what help can i get

lynsey85

Hi all, I'm starting an access diploma in September, planning to go onto university next year to study midwifery.
I have 2 children, my youngest will be 3 in a few weeks, just in time to start nursery in September and get 15 free hours per week. i will be in college 9-4.30 3 days a week, so I will have 8.25 hours to pay for. i can't remember hourly rates for the nursery, but i'm planning on finding out this afternoon. i think it's £3.50 or something close. My eldest is at school and will need to go to an after school club for those 3 days a week at a cost of £4 per session.
My course will run until 27th June next year.
I haven't worked for more than 5 years, since pregnant with my eldest. We get child tax credits, working tax credits - my husband works 40 hours a week, with a salary of £14906 including bonuses. We also receive child benefit, some housing benefit and some council tax reduction.
Other than 25% council tax reduction, and my 24+ advanced learning loan (i'm 28) will i be entitled to any other help, towards books for example? bearing in mine that i will need to apply for all i can next year when at university and I wouldn't want to lose any entitlement to next year's funds because I got them this year)
I believe i may get up to 85% of childcare paid for, but i just applied for my 24+ loan and there wasn't any mention of childcare application, and i thought it should be with that. My husband may be able to get childcare vouchers through work, but i'm not sure if there was a deadline (that has passed) for them.
I will need to inform the local council (for the council tax reduction), but will i need to inform anyone else? tax credits for example.
Thanks.

jacques_chirac

Are you looking for a job for the rest of the week?

Thomas_The_Tank_Top

You don't think you get enough benefits as it is then?

lynsey85

Thomas_The_Tank_Top wrote: »

You don't think you get enough benefits as it is then?

I know we get help, but I just want what I am entitled to. We don't get loads of housing benefit or council tax reduction, my husband works for a relatively low salary for how many hours he works plus we rent privately so pay more in rent than the maximum we could get anyway. I didn't come here to be judged, and I don't like having to defend myself. Like I said, I want what I am entitled to, childcare costs a lot and every penny will help.
This has annoyed me actually, I came here to make sure I will be getting what I should, to be as sure as I can be that my family aren't going to suffer as a result of my trying to better myself. I left school with only GCSEs, albeit fairly good ones, and because of personal circumstances I didn't go to college. I still got a job and worked and contributed to society. I don't defraud, abuse or work the system/government, I don't lie and say I'm a single parent when I'm not in order to get more money, we don't even live in a council house. I'm looking to change my life, to contribute to society after I get my degree, I'm sure I'll pay enough back into the system once I'm fully qualified and earning a midwife's salary.
I'm not intending on finding work for the 2 weekdays that I won't be in college full time, no, because I will be studying and working on assignments and looking after my daughter too.
I intend to do the very best that I can, both at college and then university to have the best chance at both getting a [midwifery] job when I qualify and to make a difference to women during pregnancy and birth, and I don't think having a part time job to keep on top of as well as running a home and being a parent will make that any easier.

lynsey85

and I wasn't thinking benefits so much anyway, I was thinking student loans etc, do they apply for college? the 24+ loan covers the actual course fee only.

Cranny44

I don't know for sure but when my daughter did her access course a couple of years ago - she's now at uni, she had all child care free through the college so you might want to ask there first. She didn't get any other help and no loans til uni but got some bonus monies from college for all her distinctions.

Dunroamin

lynsey85 wrote: »

and I wasn't thinking benefits so much anyway, I was thinking student loans etc, do they apply for college? the 24+ loan covers the actual course fee only.

There's no maintenance funding for this level of course - will you actually be any worse off while studying than you are at the moment, given the council tax reduction?

I'd give serious thought to trying to get some paid or unpaid experience in a healthcare setting while doing your Access course - entry to midwifery degrees is very competitive,

lynsey85

I don't think I will be, knowing what I know now, after speaking to the nursery today (it's based at the college anyway so they know quite a lot about the funding for childcare) - I should get a lot of the childcare paid for, which has eased my concerns, along with the council tax reduction I think we will be ok.
I've never had any experience of higher education, so I don't know what costs are involved, what books I'll need, how much they'll cost or anything, so I was panicking a little I think, it's a big thing for me to be going back into education after so long out of it.
The lady doing the interview for the access course said about the work experience, so I am going to be looking to do something, she said a few hours on occasional Saturdays would be likely, which would be fine as at least then my children would be with one of their parents. But she did say that the local ones (that I could get public transport to) don't do work experience, meaning I need to learn to drive first, which I would need to do anyway as I'm not sure how feasible trains will be for getting to uni every morning - it would be over an hour each way on the train and 10 mins or so by bike to/from the stations.
Thank you for the advice.

Dunroamin

lynsey85 wrote: »

I don't think I will be, knowing what I know now, after speaking to the nursery today (it's based at the college anyway so they know quite a lot about the funding for childcare) - I should get a lot of the childcare paid for, which has eased my concerns, along with the council tax reduction I think we will be ok.
I've never had any experience of higher education, so I don't know what costs are involved, what books I'll need, how much they'll cost or anything, so I was panicking a little I think, it's a big thing for me to be going back into education after so long out of it.
The lady doing the interview for the access course said about the work experience, so I am going to be looking to do something, she said a few hours on occasional Saturdays would be likely, which would be fine as at least then my children would be with one of their parents. But she did say that the local ones (that I could get public transport to) don't do work experience, meaning I need to learn to drive first, which I would need to do anyway as I'm not sure how feasible trains will be for getting to uni every morning - it would be over an hour each way on the train and 10 mins or so by bike to/from the stations.
Thank you for the advice.

Despite what you see on the television, being able to drive is pretty essential to being a midwife - bikes really don't cut it these days!

The Access courses I'm familiar with didn't really involve buying a lot of books, although you'll need to spend quite a bit on photocopying - it'll depend a lot on how well resourced the college library is and what subjects you're studying. If you got good GCSE results and are only in your twenties you should manage an Access course perfectly well. Many people do them with far lower educational attainments and having been out of education for far longer.

Good luck.

lynsey85

Thank you. I know I will need to drive once qualified, I only meant biking to get to and from train stations for uni.
I have a printer/scanner/photocopier at home so I should be ok there, but that's good to know.
I'm fairly confident with the access course, I was always interested in biology and that's one of the main parts.
Like I said, I think I was just panicking somewhat.
Thanks again.

nimbo

OK - over the summer do you have time to look at dooyoo - you writes reviews and earn amazon vouchers - useful for those pesky books. Although to be honest i'd try to get the ones you need from the library...

look here for grants

http://www.family-action.org.uk/section.aspx?id=1037

and here

http://www.turn2us.org.uk/grants_search.aspx

there may be something you can apply for - but they can be really specific - as in you'll be able to apply of your dad was a fisherman who was called Dave.... Others are less specific - so worth a look.

I'd seriously consider setting aside some money now and learning to drive either this summer or next - studying and learning to drive at the same time can be stressful... also trains to uni won't be the problem it'll be trains to placement. midwives where I go start their first placement in November. So if you leave driving to next summer you may be cutting it close if you fail a test as the wait cabe be 6 or 8 weeks in some places for another...

hope this helps, and good luck