Where do we start? Returning to education

Jaine

Sounds encouraging. I have just applied to study spanish with the OU and ticked the box against financial assistance required. I have had 5 weeks without work now and have not applied to claim benefits as I was hoping to have another job by now. The money in my bank account is borrowed from credit cards on 0% deals and if I had to pay them back now I would be in the red but luckily I have at least a year on 0%. I have a mortgage also. I don't know if I need to claim benefits before they will agree to assist me financially or whether the spanish course is a qualifying subject. Any thoughts? I am hoping that I will qualify and manage to get another job as soon as the application goes through and is paid for. Fingers crossed next week.

Oldernotwiser

Jaine wrote: »

Sounds encouraging. I have just applied to study spanish with the OU and ticked the box against financial assistance required. I have had 5 weeks without work now and have not applied to claim benefits as I was hoping to have another job by now. The money in my bank account is borrowed from credit cards on 0% deals and if I had to pay them back now I would be in the red but luckily I have at least a year on 0%. I have a mortgage also. I don't know if I need to claim benefits before they will agree to assist me financially or whether the spanish course is a qualifying subject. Any thoughts? I am hoping that I will qualify and manage to get another job as soon as the application goes through and is paid for. Fingers crossed next week.

Most student finance expects you to have taken advantage of any funds that are available to you, like JSA. If your financial circumstances change you're also supposed to let them know immediately. You may not have intended this but your last sentence makes it sound like fraud at worst and certainly unethical practice.

Money saving is not the same as encouraging people to cheat the system. The OU is a great organisation and helps with finance for people who need it; treat it with respect.

Outnumberedbysmallpeople

good luck to everyone else doing this!

He has finally settled one (and applied for) a social work degree after much consideration, the more he contemplated teaching the more he realised he wanted to train for a career that would make a difference and had the possibility of branching out and moving into other sectors within the same field (i hope that makes sense) obviously social work has a broad range of areas he could work in. So he has applied and we're just waiting to hear now. :T (he has applied to a college which runs the social work degree and is only 1 town away from ours which should help alot with work hours and child care.)

I am now considering getting started on some OU courses- right now actually attending isn't all that viable for me (youngest is still feeding so he goes everywhere with me) but I have been inspired to edge back into education again. Hopefully by the time DS2 is in full time school i too shall be in a position to have a good career.

Thank you all for your help and wishing everyone else embarking on this a whole lot of luck too!

Jaine

I'm certainly NOT out to commit fraud! I have been out of work for 5 weeks and started seriously looking when I knew my last contract was about to end. I can not afford to pay for an OU course and I'm living off money which I borrowed on credit cards. I haven't made any claims as I was expecting to be working by now and know the money I have borrowed will help me to get by for a while. My bills come to approximately £1100 per month and I doubt the benefits will cover a tenth of this. If I was forced to pay back the money I'd borrowed on the cards right now I wouldn't be able to survive as I have no income at all right now. I am spending a good portion of each day searching for a new position but in the meantime I would like the chance to be able to do the spanish course. It's certainly not my intention to delay getting another job just to start a course, even if I really want to do it, I need to get work ASAP! Even though I'm not claiming I have paid all of my contributions and once the credit card borrowings are taken away my account is in the red! I'm not interested in swindling the system.

Oldernotwiser

I'm glad to hear you say so but you must admit that your comment "I am hoping that I will qualify and manage to get another job as soon as the application goes through and is paid for" sounded like you were hoping to use a brief period of unemployment to get your OU course paid for. I wasn't referring to your savings as these wouldn't be relevant.

lindas66

Jaine wrote: »

I have had 5 weeks without work now and have not applied to claim benefits as I was hoping to have another job by now.

You need to have proof of low income or benefits to get financial help

Jaine

lindas66 wrote: »

You need to have proof of low income or benefits to get financial help

Thankyou lindas66
I have applied for benefits as this is week 6 with no sign of any work despite making numerous applications and plenty of interest from agencies. I haven't heard back from the Open University yet regarding my course registration and request for financial assistance. Maybe the job centre will have some useful advise on this application and other suitable courses.

keeperbear

kevinbarry wrote: »

I am quoting here from my new book, just came out in 2007.

SPAM!!!!!!!!!!!!! SPAM!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did you pay Martin for this advert?

What a terrible book. Simply contains information and advice that you can obtain for nothing.

kevinbarry

I am no troll and do not flame but I cannot let Keeperbear's unwarranted accusation of spam pass uncommented upon. It made me feel depressed and under attack from a stranger when I was trying to help others.

"Spam":

* normally applies to bulk statements posted to many sites by an automated program - this was a one-off response by me in an area where I can claim a little expertise to a request for help.

* normally contains innocuous information unrelated to the topic - I supplied what I hope was useful information that was certainly relevant to the topic.

* often contains banner ads - there were none in my posting.

I feel that my original posting easily passes the spam-test.

I did however give the source of my information - a book that I have written. There is no compulsion to check it out or buy it and merely referencing relevant information is not spam. (I could not help wondering if the opinion "What a terrible book. Simply contains information and advice that you can obtain for nothing." was based on having read my book and formed a judgement. Somehow I doubt it and suspect that this might have been an instant response by someone feeling irritated but without pertinent knowledge.)

However, to show goodwill on my part - and without mentioning the source in case it annoys anyone which is not my intention - I'll post the following mini-article of advice to mature students (the first half was posted earlier, the second half is totally new. I hope people find it helpful and it might go some way to pacifying anyone I have inadvertently annoyed).

MATURE STUDENTS: UNIVERSITY CERTAINLY IS FOR YOU

If you are contemplating going to university, or going back to college, then take heart! You can do it! I went to university after being in the workforce for seven years, eventually got my degree, then built a career on it. You can do the same! But it will take effort and some adjustments on your part.

Recognise the fact that you have a lot going for you.

Maturity
Your greater age and experience of life mean that your attitudes are more developed and you are likely to make quicker and better decisions than young people. A sweat shirt I recently saw being worn by a female student said “next semester I’ll be 35”, so she did not seem to mind no longer being a teenager. In addition, you are not still in the process of growing up, or subject to hormonal changes that can produce sudden swings in emotions and moods, nor are you worried about the changes in your body and feelings. You might no longer be in the grip of an intense sexual force driven by the selfish gene and are probably not spending so much time dreaming about or pursuing those wonderful but elusive sexual partners.

Motivation and the mature student
The determination to succeed is one of your main and sharpest weapons. You will be a lot more motivated than many youngsters: you really want to get that degree, you know what you are giving up in the form of income, and are aware of the costs in family terms. All this means you are
prepared to work harder – and that is often worth more than mere youthful exuberance. And various ways of further improving your motivation are discussed in chapter 2.

Experience and skills
You are probably able to notice interlinkages or causes and effects more easily than the less experienced fry swimming around you. On average, you will also have better communication skills and be generally more poised. The vicissitudes of life mean that you have had the rough corners
knocked off, survived office politics or factory humour, and perhaps coped with the rearing of children. When faced with new ideas and knowledge, many propositions that can startle an 18-year-old may seem commonplace to you. A major plus is that the experience and wider information you possess provide hooks on which you can easily hang new knowledge and so learn more easily.

Sources of information you may have open to you
You are likely to have more friends and relatives with different experiences that you can call on for help or with whom you can discuss issues – and don’t forget your ex-colleagues from work.

A supportive partner
You are also more likely to have an understanding and helpful partner than the typical 18-year-old, and he or she probably allows you enough time to study as well as being able to strengthen your will to do so.

Financial security
You will probably be more financially secure than those coming straight from school, which means that you may not need to take a part-time job and work to supplement your income. If you have to work, you will probably earn more per hour and so not have to work as long. You may also be able to afford to buy all the textbooks and other recommended material, whereas some of the young students will be forced to go without or rely on finding those elusive library copies.



But certain areas might need special effort or some adjustment in your behavior

Boosting your self-confidence
You may feel insecure and uncertain, surrounded by all these bright eager youngsters. You might worry that you have been away from school too long and forgotten how to study. No problem! This book tells you how. You can get a degree and a good one; all you need is confidence and hard work – but you might have to keep reminding yourself of that. Age is not a barrier to learning and, although it is a bit harder to take in new things at fifty years of age than fifteen, it isn’t that much harder. We know that people who go to university after they have been away from school score
better than those who go straight from school. And don’t be afraid that you will be alone. Unless you are very unlucky, there should be plenty of people around your age – mature students attend university in increasingly large numbers.

Some older students fear that they will look foolish or lose face by expressing a wrong opinion. If you have been housebound for years, you may feel afraid to join in discussions or say what you think in case you are laughed at. Fight this feeling! You are more likely to find that the younger students take your word more seriously just because you are older and more experienced. In fact, they’re often rather frightened of you, but will rarely admit it.

And keep reminding yourself that as a mature student you have many strengths: we know that mature students do better on average than those coming straight from school.

Coping with a lower standard of living
Your income will be less than previously, perhaps substantially so, and we all find it painful to reduce our standard of living. You may have to give up eating out, and severely curtail spending on clothes and entertainment. If you have to stop smoking and limit your consumption of wine and spirits, so be it. It will hurt at first, so remind yourself the sacrifice will be worth it; think of the future and consider the better-paid jobs for which you will be eligible. Besides, smoking can be thought of as a disease that is usually cured by cancer, so you’ll be better off in more ways than one.

Fighting feelings of inadequacy: we are not alone
Do not worry about any feelings of inadequacy or fear that you will be unable to get a degree. Keep telling yourself you will do it and shift your focus to the advantages you possess. Don’t worry that you have forgotten how to study and have been away too long; OK, you will be rusty but your essential skill has not gone. It’s a bit like riding a bicycle – after time away you can still do it, but it may take a bit of practice before you are able to do it as well again.

Avoiding monopolising discussions
If you happen to be one of the extrovert and assured mature students, be careful not to monopolise discussions as this tends to annoy people. A good group leader should prevent this, but young tutors often lack experience and if younger than you, they may find it hard to rein you in. Be aware that you can get a bad reputation for continually saying “when I worked in ...”, and telling strings of anecdotes.

Finding a study-buddy matters more for you than for the youngsters
It will help you if you seek out someone about your own age with whom you can work and discuss your concerns. You are looking for a good, compatible study-buddy, not someone who whinges and complains – you need support, not membership of a mutual moaning society. Note: if you are already in a relationship, it’s best to choose someone who will not provoke sexual temptations unless you like to live dangerously!

Learning by doing – the more the merrier
If you worry that your brain might find it slightly harder to take in new things, as part of the learning process you can compensate by actively doing stuff, rather than simply reading. To widen your approach, try:

* Condensing your notes regularly.

* Making your notes memorable by adding things like colour or (if you have the skill) small cartoons in the margin.

* Practising drawing diagrams, figures etc. from your textbook and lectures.

* Making up your own tables of relationships or whatever, from the textbook and lectures.

* Making flashcards of important vocabulary, diagrams, formulae etc. and going through them on the bus, on the train or anywhere where free time is available.

* Going to search in the library for your own information for a set period each day

* Going through different textbooks and comparing explanations of the same point.

* Meeting daily with your buddy to explain what you have learned.

* When you get home, telling your partner what each lecture was about.


Sorting out your family relationships
This should be a main priority because a supportive partner will make learning a lot easier. Before you start at university, sit and discuss who will do what, e.g. pick up the children, cook the meals, wash up, shop, and clean the house. You might find it helps to make a roster so it is clear who is in charge of what at each time.

Despite your best efforts, you may have to cope with feelings of resentment from your family if you stay up half the night to finish an essay then sleep in the next day, particularly if you were rostered for some domestic task. It is imperative that you avoid letting things fester, and you might choose to set aside time, say every Sunday evening, to discuss how things are going, what irritates the others, and decide what adjustments can be made to put things right. Keeping the family happy, or at least out of active revolt mode, can only help you.

The possibility of shortening your course
With your experiences, you might find things you have achieved in the past can gain you credit towards a degree, so that you could finish more quickly. Activities like setting up and running a business, working in a foreign country, managing a department, or gaining professional qualifications might qualify. It is worth asking in your departmental office – you never know, you could get lucky.

Finance and the more mature student
Mature students often have financial commitments over and above day-to-day living expenses; the following are some way of helping to deal with these.

* If you have dependent children, you may be able to claim benefits from the state while you are at university.

* If you are paying off a mortgage, think about changing to an interest-payment-only version for your three years at university, as this will reduce your monthly outlay.

* Have you a marketable skill that will allow you to earn part-time?

* Can you get a part-time job somewhere you worked before?

* Do you have any relatives or other contacts who can offer you work?

* If you have already built up a stake in your house or flat, you might consider taking out a second mortgage.



And finally - you can do it; you can; you really can!

m.smith14

I wish you all the success with your book kevinbarry, but in all honesty it sounds like absolute crap. Its information that most individuals with any level of common sense should be able to come up with and, as has already been stated, more useful information is already available on the internet. :rolleyes: