FT Student...pregnant wife - HELP!!!

gedgino

Hi everyone, i would be really grateful if anyone could give some real advice, as i am nervous and stressed out.

BACKSTORY- I am currently working as a Self Employed Contractor (long story Tax dodge from my local council) and the scheme is being cut by them so i am officially out of work from April 2013. i do not receive any redundancy. I have applied to do a nursing degree and hopefully starting in April 13 (interview yesterday fingers crossed) so any money i earn will be around my university.

my wife has been off most of the tax year on maternity leave and has now got back in. her income for this year is 14k. we have just found out that she is pregnant again (unexpected!!) and i am so scared that we may not be able to financially cope.

I havent a clue what entitlement i get for university and i will be trying to find this out soon as. i am willing to get the student loan too, to help. its been so last minute that i havent all the details, but i am aware that i get a bursary for nursing degree. but what figure i am not sure?

at the moment our son goes to a private nursery one day a week at £40 a day which my wife pays directly with "computershare" childcare vouchers.

can anyone give me any advice on anything we are entitled to? ive never been on the dole in my life and so never needed help before but surely in this circumstance we must be able to apply for something?

thanks for any help guys.

Annisele

For the benefits side of things, try entering the situation you think you're going to be in April into turn2us. That won't be exact - there are quite a few benefit changes coming in in April - but it might give you an idea.

This might help for the bursary (but I'm not sure if it'll apply to your course).

pinkshoes

Could you look at deferring your nursing degree for a year or two and get another job?

jayII

You may be able to claim a dependants grant as part of your NHS bursary. Have a look at the NHS bursary website and input your figures to get an estimate.

gedgino

Annisele, thanks i will look through that information...

pinkshoes, of course thats an option, but mentally i feel now is the right time to study as i worry i'll forever be in the lower end pay cycle and 2 years further on, i may not do it.

gedgino

thanks JayII i'll check that out...

dseventy

gedgino wrote: »

Hi everyone, i would be really grateful if anyone could give some real advice, as i am nervous and stressed out.
i do not receive any redundancy. I have applied to do a nursing degree and hopefully starting in April 13 (interview yesterday fingers crossed) so any money i earn will be around my university.

we have just found out that she is pregnant again (unexpected!!)

at the moment our son goes to a private nursery one day a week at £40 a day which my wife pays directly with "computershare" childcare vouchers.

can anyone give me any advice on anything we are entitled to? ive never been on the dole in my life and so never needed help before but surely in this circumstance we must be able to apply for something?

thanks for any help guys.

I think you need you need to evaluate your circumstances.

You have at least one child ("pregnant again") and have another on the way.

Your family need a wage earner to support them and I would be re-evaluating your education in favour of getting a job and supporting them.

Whilst the "time is right" for you, its not for your growing family....

D70

pinkshoes

gedgino wrote: »

pinkshoes, of course thats an option, but mentally i feel now is the right time to study as i worry i'll forever be in the lower end pay cycle and 2 years further on, i may not do it.

But it's not about you any more, it's about what is best for your family, and now you've got your wife pregnant again, you need to get a job to support your growing family.

Benefits will be very minimal, and although a newborn doesn't have to be expensive, you still have to pay bills, council tax, mortgage etc...

If you really wanted to study, you would have taken more care in the er... contraception department!

(I left my job and am studying at the moment, and as a consequence we're going to have a much bigger gap between children than we ever anticipated!)

claret_mike

Something I have just been looking at for my other half..

Student finance will give you an idea of what you qualify for.

If you have no income in, you will qualify for a fair bit, I would imagine - things like maintenance grants/loans, adult dependants grant, child care assistance (upto 85% of costs for about £148 a week.) You may be able to generate around £8-10k per year.

Also you can look at child tax credits and you may qualify for discounted council tax etc.

https://www.gov.uk/browse/education/student-finance

Hope that helps.. Clearly, it depends on what income you need to survive and what you can get and what you can earn around your studies.

I think reading on the local university website, there will be 15hrs study time each week so to me, there would be opportunity for additional income.

Hope this helps.

gedgino

Thanks Claret Mike, ill look into that.

As much as i dont need to justify anything to anyone, and have only came on here for advice....the job I do at the moment is Support Work where massive cuts are being put in across all local government. So even though my local council had us as self employed we were still in theory employed by them and the wage was ok. When I have looked now, with NVQs 3 the most i will get is around 7.80PH and more likely £7. It isnt meant as disrespectful at all to anyone earning this, but i have worked hard for 10 years in this industry and believe i cant work for that Full Time.

I have applied and been accepted for NHS to work on the bank in local Mental Health Wards around the Learning Disability degree i have applied so i am not going to be sitting around doing nothing. i am probably going to work as much as possible, as well as studying, and repeat i have never been on the dole in my life so i am not doing whats easiest. i am genuinely trying to do whats best for my family long-term.

all i wanted to know is what i was entitled to, as i repeat ive never had to ask for anything before and i was/am scared.

so far ive worked out im entitled to a bursary of around 5300 a year and a student loan of 2300. (works out around 640 a month). if i can supplement this will agency work and some private support i think things will be ok.

thanks for any help.