Open University and ESA

SeduLOUs

me123456789 wrote: »

you do realize that "all the benefits that come with that" amount to 60 or 70 quid a week? Anybody who wants to study and lives in a household with less than a certain amount of income can get a tuition fee loan and it gets paid straight to the university. Even if you're not eligible for this the OU do their own loans and you can pay in instalments.

Just to add that tuition fee loans for part time study aren't even means tested. I'm currently paying for my OU course with a tuition fee loan, and the only requirement was that I do not already hold a qualification at degree level.

My household income is ~£43,000. I didn't apply for anything over and above tuition fees as I assumed I would not qualify.

tea-bag

BlueEyedGirl wrote: »

Probably because she didn't really want to study, it's just another one of those 'Woe is me' posts!

Me and my wife don't do debt I have no debt not even a mortgage. You still need to find almost 3k including extra books course materials. It don't account the cost of time off to attend courses. We had 3 children under 12 at the time we both worked full-time so would have been hard jiggling work and running a home. However it turned out OK as she stayed being a teacher and worked up to be head of year. Now we are debt free compleaty we both work in retail.

So that's the reason she did not do it. However if she was at home all day on the sick with all the time on her hands and the getting it for free she would have done it.

As for learning to drive with ESA money, I would say for most people driving is a luxury and if you are on benefits they are supposed to be a safety net not give people enough to buy luxuarys like driving lessons, sky TV , cigarettes, booze and takeaways to name a few.

Murphybear

I think there are a lot of harsh views on this thread which is sad.

Firstly when someone is on ESA it is not as simple as being 100% fit to work or 100% unfit to work. We are human beings, not robots, there are a hundred degrees of in between. If someone is in the WRAG the idea is that they will, eventually, be able to go back to work. This will often be a long gentle path rather than waking up one day and suddenly finding yourself fit.

If someone has mental health issues then keeping your mind busy is important. Sitting around st home doing nothing is likely to make you feel worse.

Doing an OU degree is not an easy thing, but can be done over a long time, a little at a time. I don't see how it can be anything but good for the OP. There is a lot of difference between studying for a couple of hours a day (if that's all the OP wishes to do) at home and going out to work.

I know what it's like to be on ESA, I know what it's like to have mental health issues and I know what the OU is like as I used to work for them.:T

So please stop being so critical and wish the OP luck with their course

BlueEyedGirl

controversy wrote: »

You have BPD too? We should create our own CLUB . I hate the mood switches. Today I have been scared about the whole September the 23 to 25 hysteria about the New World Order.

Yes, diagnosed in 2008 officially but looking back the signs were there in my teens. Spent two years in therapy on the NHS, 'MBT' which has help me make some changes and I have remained relatively stable for two years. There are still times I want to harm myself, and the 'Borderline' me pops up... but so far so good. Came off some of my meds, but still take Quetiapine to help me sleep at night. The mood swings are still ever present, but I seem to hold better relationships with 'others' now.

BlueEyedGirl

Going back to the OP's original post, perhaps they can think about starting with an Access Course at the local college. Not only will it ease them back into studying, it will help prepare them with essay writing etc. I know when I did mine it was an eye opener and the college were extremely supportive over my mental health issues.

SeduLOUs

Murphybear wrote: »

Doing an OU degree is not an easy thing, but can be done over a long time, a little at a time. I don't see how it can be anything but good for the OP. There is a lot of difference between studying for a couple of hours a day (if that's all the OP wishes to do) at home and going out to work.

I don't know why people keep saying this.

You do not choose your own pace when studying with OU. You take on a number of credits which absolutely must be completed within the next academic year, and with strict assignment deadlines along the way.

If you want to study at your own pace, then go to ICS or similar. You won't get a degree (or tuition fee loans), but you can do more specific qualifications geared towards specific areas of work like accountancy, HR etc. The deadlines on completing these courses are far more flexible.

BigAunty

Murphybear wrote: »

If someone has mental health issues then keeping your mind busy is important. Sitting around st home doing nothing is likely to make you feel worse.

I am a fan of the OU and wish the OP well with whatever studying they undertake.

However, I'm not necessarily sold on the concept that distance studying in the house is a great step up from sitting around at home doing nothing or that it is a magic bullet into employment or effective at helping MH issues.

I agree that you right that studying at home at your own pace is completely different from the pressures of employment. It is generally much, much easier to be a student than an employee.

However, I gained a post-grad diploma on the OU and it was an unenjoyable slog, quite lonely and dry, compared with the actual experience of studying in a college or Uni. However,its probably the social side of Uni that I enjoyed which is going to create too much anxiety for the OP. I just worry that the solo nature of an OP degree isn't going to be that fulfilling.

I share the worries that others have that the refuge and sanctuary element of studying at home can be counterproductive.

Yes, studying can help with mental health and improve employment prospects, but employment requires good social skills and employers prefer experience, none of which an Open Uni degree addresses if that is all that is achieved at home.

Obviously, I appreciate that the OP's objective is to get better while studying.

I don't think there is anything wrong with the suggestion for the OP to try out a few MOOCs and the like before taking on such an expensive and time intensive commitment as a distance learning degree. There are MOOCs that offer courses in how to learn effectively, for starters.

Indie_Kid

SeduLOUs wrote: »

I don't know why people keep saying this.

You do not choose your own pace when studying with OU. You take on a number of credits which absolutely must be completed within the next academic year, and with strict assignment deadlines along the way.

If you want to study at your own pace, then go to ICS or similar. You won't get a degree (or tuition fee loans), but you can do more specific qualifications geared towards specific areas of work like accountancy, HR etc. The deadlines on completing these courses are far more flexible.

I agree. I had to drop out of my OU degree because the workload was becoming too much. I was going through a really rough time which didn't help me at all.

There is open learn. You can do this at your own speed. But you don't actually get a qualification.

teddysmum

I know that the OU has no formal requirement for academic qualifications, though it gives some credit (reduction in number of courses required for a degree), but I would hope that the OP had quite a good grounding.


I had no problems (having A levels and a teaching qualification including some BEd work), but people I met on my foundation course (the easiest part), who had just O levels or CSEs found it hard going and at least one gave up, after attempting the higher level courses, as they couldn't take the pressure.


If the OP, has similar experience to these people they could end up creating more stress than they already have.

Nobody_knows

You talk about equality - can you define equality? If you read my first post, I mentioned I had an abusive childhood, I didn't ask for it and I didn't ask to have all these problems that go with it. I didn't choose any of this SO why do I have to suffer for all these problem and others don't?

You say you're daughter was brought up with good work ethics and I am assuming she had a decent childhood and if she ever falls on hard time - I'm guessing she has you to help her out.

I don't have that opportunity and I wasn't that lucky - How is that fair and how is that equal to people like me ? All the other people around my age had a better start in life, more opportunities, they were allowed to be happy - They got a head start in life where as I am just learning all those skills.

The idea of being of welfare makes me suicidal - I would do it if I could, But I don't have the money for a funeral and my case worker told me it was a lot of paperwork and before I do commit suicide, I want to pay the money back. So what do I do?

The ONLY other option I have is to go back to my abusive parents and live that life - That means getting married to some cousin who will probably beat and rape me and probably force to have kids I don't want (YES - all on benefits as women are not allowed to work in the culture).

Seeing as you enjoy judging who deserve what opportunities and what is fair - Tell me what opportunities do I deserve? Because I would love to know!

You keep mentioning you know a lot of people that are benefit frauds and cheating the system - Why don't you report them so they stop cheating the system ? Don't you know any good, genuine people that have managed to work there way out and become a contributing person to society ?