DP wants to retrain as a nurse but I don't think we can afford it.

[Fressia123]

DP has no real qualifications and has realised that to get a decent pension he needs to train in something. I'm on a low salary but not because of lack of qualifications but rather than well paid jobs in the SW are very rare to find. We've found an apprenticeship that will pay £13k the fort year, MW the second and from the third onwards he'd be on band 4. It does sound great, but how can we live with a £10k reduction in income? We have a mortgage and baby which are our biggest non negotiable expenses. I think it's a smart move BTW and want to support him but also want to think this very thoroughly.

Bump

Bumping for you, hopefully someone will come along with more specifics. But I think the first step is to do a budget with all your outgoings, that's fixed non-negotiable bills through to food shopping and saving for the car MOT and everything in between. Hopefully that will show you if you can manage or not. If it's tight, could you delay the plan by 1yr and use the time to save money so you've got a buffer? Best luck!

Can you look for some better paid work to subsidise him? Could you save up anything to cover the extra expense whilst he's doing it? Can your families help? Just a few thoughts

@Fressia123 the highest the apprenticeship will get him to is a nurse associate rather than a nurse at the moment.
As you have a child if he was to do the 3 year degree in nursing then he would get a grant and student finance and possibly also dependants and childcare grants on top, and possibly universal credit depending on your income.

I am a nurse and mentor student nurses/nursing associates. The way most of them manage in similar circumstances Is to join the hospitals staff bank or agency and do extra shifts that way but I appreciate this is a big undertaking on top of a full time job (I did 1-2 night shifts per week as a student via an agency to get through). There is also the option of student finance and some universities/colleges offer financial support in the way of bursaries and scholarships if it is attached from a formal qualification. Good luck!

Is there any loans, grants, bursaries or other financial help available?

You're right that nursing might be a good route to a salary that is above average for the south west, will also be secure and a good pension so will be worth the sacrifice in the early years if he can do well in the profession.

Isn't it degree entry for Nursing now?

Could you get a lodger? It’s about £7.5k a year tax free but only suitable if you’re happy to share your home for a few years.

[quote 1990shopefulftm]@Fressia123 the highest the apprenticeship will get him to is a nurse associate rather than a nurse at the moment.
As you have a child if he was to do the 3 year degree in nursing then he would get a grant and student finance and possibly also dependants and childcare grants on top, and possibly universal credit depending on your income.[/quote]
That would explain why he's expecting to work up to band 4, as the lowest band for a fully qualified nurse is band 5 isn't it?

Agree with the previous advice to do a detailed budget first off. MSE website has a fantastic resource you can use.

Echoing what a post above says an apprenticeship will get you to the band 4 NA (nursing associate) position. NAs are registered on a separate part of the NMC register so have some accountability but are not registered nurses. NAs can do a further university course to ‘top up’ to a degree and become a RN which would then usually be a band 5 position and open doors to more specialised areas/jobs.

Does it have to be nursing?

How about ambulance tech? Because after a while some services will still put you through paramedic training while paying you the tech wage.

Google MSE budget planner

Agree that the full nursing degree is most definitely the way to go. Even if he has to do access courses or GCSEs first.

And it's not forever. If he has no qualifications and no prospects, then in 20 years you're still going to be struggling. If he retrains, then it might be tough for a couple of years and considerably easier after that.

My DSD looked into mental health nursing as a gateway to what she wants to do. I think that still attracts quite decent student bursaries.

Before he plunges into wanting to studying nursing I would recommend doing bank shifts as a healthcare to get a better perspective of what nursing might be like.

Also some trusts did a thing where you work as a band 2 and get paid to do your training it takes 4 years. But you do get your full time salary still.

It doesn't have to be nursing but seems like the most promising route. I'm working on getting a higher pay job but it isn't as easy as it sunds with

Have a look to see if there are any benefits that you'd be entitled to with a lower household income (try www.entitledto.co.uk)

Also, take home pay from a salary of £23,000 is £19,280. Take home pay of £13,000 is £12,480. Still a difference of £6800 but hopefully a less daunting figure, especially if you are able to get some top up benefits

I think because of his academic background an apprenticeship with a top up is probably his best shot. It seems more manageable and he won't have to get GCSEs / access courses.

One way to see if it would work is to try living off the income you'd have if he did start studying and save any extra over that income in a separate account

Yes, I've don't the IC calculations and we would get some help with childcare but that's about it. Our fixed expenses are of about £1900 (sans childcare). We can probably reduce that to about £1600. Our childcare costs (with UC help) are still around £600-750. My salary is £1300. So we could potentially make it but just barely.

*I've done the UC calculations (silly predictive text)

I'm a nurse and I got there via the access course (qualified at 27). I did it over two years part time while I continued to work and then I finished my job to go to uni full time. I've got two kids but I was that lucky that my now ex in laws were able to have them while I did my placements, went to uni and did my assignments. It's a great job and can be very rewarding but can also be bloody shit at times. A girl who's a HCSW has recently started with us and has just been accepted onto the four year degree course while getting her same HCSW wage through the whole four years so as others have said, that's something to look into although obviously it's not a guarantee that he'll get a job doing this or if he'd get a place in uni funded through the health board. Good luck to whatever you both decide on.

Personally I would do an access to nursing course part-time. Get work on the hospital bank as a HCA and work some night shifts and then get on the Nursing Degree. If he does that he won't have to pay for the access course. He will get a bursary and top ups and still could manage 2 night shifts a week on the bank.

He then wouldn't need to top up his NA diploma to a Degree. It's an extra 2 years and so works out the same as having to spend a year doing an access course and then the 3 years full-time.

Is his heart actually in nursing though? As your op seems to read that he's just bothered about the money /pension. I think you have to really know what you're getting yourself into and be sure it's the career you want to do.