no money to live on and starting course - is there anything i can claim?

mrjay999

Hi everyone

After being made redundant twice in a year and going from various agencies and doing job to job, I decided to sign up for a fast track access to higher education course that would enable me to go to university in september to get me a qualification for a job I would enjoy doing.

I went tonight to the college tonight to sign up, was told i could claim the 24+ advanced learning loan for tuition fees but thats it There is nothing I can claim to live on. The course is 21 hours per week so I couldn't claim any benefits. Obviously I'd get a part time job but its hard enough finding a job anyway. I was counting on getting some kind of living learn.

Is there anything at all I can claim

This has put a major spanner in the works. Would it be worth speaking to the job centre?

nimbo

look at part time work, as this will be the best way to get regular monies coming into the house...

You'll potentially eligible for 25% to 100% off your council tax bill - depending on living arrangements...

what are your circumstances - do you live alone or at parents? This will affect how much money you need...

look at the turn 2 us website - they offer one off grants that can be available to very specific sets of people - so if you lived in a small village near huddersfiled and your dad was a fisherman, and your mother a dinner lady with a P in her name you could be in luck. (I get one of £500 last year, and £350 this year - so they do exist)...

Other than part time work, there isn't much that would be regular...

Look at dooyoo as it can earn you money if you save enough points, or amazon vouchers more regularly - useful for books to toilet roll...

good luck.

alundra_2

Edit: Sorry, didn't see the above person mention the thing about council tax

Try the HC3 limited help with health costs certificate from the NHS, might help with things like dental bills or sight tests.

ska_lover

Unfortunately no, not whilst at college

mrjay999

thanks everyone.

i can't understand how theres absolutely no help for mature students. if i dont get sorted with a part time job by the 27th im going to have to cancel my place which then means missing out on university this year as well as last year.

duchy

I think you're expected to have looked at finance before committing to a course. Education as a mature student is a privilege not a right in my mind (and I say this as a mature student with a full course load who also works a minimum of 33 hours a week).

Find a job or delay your plans by a year seem to be your options - if you miss out this year due to poor planning it's a shame but it's only a year. Don't be too picky about the sort of job - as it is presumably only til September at worst (although of course a job that works with college also works with uni and most students I know work part-time anyway whilst at uni). You should probably also make sure you understand what financing you'd get as a fulltime student next year as you'd still need to pay rent , bills etc and student finance isn't that good.

mrjay999

oh i know that. i swear i saw something about getting a maintenance grant for it thats all. i know its a privilege, im just trying to better myself and be qualified for a job that i would enjoy or at least get decent qualifications. im willing to take any job, as long as it can tie me over until june. im not bothered what it is.

id rather not claim anything just that the clocks ticking to find a part time job by the end of january and i havent found one yet. knowing my luck i'll find one a day or two after the deadline for it!:p