Benefits for Under18s

BigAunty

Move closer to college so you can get a 20-35 hour a week job? Does your college offer accommodation or an accommodation service? Is it a city where a private student services company offers full time students accommodation in its own halls (ones not affiliated to a specific college/Uni but offer accommodation to all?). These can be much more expensive than the type of accommodation you have now.

Distance learning?

Move back with your dad and by focussing on your education/employment and general future, ignore the fact that your dad has given up (or believes society has given up on him)? See it as a necessary evil on the road to independence.

I like the previous advice that gets you to look further ahead to the actual career that you want and work back to getting the right qualifications rather than just alighting on a college course in a prospectus and just thinking 'that sounds okay, hope I get a job out of it'.

Sarahf

moneysaver96 wrote: »

I'm 17, i live in a flat with a friend, who's also 17.

I currently have a full time job and my friend has an apprenticeship, this is what pays the rent/bills/food etc.
Neither of us are on any benefits, and we're only just making ends meet, because minimum wage is significantly lower for us (£3.72) because we're 17.

However, i'd like to go back to college.
If i were to study a full time course i'd only be able to work weekends (13 hours) which means we wouldn't have nearly enough to live on.

Are there any benefits which a 17-yo student in further education can get? (income support maybe?)

Best thing to do is go into (or ring) your local job centre office as they have specialist under 18 advisers who will be able to advise you.

sammyjammy

I think some of the advice is aimed at people going to University, I believe the OP is talking about further education college.

The advice to see an under 18 adviser is good but I am not sure they would see you because you work.

I'm unsure of the rules for under 18s but see no reason why you couldn't claim Housing Benefit.

Sarahf

The Under 18 advisers would discuss with you what the options were should the OP decide to go back to college (even if they are working part-time). Some of the rules let you claim benefits if you are working under 16 hours a week but then your wages get taken into consideration.

Mr_Lawnmower

sammyjammy wrote: »

I think some of the advice is aimed at people going to University, I believe the OP is talking about further education college.

Though some of the examples I gave were in a higher education context (because university entrance requirements come easily to mind), the advice was equally applicable to further education. If you need a Level 3 Diploma for a particular career, you may need to take one or more courses at Level 2 first - but they may not be the ones you'd guess.

The suggestion was to think about where you want to finish up with, then work out how you get there from where you are. Once you've done that, you can work out how that course or those courses fit around the rest of your life, and how you're going to fund them.