Universal Credit - Money reduced because child in education.

KatrinaWaves

Does you son have learning difficulties? 

Rubyroobs

Can he look for a part time job around college hours ?

poppy12345

KatrinaWaves said:

Does you son have learning difficulties? 

This ^. Having re-read the first post, i don't see any mention of a learning disability/difficulty. If he does, does he have a EHCP?

baza52

as a 19 year old Adult it is his responsibility to pay his way.
Im sure lots of people in his position would get a job to help pay his way and have some spending money.
Is he looking for work?

Spoonie_Turtle

baza52 said:

as a 19 year old Adult it is his responsibility to pay his way.
Im sure lots of people in his position would get a job to help pay his way and have some spending money.
Is he looking for work?

Even if he looks for work, there is zero guarantee he will find anything immediately or even soon - meanwhile while he does look for work, UC would normally be the safety net in this situation, but in this specific situation it's not. So it's a gap in provision - UC won't pay for full-time students because they are expected to make use of student finance. But there is no student finance available to the 19yo in question because of the type of course.

baza52

Spoonie_Turtle said:

baza52 said:

as a 19 year old Adult it is his responsibility to pay his way.
Im sure lots of people in his position would get a job to help pay his way and have some spending money.
Is he looking for work?

Even if he looks for work, there is zero guarantee he will find anything immediately or even soon - meanwhile while he does look for work, UC would normally be the safety net in this situation, but in this specific situation it's not. So it's a gap in provision - UC won't pay for full-time students because they are expected to make use of student finance. But there is no student finance available to the 19yo in question because of the type of course.

Jobs are there if you are willing to do them, especially at this time of year

sparkyuiop

My son has APT (auditory processing disorder) but we did not know until his school work started to slip. After several paediatrician opinions we finally found out he had APD and he was provided with special audio equipment that helps him hear his tutors. This did put him behind in secondary school but fortunately though he caught up with his school work when he got the device. He still continues to use it even in college. I'm not sure it is a qualifying disability and to be honest it isn't an issue now as long as he remembers to take the thing with him!
He does want a job but at the moment with COVID and the fact he needs a distinction or merit to get to university his study has all of his priorities. Besides the fact that he is not working and willing to work should entitle him to be fed in the mean time by the government. One day he will be earning a substantial wage and I'm sure will pay thousands in TAX so why TF (it makes me so mad) won't they support him now?
He has always been pretty set on living and working in Japan and / or  the USA and I can't say I blame him. Now I really hope he does. I hope they agree to support him in the end and after he has trained eff's off with two fingers to the UK!

baza52

sparkyuiop said:

My son has APT (auditory processing disorder) but we did not know until his school work started to slip. After several paediatrician opinions we finally found out he had APD and he was provided with special audio equipment that helps him hear his tutors. This did put him behind in secondary school but fortunately though he caught up with his school work when he got the device. He still continues to use it even in college. I'm not sure it is a qualifying disability and to be honest it isn't an issue now as long as he remembers to take the thing with him!
He does want a job but at the moment with COVID and the fact he needs a distinction or merit to get to university his study has all of his priorities. Besides the fact that he is not working and willing to work should entitle him to be fed in the mean time by the government. One day he will be earning a substantial wage and I'm sure will pay thousands in TAX so why TF (it makes me so mad) won't they support him now?
He has always been pretty set on living and working in Japan and / or  the USA and I can't say I blame him. Now I really hope he does. I hope they agree to support him in the end and after he has trained eff's off with two fingers to the UK!

if he lives and works abroad he wont be paying any tax into the system you want to support him.
You say he is willing to work but also say his priority are his studies.
Getting a job will certainly help him and you in the meantime while he has no income

yksi

Some people are viewing it as a gap in the system - other people have hinted the part you don't want to see. Yes, it's a tough time for finding work right now and is certainly not as simple as "the jobs are out there if you want to work". But your son is an adult and you are treating him like a helpless child. As a responsible adult he should be helping to support himself. Choosing to study but not apply for the funding you mentioned earlier is his choice. And it is utterly ridiculous to suggest that someone with a 12 hour study load can't get a part-time job. I work with people your son's age who put in two full days each week and still manage to attend university. A simple rule is one hour study for each hour of study load, so that's 25 hours a week. It's normal for adults to work 40 hours a week and this is what working parents are (unintentionally) modelling for their kids - which is unfortunately, through no fault of your own, not something that your son is learning from his parents. But that doesn't mean you can't guide him in what is expected of us all in a society, and you certainly should.

Be the parent here and remind him that he's an adult now and that he is required to contribute to his own upkeep. You are doing your son a disservice by allowing him to remain oblivious like a small child. If you think he can't manage to work, say, 15 hours per week, do you also still cut the crusts off his sandwiches? Explain that your family is in severe financial difficulty and that you need his help here - he is a member of the household and is certainly capable of trying to pull his weight. I am perplexed that you'd rather fall behind on bills than insist that he apply for whatever grants or loans he can manage to get. That's what they are there for! If he doesn't want to do that then simply ask how he will pay his way and offer your help in preparing a CV and driving him to job interviews.

huckster

Can college help with enquiry about possible bursary ?
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-bursary-fund-guide-2020-to-2021-academic-year