Universal Credit and being a student

[72hdbaq]

I currently claim universal credit and I'm looking to get a job in September when my DC starts school but I dont even know where to start looking for work as i don't have any skills or qualifications

I havnt worked since i was 18 ( im 28 now ) I spent 7 years in a DV relationship where I quit college and my job

Id love to go to college or university and gain some skills so I could have a career. I'd like to be a support worker if i could

But I feel so overwhelmed

I dont even know where to begin with it

I have literally no skills and I don't have any proof of my GCSE's ( do they even look at them now )

And from what I can read online you don't get help from Universal Credit if your a student.

Does anybody have any advice on where I can start or what to do?

You can still get help from UC if you have children even if you're a student. I would advise you to get welfare rights advice to work out how much you would be entitled to.

Based on what you have said you could do an access course at college they can advise if which type will be beneficial for you to do for the type of job you want. If the course is considered fulltime you will be supported with UC. There also can be access courses at universities but they are probably based on your gcse's.

Universal credit is deliberately vague and not helpful but I can say from experience it is available for fulltime students with kids.

It is probably worth taking small steps to find out what is available to you. Contact colleges or access course organisations. In scotland it is called SWAP if you are there. Make an appointment with a careers office, job centre can point you there, sometimes they set up shop in local libraries.
See if you can seek out your gcse grades they could come in handy for interviews for courses.

Have your tried booking advice through National Careers Service. They give advice about careers, career changes, training and write CVs too. They are working through the Covid crisis so you can get an appointment. Free phone number is at the bottom of the webpage.
nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/about-us

• seeking advice, not booming advice.

Sign up to your local college. .ine is running online recruitment at the minute.

We use a system called MiAP to track GCSE quals but it only goes back 10 years. You need maths and English for most career paths now so that's probably a good starting point

I’m a mature student full time at university. Universities do check GCSE’s, my school had my certificates from the nineties so you may need to re-do any that are required. I get a maintenance loan and reduced childcare but it’s means tested so you could be entitled to grants or benefits. Look at and contact universities and find out requirements and go from there. Good luck OP.

I’m a full-time student and single mother. I receive UC.
You are entitled to UC when you’re a student (full or part-time) but advisors will often tell you you’re not, simply because they don’t know the rules themselves. Not their fault, if anything they’re undertrained.
As a single parent full-time Uni student you should qualify for the full maintenance loan (approx £11,500 p/a) which will include a Special Support Loan of just over £3,000. UC cannot take this into consideration as income. You will also get a parents learners grant of £1770. UC also cannot take that into consideration as income when calculating the amount you’ll get.
They do take into consideration the rest of your maintenance loan divided over the length of your course 9 months (approx) minus £110 allowance per month.
I think for me, they take about £600 from maintenance loan into account as income every month.
I hope that helps and makes sense, it’s not easy to work out or explain.

Or you can look for a job that will train you whilst studying. I started as a trainee optical consultant and the opticians I woked at paid for my university fees to become a qualified optician whilst earning money. Yes I was on a basic salary for years but it was a great oportunity.
Maybe you can look at your field of interest and see whats available.
Good luck xx

An apprenticeship might work for you. You learn and get paid. They aren’t just for young people.