Back to Education Allowance - please help!

Hi

I wonder if anyone could possibly help me - I am out of work since end of July 2008 - (have worked continously for 13 years without being unemployed) so this is all totally new to me - I cannot get a job, have applied for numerous of jobs but so far no joy - so over Christmas I have done a lot of thinking and decided that I am going to start a course in September - going to apply for a few through the CAO system in the hope I get one!

My only BIG problem is, there is just no way I will afford college unless I am getting some sort of payment - I am currently on job seekers, but as I am on it since end of july/beginning of august 2008 - my payment will therefore cease in july 2009 which will mean I will not qualify for Back to Education Allowance? I wont apply for the other Job seekers benefit (think its called allowance) as my husband earns slightly over the threshold which would enable me be eligible for it!

Does anyone know how I would be eligible for BTEA? Do I have any chance at all? If I came off JB for say a month or two and then applied for it again and went back on it, and it brought me up to sept .. can you do this, or do u have to be on SW for 12 months continously to enable you to be eligible for BTEA??? I really dont have a clue about all this. but right now I am really worried - I cant find a job - so have now set my heard on getting a place in college - but will never afford it unless I get an allowance!

Sorry if this is confusing.. and thank you in advance for any advise you might have to offer

Hi,

Welcome to AAM.

You may find something useful here.

If you run the search option in the Careers forum you may find something useful.

thanks sue ellen, i have read through a number of different sites and just find it all so confusing.. i am really hoping to start a course in sept but without BTEA i really doubt I can do it as I just cant afford it with childcare etc..

Mumtoe&e - put your name down for a FAS training course, just pick any course that may interest you, most of them last for less than six months, that way you perserve your JB and when course is over go back on JB and you still be eligible for BTEA in september

Thanks for that Marietta

anyone else any thoughts on this??? my JB will finish very beginning of august, college will start 31st august, therefore i will miss out on BTEA for the sake of 4 weeks of being off it.... anyone please give me some ideas?? i am at my witts end at this stage!

You could try your local VTOS centre to see if they could fit you in on a course until the end of the year (June).

Interestingly, I was in a similar position a few years ago but coincidently happened to become ill and sent in social welfare certs and this appeared to have prolonged my Unemployment benefit. I fortunately became better within three months before the beginning of the course and went back on Unemployment Benefit.

I'm not sure if this is still the case. I do know that most people on Unemployment (Jobseekers) neglect to send in certs when they become ill as it appears to be too much trouble (& formfilling) and there is a loss of money as first few days are sometimes not paid. But in your case it MAY make a difference in terms of prolonging your entitlements.
http://www.welfare.ie/EN/OperationalGuidelines/Pages/jb_jobseekben.aspx#part6

Best of Luck

Hi Ger,
Thanks so much for your your post ... the SW site can be somewhat confusing..
when u became sick, did you still get back to ed allowance - do you not have to be on Job seekers benefit for 12 months continously in order to get BTEA ?
Thank so much for your help

One point I want to make is that a person on Jobseekers is supposed to sign off if they fall ill as they are no longer available for work. [broken link removed]
page 11
In my case, I fell ill and claimed disability (now called illness?)benefit while I was unemployed and sent in weekly certs. (You only have to pay the doctor for the first visit, as he gets paid by social welfare ).After a period , I recovered and was available for work again but of course was still unemployed.
For the purposes of my BTEA, I think they included all my unemployed period along with my sick period as one continous time period but do not include the sick period for the purpose of calculation your total time for cutting off your unemployment.(52 week rule)
The main thing is that I was fully recovered and was ideally signing on again for 3 months prior to claiming BTEA and also be in reciept of unemployment (now called jobseekers) payment before the school registration date (this may be a week or two after the start dateof your course). Incidently, I found the social welfare officers very supportive and helpful in my case. Citizens info and AEGIS are also helpful.
Incidently, try to visit some of the universities (open) 'days' if you can as its really important to pick the right subjects and some give special talks to mature students. However, they will usaully not discuss grant or social welfare problems. Some universities are very flexible, especially in their BA programme and allow subject changes within the first few weeks.
I am saying this with a caution as this was a couple of years ago and things may have changed since.

hi i was reading the back to education forum on citizens advice and it states that you are entitled to BTEA if you are made redundant. If you have been working for 13yrs i persume you got redundancy and therefore entitled to it without have been signing on for jobseekers for 12months etc. Maybe it would be no harm to ring the citizens advice and ask and put your mind at rest. Please let us know how you get on.

Hi Aoife
No I was not made redundant - there were a number of reasons I had to leave my job - I was not in the same job for 13 years. but have been working continously for 13 years since I left school - my last job being 7 years - but I was not made redundant

going to try make it into citizens advise this week and see what I can do!
Thank you for all your help