Benefits and full-time Open University

earthbound_misfit

I am enrolled on two 60 point OU courses (did one last year), due to start in 3 weeks. This is estimated to be 30+ hrs of study a week. I'm also in receipt of ESA/HB/Council Tax support. My understanding is that OU never counts as full-time study for benefit purproses, due to the nature of the course, ie. mainly done from home. However I thought I'd better double check before I start in case it's changed, and am struggling to find any up to date information on it at all.

Does anyone know and if so could you provide links please?

Thank you

Ames

60 points isn't full time anyway, so it'll be fine.

Prinzessilein

The OP is planning on doing 120 points (2 x 60 point courses)

I'm not sure about the full-time aspect, but would strongly encourage you to consider this decision.

I took my first degree with the OU whilst on disability benefits. The OU were fantastic, the support they gave me ensured that I could complete my degree. However, I only ever did 60 points a year. More than that would have been too much for me.

You are on ESA which means you cannot work - presumably on health grounds? Are you sure you will be able to manage two full courses? I don't know which modules you are looking at, but the assignments for one 60 point course drained me so much that I had to have extensions to the deadline a few times...and exam time will be super-stressful with 2 courses.

Best of luck with your studies...however many units you decide to take this year!

CIS

For council tax purposes there's nothing in princiapl to stop an OU couse counting as full time study - for a few years now council tax has required you to 'undertake' a course rather than a requirement to 'attend'.

A a few years ago I did argue the point with my local authority as my wife was doing the equivalent of FT and they did award the student disregard.

The biggest issue comes with the modular way of working as some councils will dispute that a person is undertaking one course which meets the requirement. The Valuation Tribunal however do regard the Open University as being able to meet the requirements - http://info.valuation-tribunals.gov.uk/decision_document.asp?appeal=/decision_documents/documents/CT_England/5630M93634084C.htm&Decision=liability

Craig

sangie595

I really don't know the answer, but surely someone is going to ask why you can't manage to work if you can manage 30+ hours of study? There are plenty of jobs that require the same or less work!

earthbound_misfit

There are no exams on these particular courses. I am working ahead of myself by a couple of weeks for one course (so just starting that this week) in order to stagger the final assessment. I find the very flexible nature of it makes it significantly more manageable.

Sangie - I found the course I did last year significantly easier than the equivalent number of hours in a job. Possibly because I find it interesting and kind of fun. Aside from the amount of time it takes for the work itself, there is the flexibility issue. If you are aware of jobs where I can work from my bed if necessary at odd hours, sometimes lots for several days and then none for a few days, do let me know. Especially jobs like that you can do without a degree.

However - my question is, does it count as full time study for benefit purposes ie. I'm not allowed to claim them. In which case I will have to drop one course, unfortunately.

missbiggles1

All OU courses are part time by definition - full time study isn't available, regardless of the number of units you do.

earthbound_misfit

missbiggles1 wrote: »

All OU courses are part time by definition - full time study isn't available, regardless of the number of units you do.

Thanks. But... how do you know this? That's what's worrying me. It almost seems like hearsay!

CIS

missbiggles1 wrote: »

All OU courses are part time by definition - full time study isn't available, regardless of the number of units you do.

The Open University do not call themselves full time (as a general rule) however for Council Tax purposes it matters not what the OU term them - the rules to meet are set out in Council Tax legislation (if anyone's interested in a read take a look a the link I posted for a Valuation Tribunal Hearing).

Other benefits etc may have different definitions they use.

Craig

Ames

Prinzessilein wrote: »

The OP is planning on doing 120 points (2 x 60 point courses)

I'm not sure about the full-time aspect, but would strongly encourage you to consider this decision.

I took my first degree with the OU whilst on disability benefits. The OU were fantastic, the support they gave me ensured that I could complete my degree. However, I only ever did 60 points a year. More than that would have been too much for me.

You are on ESA which means you cannot work - presumably on health grounds? Are you sure you will be able to manage two full courses? I don't know which modules you are looking at, but the assignments for one 60 point course drained me so much that I had to have extensions to the deadline a few times...and exam time will be super-stressful with 2 courses.

Best of luck with your studies...however many units you decide to take this year!

Sorry, OP I misread the first post - I was on my phone.

sangie595

earthbound_misfit wrote: »

Sangie - I found the course I did last year significantly easier than the equivalent number of hours in a job. Possibly because I find it interesting and kind of fun. Aside from the amount of time it takes for the work itself, there is the flexibility issue. If you are aware of jobs where I can work from my bed if necessary at odd hours, sometimes lots for several days and then none for a few days, do let me know. Especially jobs like that you can do without a degree.
.

Judging by the sarcasm, you are not taking what I said in the way it was meant. Benefit agencies are, I am sure you know, looking for every opportunity to prove that someone is fit for work or claiming fraudulently. Only the other day you were asking about turning someone in for benefit fraud - and if that is what was happening, then I am all for it. But there are an awful lot of reports for benefit fraud that are not fraud. However, they are hell on earth for claimants. By being able to study full-time (in hours if not in technicalities) it was entirely legitimate to point out that you may be opening yourself to questions that you would not want. How do you know that someone won't report you for this, or that the powers that be won't question it? Perhaps that would be out of the question, but given that I had no reason to know anything about your condition at all, it was entirely legitimate to point it out!

You really don't know me very well if you think that, had I meant to imply you were cheating, I would have been so reticent in saying so!