Any accountants who'd not mind helping-company gone under

[mymoneyplant]

I worked for a company who provided BTEC and other similar courses. I taught the courses.
They're now insolvent.
Students have paid various sizeable sums and now they cannot continue their courses.
I have to meet with them all soon to tell them this news which is going to absolutely devastate them.

Where do they stand in getting their (thousands of pounds) money back?

I am devastated for them, so awful that this has happened
Name changed for obvious reasons.

OP may be teaching at adult colleges, though.

So, given that they are paying, we can assume that they over 20yo. It's not that bizarre. Lots of people are!

True. Be an unusual choice for a mature student though, Access courses are usually recommended as the ALL (fee loan) is written off if they progress to university.

@SheilaFentiman that's true-I just feel so sad for them all. They were all great, enthusiastic and doing so well-and had paid out so much money! Infuriating and disgusting that this has happened-it was totally avoidable too.

@titchy it was a level 5-and the youngest
person I was teaching was 32!
@Aaron95 I am being careful, mainly signposting, doing references for new courses they're accepted onto etc

@Oblomov23 luckily I was paid on the first of this month. So they owe me only a few days plus holiday entitlement etc.
@SheilaFentiman yes I was teaching adults, and not at a college-private company

Right so if it's Level 5 they'll be regulated by the Office for Students who have a team who coordinators with other providers when a provider goes bust and ensures the students can continue.

You really should signpost them to OfS rather than other providers. The OfS team will be able to sort out transferring the fees they've paid to a new provider.

Thank you @titchy , I will do that. Some are doing pretty well at finding other providers but not all of them.

Some of the students are talking about court because the company took money while in the knowledge of their pending dissolution.
This is all a mess.

And I am not finding any similar job anywhere! I did love that one.

It's not your mess though! Just stay out of it - it is absolutely nowt to do with you any more.

It sounds like you enjoy getting embroiled in the drama but you need to fight that impulse.

All the more reason to say nothing and not get involved at all.

Why are you doing this? You are a tutor, you've been in the job less than 8 weeks? Just call in sick.

At least that's something OP that you've recently been paid and owed very little, it could've been worse.

All of the tutors are doing it. We all want to help them get their deserved qualification.

Nothing dramatic about it. We're all devastated for them and want to help as much as we can. They'd paid a lot of money and done a lot of work. I couldnt just abandon them and nor has anyone else I worked alongside.

@ponyinmud I'd love to call in sick, that'd mean I still had a job.
Thank you for those who've helped and sent their apologies. I know worse things are going on in theworld but that doesn't mean we can't be upset about this sort of difficulty.

So this isn't your job anymore?
I just think you haven't a clue about what's going on, and have absolutely no influence on the situation. It's admirable that you care about the students especially as you barely know them, but I can't see that you are in any position to do any good and you may end up making things worse for them. If you have to ask on here then doesn't that tell you that your are not equipped to take on the role of administrator to the potential liquidation?

I would still just leave it and put your energy into job-hunting for yourself.

The reason you need to walk away is because this is not you area of expertise and you potentially put the students in a worse situation that they already are and if this happened you could end up with a legal claim against you. Your former firm will not help you if that happens.

Remember the saying the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I must clarify I am not 'trying to take on the role of administrator', I haven't mentioned anything about
that to them. I am (along with other tutors) trying to help them get on other courses though.

@ponyinmud no, we've all been made redundant.

I certainly don't want to be the only tutor that doesn't help-that wouldn't look good on me in terms of references for a start-plus I want to help them find new courses and complete their studies and get the career they deserve.

You initially asked if any accountants could give you advice. We all stepped in and gave you advice. I bet that the majority of us are qualified at a far higher level than a BTEC. However, you're insisting on ignoring the advice than we have given. Time to step away.

OP I've already told you what the procedure will be for the students. The regulator will sort things out. That's one of their roles.

that wouldn't look good on me in terms of references for a start
Who cares about references from a incompetent bankrupt firm where you only worked for a matter of weeks?
Get references from your previous jobs.

OP, it’s unlikely anyone at the insolvent firm will write a reference (though you may get a standard “X worked here for 8 weeks” type reference as part of the redundancy) They sure won’t care what you did for your ex-students.

@SheilaFentiman my (ex now) boss will most definitely write me a reference, however if I was the only tutor (including my boss themselves!) refusing to help students I do not think that would help the opinion of me at all!

@senua I would rather have one from the most recent one (as well as previous roles). The fact they went insolvent is not my fault, nor any testament to my teaching or conduct while working.

@titchy I know you have. I didn't say you hadn't at any point-in fact I think I just thanked you?

@HewasH2O what advice have I ignored?

The advice to stop work, stop talking to students and wait for the administrator to arrange collection of your laptop. You have absolutely no responsibility to place these students with alternative providers. You could be causing more problems than you are resolving.

Do you honestly think that your former colleagues are not scrabbling around trying to find new roles themselves whilst you are focusing on other things?

I know what my colleagues are doing, we've had several meetings(one just last night) and we have a group chat where we're sharing information to help the students, we're all doing the same thing.

I have taken the advice regarding the laptop and I've shared this with the other tutors. I have no shared any money/administration-related advice with the students either.