Mature PGCE student

Devons_best

Hi - Can anyone advise me on PGCE tuition fees and student loans?

I am 40 and understand my household income will be based on my hubbys income. But what I don't understand is - is my income included too? I will be earning through the tax year from April to September and then nothing up to the following April. Then the following tax year I will earn nothing - again potentially up to September when I get (hopefully) a teaching job.
This is going to have a huge impact on our household income for us and our children - and we will still have the same amount of outgoings - food, mortgage, utitlities etc. In fact petrol costs will increase because I will be traveling to uni and school placements.
I'm not entitled to a govt bursary. (due to subject taking)

Also because I was previously a student graduating in 1998 - does that in any way stop me being eligible for a loan or a grant now?

There seems to be a huge amount of information but I don't seem to e very clear on the information I need!

Another question I would like to ask (having looked at the amount of loan and grant available for living cost) is am I allowed to start saving now and have a little pot of savings? Would this in any way be taken into account to reduce the amount of loan / grant I could have? Potentially having to close my business would mean toward the end I will be losing income there anyway so any money I out aside may be swallowed up then.

I would then like to maybe look at taking a part-time job - am I allowed to do this - do I have to predict what this income might be for my household income or later declare it?

My current income is between 1000-1500 a month and although a lot of that goes on expenses I would say I am earning a really good wage and a loan for the year of 4-5000 is in no way shape or form going to cover my family's cost.

Please help - any advice appreciated.

nimbo

if you are a UK national and studying in England you will in most circumstances be eligible to receive the full fees of the university being attended (paid to the uni as a loan).

https://www.gov.uk/teacher-training-funding

this page states:
You can get student finance for the following full or part-time teacher training courses if you’re an undergraduate or postgraduate:

• Initial Teacher Training (ITT)
• Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
• School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT)

Funding your course

You can apply for student finance. You’ll get the same level of student loans, grants and bursaries as other students.



when it comes to working as a student you are entitled to do all that you want - although most university's would never advise working more than 16 hours a week... HOWEVER you will be doing a PGCE - this is a course that when applying I was told 'expect not to have a life while studying for it'... apparently a woman that year had tried to plan a wedding and had a break down - you can't take too much on while doing it...

You'll be in the class room for most of it, working a full time week, planning lessons marking homework (depending on the age of the students), running a house, and trying to get portfolio work finished... How much do you think you could take on on, on top of that? I may sound harsh, but am currently in the last 6 months of my social work degree - and am in placement full time, while working 10 hours a week, and pulling together my portfolio - it is easily the most stressful thing I have ever done, and I have studied before so this isn't new to me... The thought of getting home and having to look after children too with the added pressure of finding them all clean pants as well as my self each morning would jut be too much on top of it...

there is nothing to stop you having a savings pot, as long as this is declared when completing the forms so you aren't committing fraud.

putting the figures into the calculator of partner earning 25000, and having one child under 17 this was the prediction of the SFE calculator...

https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator/y/2014-2015/uk-full-time/7500.0/away-outside-london/25000.0/children-under-17/teacher-training


Student finance
You could get per year:

• £7,500 Tuition Fee Loan (this was the figure I stated as the fees for the university so would cover the fees at the place you were studying)...
• £3,862 Maintenance Loan (for living costs)
• £3,387 Maintenance Grant (for living costs)

Extra student funding

You could get extra grants and allowances:

• up to £150.23 a week (1 child) or up to £257.55 a week (2 or more children) Childcare Grant
• up to £1,523 per year Parents’ Learning Allowance
• Child Tax Credit
• Funding for teacher training

The finance would only be there to support you from September to June or so (so 10 months ish) which is already about £877 a month (grant, loan and PLA) not even considering the teaching specific grants or bursaries that you may get... or extras for children etc...

look at turn to us a grants website they may be able to help...

you'd get 25% off you council tax too which is maybe equal to about £25 a month which equals about £1000 a month altogether.

good luck.

liney

When I did this, my earned income from the year before was taking into account by tax credits but they disregarded my loans and bursary making my PGCE year income £0.

Teacher Training is one of the few courses you will get student finance for even after completing a degree. You will not have a problem there.

I did find that getting the Child Care Grant or the Parent Learning Allowence was impossible. They decided that we had too much left over income, even based on my DH's 20k gross. However, I recieved a MG, SL and Bursary which amounted to around 12k. This had to last until the following September because I didn't officially qualify until the 1st July.

There was no way I could have worked during that year though. I barely
slept!

Just edited to add: Are you positive you are not entitled to a bursary? http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/funding/postgraduate-funding