To think that "fulltime" courses that are 3 days a week are taking the P

[rightothatsmethen]

This is for met college - FE. Courses are considered full time if they are over 16 hrs or something...so a full time course could be 2 and a half days a week.

How can they say people are enrolled as full time students with those hours?

[freybean]

its always been that way hasn't it

[charl2503]

My sister is doing a foundation degree in early years and education. It is classed as a full time (she is in college 16hours a week) because the amount of work you have to do independantly as well as work placement takes it up to way over 40 hours a week.

[rightothatsmethen]

The courses I am on about have no outside work charl, tey are portfolio based and have no home study.

[LRDTheFeministDragon]

Do you mean two days of contact time and studying the rest? If so, that's fair enough - I'm a full-time student and have about 12-24hrs contact time per year. It will vary depending what you do.

If they're not studying the rest of the time that seems odd! What does it mean if you're full time (what do you get for it)?

[QuintessentialShadow]

So do you not build up your portfolio outside college hours, then? Will you not be sent out on assignments that you need to complete, for your portfolio?

[rightothatsmethen]

Nope just 2 and a half days and thats it! My son is doing one..

[rightothatsmethen]

no, these are manual courses...welding, using hand tools, automechanic stuff

[rainbowinthesky]

Standard for FE courses to be this. Used to be less till there was a change in law I think a couple of years ago - was 12 I think. They only get funding for this amount per student.

[QuintessentialShadow]

And he is not suppose to have an apprenticeship the other days?

[rightothatsmethen]

No its not an appreticesjip course quint, just a level 1

[rightothatsmethen]

ship

[rightothatsmethen]

Just finding it harf to get my head around that he is considered a full time student.

[rightothatsmethen]

hard;;;sorry, typing in the dark

[QuintessentialShadow]

Is he supposed to mix two courses twogether?

[LRDTheFeministDragon]

I wonder if maybe they classify all courses the same, so the courses where you do go study for the other two days are fulltime and these workshop ones just get categorized as the same?

It does seem a bit odd, but does it matter a lot? Is there a big advantage to calling it fulltime - just council tax bonus that I can think of, and I don't know if that even applies to FE?

[rainbowinthesky]

Yep, it's pretty awful. Kids go from full tiem school to just 16 hours a week course if doign FE.

[Mitmoo]

I did a full time degree with 8 hours of supervised seminars and lectures. The secondary reading, primary reading, assignments etc. looking after Mum and son left me up at 4 am writing assignments and exhausted.

Don't knock it until you have tried it.

[ImperialBlether]

It's because that's all the government will fund, not because it's what the colleges want to be able to offer.

[rainbowinthesky]

No, you only get funding to do one course so cant fill up the other days with something else to study.

[rightothatsmethen]

I have a phd mitmoos Ive done full time and then some

[QuintessentialShadow]

Can he find a job the other two days?

[rainbowinthesky]

Lots of FE colleges have just had to make major cutbacks and redunancies and lost lots of courses.

[rightothatsmethen]

he will most definitely have to get a job with 4 days free each week

[LRDTheFeministDragon]

To be fair, I don't think school is exactly 'full time' either! Nor should it be ... at that age you're too tired with growing, I think.

[Red2011]

My course is full time - 15 taught hours, meant to do 30+ hours home study. With a small child and the days/hours taught (and I don't drive) I can't fit a p/t job around it. However, govt. 'rules' don't class this as a f/t course so DH work 2 jobs to keep our heads above water.