Student loans, travel, and freedom of movement

barrye

My daughter has a student loan for her undergraduate degree and it moving on to do a masters. She is not working - variety of reasons not relevant here - but she is worried about the impact of the loan on her freedom of movement. For example, her gran lives abroad and she wants to go and stay with her for an entire summer where she can study and look after her gran. The terms of the loan state that she must inform them of leaving the country for more than three months. They are very sketchy on what 3 months is - 12 weeks or 90 days? The question here is how intrusive they are going to be in asking her to prove she has not earned anything abroad? She won't be working - but how do you prove a negative.

It begins to look to me that this loan is expensive in terms other than money if she has to pretty much get permission to leave and re-enter the country from the student loan company for the rest of her life, and submit herself to their approval. Has anyone else got any experience of inter-railing or sojourning abroad for more than three months, and how difficult was it to satisfy the student loan people?

Brie

Like so many things it's difficult to prove your NOT doing something.  Bank statements will help of course and they may ask for them but not sure if/how they would track any accounts she might open overseas.  I expect it's more of checking that she actually returns rather than anything else.  

YBR

barrye said:

My daughter has a student loan for her undergraduate degree and it moving on to do a masters. She is not working - variety of reasons not relevant here - but she is worried about the impact of the loan on her freedom of movement. For example, her gran lives abroad and she wants to go and stay with her for an entire summer where she can study and look after her gran. The terms of the loan state that she must inform them of leaving the country for more than three months. They are very sketchy on what 3 months is - 12 weeks or 90 days? The question here is how intrusive they are going to be in asking her to prove she has not earned anything abroad? She won't be working - but how do you prove a negative.

It begins to look to me that this loan is expensive in terms other than money if she has to pretty much get permission to leave and re-enter the country from the student loan company for the rest of her life, and submit herself to their approval. Has anyone else got any experience of inter-railing or sojourning abroad for more than three months, and how difficult was it to satisfy the student loan people?

"Inform" is not the same as "obtain permission"

Yes, it's geared to those working abroad to ensure they're traceable for repayments. I shouldn't think it will be hard to satisfy them if she's enrolled in a Masters course from next term.