EMA - small rant

zoezoe_3

my mistake

Hapless_2

zoezoe wrote: »

What does this have to do with you ???.........
So what do you think about the EMA only being payable to independant students who dont work ?

Firstly, you brought it up about your mother.

Secondly, a student has to work darned hard to keep their EMA. Work has to be in on time, attendance must be regular and punctual, behaviour has to be good, no slipping tutorials. Unless of course you don't class college work as hard work.
My neice does a social care course and to keep her EMA she has to do all of the above and the college work takes her 3 hrs each evening to do. This only leaves her with weekends to work, except she has work experience on a Saturday (part of the course) so you see, working part time would lose her her EMA and probably mean she would fail her course.

Oldernotwiser

zoezoe wrote: »

No I am not saying that. I am clearly supporting her right now. If she wants to leave home, then no I cant possibly support her. The occasional tesco shop and possibly continue with her pocket money but nothing more.

If she wants to leave home then yes she can pay rent. I cant possibly entertain teh idea of paying for two homes !! My parents certainly never paid for my home once I left the family one ??

Most people would reckon that it costs a minimum of £60/£70 to keep a 16 year old. What's the difference in your paying this for her regardless of whether she's under your roof or not, or allowing her to live in the family home rent free with a couple of sharers paying rent.

What about the future? Should your daughter want to go to university, then, as a parent with a decent income, you're expected to contribute to her living costs. Until she's 21/22. You don't seem to understand that she's your financial responsibility wherever she lives.

TheWaltons_3

Surrey is not exactly Beirut!

Back to the EMA.

I think it is completely acceptable that people don't get it if they are working - it is called EDUCATIONAL MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCE. The whole point of it is so youngsters can LEARN rather than being forced into jobs that pay a Minimum wage, which they could quite possibly be stuck on for the rest of their lives.

This has turned into an aggressive thread - we have no right to judge or question your parenting skills. I apologise.

As for your original post - no I don't this is unreasonable at all.

EMA is majorly for young people from deprived areas whose parents can't afford to support them and it is an opportunity for them to earn whilst they learn. OK, so maybe it has flaws... but it is a great idea. The Government doesn't have many.

zoezoe_3

my mistake

bestpud

I guess it could be argued that your daughter has a far better standard of living than someone from a low income family and possibly access to more opportunities too?

By this I mean perhaps a decent place to study and maybe you help provide learning materials that some families cannot?

Also, many low income families struggle to give their children any pocket money at all and travel expenses can be high. Remember colleges etc don't tend to be placed next to deprived areas!

Perhaps if your daughter needed to go on a field trip or pay for exams, you would provide it - not all can.

That kind of thing is what EMA is about really I think - please someone correct me if I'm wrong. As already said, there will always be abuse but overall it's a good system.

pandas66

Can I put my view in too , probably not welcome but.....

My son is in fulltime further Education and receives the £30 EMA. He also has a part time job to supplement that, he can only work 10 hours max in termtime per week and so earns a top up of £32/35 per week. So he receives £60/65 per week, this is his and I don't take any from him. He now buys all his own clothes/shoes, cd's etc.

How many hours can your daughter work in order to earn £350 per month? Min wage is £3.30 per hour at 16.

I don't understand how she will have enough study, work, free time let alone look after herself. My son does do jobs round the house also.

Hapless_2

pandas66 wrote: »

How many hours can your daughter work in order to earn £350 per month? Min wage is £3.30 per hour at 16.

It would be approx 26hrs a week at £3.30 ph assuming she pays no tax or NI. 26hrs work will not leave enough time for full-time college. That would be £80 a week.

Income support would be £ 35.65 for a 16 yr old, that is why she would get EMA if she didn't work.

pandas66

Hapless wrote: »

It would be approx 26hrs a week at £3.30 ph assuming she pays no tax or NI. 26hrs work will not leave enough time for full-time college. That would be £80 a week.

Income support would be £ 35.65 for a 16 yr old, that is why she would get EMA if she didn't work.

Thank you, that was my point . Presumably her education comes 1st, but it would suffer I'm afraid. I allow my son to work his afternoon off and Saturday morning, that is plenty IMO. Actually so do college as son has just read this over my shoulder and said there is a max number of working hours at his college, 12.

pandas66

Hapless wrote: »

It would be approx 26hrs a week at £3.30 ph assuming she pays no tax or NI. 26hrs work will not leave enough time for full-time college. That would be £80 a week.

Income support would be £ 35.65 for a 16 yr old, that is why she would get EMA if she didn't work.

As a pointer she would be liable to NI at 16 but tax is different as she is in education.