.

I have phoned the Job Centre and was told i would not be able to claim JSA as the hours of study where to high?

Does anyone know if i can get help from anywhere else? The place where i am studying does not offer any bursaries or any other funding.

saintjammyswine

Have you looked into any sponsorship/grant funding available? Try http://www.fundingcentral.org.uk you can search for funds available for your circumstances.

dizzyrascal

Short answer is no unless your course is covered by the Career Development Loans see this link here
The loan has to be paid back much like a bank loan at the end of the course. Depending on how much you borrow, this can be quite a commitment if you don't have a job lined up.
What are you studying?
And how do people normally fund the course?

CandyCakes

Thank you for your replies.

I am having a look at the website suggest now, thank you.

I already have the full amount available on the career development loan. The course i am doing costs slightly over £10,000 which is the most you can lend.

I've been trying to find a job for the past few months but am having no luck! I'm finding it harder now i have graduated then when i was still at university, i never had a problem then

dizzyrascal

Did you not look into this before you started the course? The cost is at the high end of PG study. Not something to be taken lightly.
If you are doing a Masters or the LPC then you are usually expected to put in at least 40 hours per week, possibly much more, so you would be limited to how many hours you can work anyway. You should also be applying for graduate roles for next September so that you can pay back the loan. This takes a lot of time and effort too.
What are others on the course doing if not the bank of Mum & Dad? And can you take the course part time if you don't find any work?

CandyCakes

I'm currently being supported by my parents, i feel really bad for taking money of them but they have offered. I just thought that there might be some help out there for people like me while i'm trying to find some part time work. The LPC is a very intense course so i am only looking for weekend work.

Thank you for replying.

dizzyrascal

No I'm afraid as far as finances are concerned you have exhausted every avenue. People may suggest that you ask charities but you have left it too late to apply to most and they like to give to more worthy causes or where there is a genuine need due to a desperate situation.
In general they cannot afford to fund people who have chosen to do a PG course and then discover that they need a bit of spending money too.

Here is what you need to do.

Start applying for training contracts now. There are plenty out there at the moment because the recruitment has just started but be warned, there is a very high level of competition and many LPC students will either not get a contract or will have to settle for a paralegal role.
Be aware that you will need a high quality application so get it them checked by your law careers adviser. The top law firms will get about about 1500 applications for 100 places so you need to stand out.
It is a first come first served system so even if the cut off date says Jan 15th 2013, DO NOT leave your application till then. All the places could easily have gone.

Law companies take the best students because they can.
I do hope you have some kind of legal work experience to use in your applications because this is what they want to see. It shows that you are keen and understand the world of law. But also that you are driven and ambitious.
If you haven't got any then you need to get some fast! Use some of your "time off" to work shadow and join all the right societies or help at the free legal clinic etc. Join the junior lawyers or whatever is available. You need to get networking now.

If you are successful then you will most probably have to attend an assessment centre or a series of interviews. Get to your Careers Service and get as much information and help as you can, go to mock interviews if they do them, go to all the talks they do on applications, practice online psychometric tests, get your friends to help you do group exercises.

Find out when the law companies are coming to visit your campus, prepare well and impress them at their events. They tend to have quite small recruitment teams so if you make a good impression, they will remember you.
You impress them by knowing who they are, what they do and who their clients are/latest cases etc. In other words, do your research and not just the headline stuff.
If you are successful and do get a training contract it is unlikely to start before 2014 so you will need a back-up plan.
Again you need to have thought about what you will do in the interim and show that you have done some planning and that it has a purpose.
There is a possibility that if you do get an offer they MAY pay your LPC fees retrospectively but don't count on this, it is quite rare.
To be honest, you really don't have time to work, because if you really want a legal career you are going to have to focus on that for now. Make use of all the help you have at your university whilst you are there.
Also, I hope you do have a 2:1 in a good academic subject (if not law) as anything below that will not get your application looked at, let alone considered.