Adult Nursing Not sure I can attend :(

Hello,

Well after being over excited about even getting a place. I am now not sure I can do this. I have applied for the bursary and they are being difficult.

I received my basic award notice today and am going to be getting 2810.00.

They haven't assessed for dependants yet because they are asking for my hubby's wage slips. The issue is, he doesn't get any! He has a part time job delivering pizza and he gets paid cash and earns £100 per week. He will not be able to keep his job once I start as we have 3 kids and 1 is disabled and will need his daddy there for him at such a changing time.

I think that bursary calculator has a lot to answer for, It told me I would get in the region of 10,000! It's looking like I will be lucky to get £300 per month and my car insurance alone is £150 per month (before anyone suggests shopping around, believe me I have).

Just so not sure I can put my kids in this position, we have been in poverty for the last 5 years but this will be worse. We struggle to get gas & electric most weeks now.

The only way I could do this is if I walked away from my family but I can't do that. I am so upset and stressed out over this.

I really do wonder how anyone finishes the degree when the financial support is so little. If anyone has any idea how I can make this work please let me know.

Thanks for listening. x

i know how you feel ive cried many tear worrying about money since getting my place at uni! it works out though, in the end, everything just falls into place!

phone back the bursary people as to speak to a supervisor and explain to the the problem and how ur [partner wont be working ask f they can suggest anything that could help with the wage slip issue???....dont get stressed and be as nice a poss to them....people are always more willing to help that way

also once you get to uni some (phone yours) have their own packages to help with money..my friend recently got awarded £2000 for this year from our uni's access to learning fund, that was on top of her bursary and student loan.

i dont know if any of this will help just wanted you to know ur not alone in feeling like this but im sure it can be sorted xx

Hey snibbug,

Sorry to hear money troubles are getting you down
As I am sure you will find on here there are loads like you, including me who are busy trying to balance being a student and keeping your head above water where money's concerned.
I totally emphasise with you,long before I even applied and again before I accepted my place I looked heavily into what finance was available to me, the bursary calculator estimated that I should receive £605 per month based on my information (which may I add, has NOT changed), however after accepting my place, chucking my much loved job in and 'signing on the dotted line' I was awarded just £293 per month.
However, there is light at the end of the tunnel for you hun, because you have dependents you get an allowance for them. You are legible to apply for help with council tax if you rent, you can get some help towards your rent, you can definitely apply for your own universities 'hardship fund' (same as access to learning fund) and there are other funding sources available to someone in your circumstances eg- low income family with dependents etc. In all honesty I don't know how anyone expects us to survive the degree, the financial support is absolutely ridiculous and as you may virtually guess...I could rant about it for hours. I have literally scoured every internet site for funding and applied for everything I can, for me I have been hugely unsuccessful but I do not have a family like you.

You will be better off declaring that your husband is unemployed (after all £100 per week is not really an income)

I am pretty sure you will be much more successful, don't give up.
Goodluck chick, there will never be a good time to take the plunge, but if you have suffered poverty for 5 years already then its probably the best plunge you'll ever make.xx

As you're starting in Feb can you do diploma instead of degree as you'd get much much more?? x

Thanks all,

Regarding the dependant's allowance they have asked instead that hubby's boss writes a letter (though not sure what they are expecting?).

I can't do the diploma since the uni I am attending doesn't offer it anymore, only the degree.

It wouldn't be so bad if I could get a student bank account but sadly they all flatly declined. I am looking into local charities too but the only one I have found that would help can't accept any applications until July, they expect them in by September but obviously I only got my place in November! They said they give grants of £250, which will certainly help with my travel costs.

I know deep down that I need to do this for my kids, for a better future, I just feel guilty that I am going to be putting them in this position for 3 years in order to achieve it.

I really appreciate the support you have all shown me. I hope I am making the right decision x

And the stress continues. My hubby has given up his job, he last worked 1st Jan 2012. I did a change of circumstance form for the bursary and they are still requesting evidence of him working from his ex boss. The issue we have had all along is that his boss doesn't understand what we have asked him to do! The bursary people have also emailed to ask if he pays income tax, which I replied no because the CAB told us he doesn't earn enough to pay it. And now they are asking if he pays Tax and NI which again he didn't. His boss paid him cash £100 per week. I don't know what to do. It seems that this job has stuffed up everything for me now even though the job centre pressured him into getting it in the first place!!

I just want to cry to be honest, the bursary people have been less than helpful about it all and I have phoned them twice to explain the issues and yet we keep going round in circles!

aww i hope it gets sorted for you soon.
everytime i have phoned the bursary people up i have found them really helpful, i did lay it on thick saying i couldnt pay my rent etc and that seems to have worked. lol

fingers crossed things are sorted soon for you xxxxx

I agree with everyone hun. I hope you manage to get it sorted. Heartbreaking going through the process to think it was for nothing!! hope you can get it sorted Xx