Dh going to uni aged 58 - worried about money!

I am 56, in the final year of a PhD. All funded. Am expecting to be able to go into teaching (16+/adult ed) next year. Plenty of support for people with disabilities in teaching, plenty of technology to support them in the practical day to day functioning of their jobs. My DS has an economics teacher who is 70 and has no interest in retiring just yet… so no ageism here either. Both my children attend the same FE college, both have ASD and ADHD and the support and the engagement of a diverse range of staff has been excellent.

OP’s DH could easily complete his degree and then do QTS/16+teaching qualification whilst working at a FE college - full or part time - teaching psychology and related subjects, supporting young adults (and older ones if the college does Access courses) with ASD and ADHD, ie mentoring and coaching within a state education provision. It’s what I hope to be doing myself.

He is 58, NOT 88. He will likely live another 30 years - why are people so keen to write a person off just because he is 58? And why the issue over his getting student loans? He worked and paid taxes until he was 55 - surely he’s entitled something back, especially if it gets him back into work?

He can't afford to go to university to fulfil his ambition. He is time poor and financially poor, he needs to find a job that he can manage, if he has the energy for university, he can find a job to help finances in the home.

If it was free

It is free, he’ll never repay the student loans.

@Mix56 There’s this thing called Student Finance. Been going decades.

You tell him he cant afford it.
You tell him you can’t & won’t be paying for it.
Your children need that financial support, & you can barely afford that.
Where does he suppose the money will come from?
At his age, this hair brained scheme is bound to collapse, due to work & stress involved, & if he succeeds to the end he will be at retirement age.
My response would be.

“Nice project son, but not on my payroll”

What a waste of money OP, I feel sorry for you. If he’s 58 by the time he finished his degree he’ll be 61 and having a degree doesn’t make you a therapist/psychologist/life coach, there is more training and courses after that. Far too late in life for a career change that costs so much money and there will be no return.

If it was free then perhaps and it was to challenge himself and like a hobby in his spare time, fair enough, but to think it’s going to be financially viable and he’s going to start a new business and earn enough for it work is ridiculous

Did nobody advise your DH to apply for ESA? Contributions based doesn't take your partners income into account, only your own contributions.

I think you have to have made conts in the last 2 years, but is worth looking into (it would be new style esa now) as if he can't work then he could be entitled to an income replacement benefit (which PIP isn't)

I think people here are being incredibly Ableist. I would be proud of my partner finding a new interest, rather than focusing on the disability as an excuse for not trying new things. You're family will sort things out as your children are almost adults and also need to think about the whole family and not just their own needs

I'm not really seeing how a degree in psychology leads to a job career coaching.....he maybe needs to do more research into the jobs market he wants to go into. Isn't there some kind of business set up thing you can claim from DWP also, maybe worth looking into. And your parents could claim attendants allowance I think it's called. Worth talking to CAB about what's available and eligibility requirements.

If he were to defer for a year, where would the money come from for him to save? He doesn’t have a job and is unlikely to be able to get one.

Conversely, if he does take up the uni place he will get a maintenance loan of several thousand pounds, which would be additional income for the household.

Can you explain the benefits of deferring?

@Laurmolonlabe makes a good suggestion. Can he go into IT consulting, or get an IT customer service or help desk role which he can do from home ? I have a disabled friend who does this, and works from home. It’s one of these jobs which is perfectly set up for wfh.

Then he could defer for a year and save a bit of money, to contribute.
I am totally in favour of lifelong learning. But I wouldn’t be doing this at the sacrifice of the rest of my family, including my children.

Thanks for clarifying. So with the bursaries, this could all be financially advantageous for OP and her family. What makes me pause is the forthcoming changes to PIP and how that could affect things.

I agree with @Starlight7080 . However much he’s kidding himself, this is very much a hobby degree, not a career move, and the reality is that very few people will employ a newly qualified, disabled person with practically no experience in that field, who’s in their sixties.

I just read some more of your posts and I am astonished your DH did not pay into a works pension- a person who has retired has no pension cannot expect to do anything but subsist, let alone go to university.
Also as an IT specialist DH should be fully aware that coaching businesses are the most prolific type of business on the internet and it is now impossible to make a living doing that, plus a degree is completely unnecessary-he retired early had a huge scare and has got over it and is now bored- tough luck, he can't expect you to fund and run a household and 3 degrees alone-madness.

I am all for education at any age . But realistically he is planning at say 62 (if its a 4 year degree) to start a new business? Or be employed in this field without experience. At 62 ? When most place will hire younger people.
Not that they should only hire younger people. But just being realistic in terms of a job at the end of the degree.

Supporting autistic people in the workplace has no money in it! Who would be paying for that service? The people you’re supporting can’t afford it, usually nor can their family. There is a completely saturated market of non profits, consultants and recruitment firms trying to do the same thing and charge the employers for it and honestly there just isn’t the appetite for it- why would employers employ someone that they need to pay for support for? There’s plenty of other people they can hire. It’s a really complex space and there are a lot of people in it already- NAS, Neurodiversity in Business, Genius Within, Rangam. None of these people are making much money from it- they’re all trying to do it off charity grants/piggybacking other businesses because the employers won’t pay!

Why do people keep suggesting the OU? That's really expensive and he wouldn't get a maintenance loan, which is the thing that might add to family finances.

It’s funded for the entire three years if you’re under 60 on the first day of the course.

Yes, it will be. Just not the maintenance loan when he reaches 60.

He’s already got a place.

Can he contribute to family expenses from his PIP? You need to find the money to support your daughter as a student as a priority - it may take her some time to get a job. He doesn’t need a degree and could study through the OU.
You’re much younger and he has no pension and is selfish to boot; I hope he’s worth it but my resentment would be building. It’s hard to carry everyone.

This
unless he is going onto. Master degree and doctorate, this degree will not let him open a business and coach others.

No reason at all why your DH couldn’t get some p/t paid work to supplement his student loan. Nearly all students have to work now as the finance doesn’t cover student living expenses and most uni courses do not have full time lectures any more, as they accept the financial reality that students need to work. There are opportunities in schools for example - jobs like learning mentors or parent support workers if he is interested in neurodiversity
That way his student loan could be used for paying his way in the household, as if he were paying rent in student halls.
If he gets PIP and is classed as having a disability there may be bursaries available. I have an acquaintance who was accepted onto a degree course for free as she was unemployed.
Doing some related work beforehand may help with his application- good psychology courses are extremely popular and competitive - and this may also help him decide if it is really for him before embarking on an expensive degree.

There are non degree Coaching courses around. Some are online.
There are loads of university degree courses that are based solely online.