Mature students- How did you survive?!

[Wigglywagglyworm]

My dh needs to do a full time degree (no part time options). I’ve worked out that the max maintainence loan he can have is 8k. We have a mortgage and a child. The loan is just not enough (I earn 27k). We would lose his 21k salary and it’s not the kind of course where part time work is doable. I have read he might be entitled to another grant of 1k but I am so stressed out about it as that won’t help hugely either.

I want him to study and improve his working life. I want to support him financially and have a career. We don’t have an expensive house or lifestyle but the loans will leave us short about £200 a month. Only a small amount in savings.

Am I missing something? I know of some mature students who are single mums and study full time...how?! Is there more help out there than I can see?

If it comes to it he will try to do part time work but I don’t want this to kill him off and for him to fail his degree.

Is there anyone out there who has done this and managed to have some kind of balance? Any advice?

Thanks

I did a full time three year degree and then a PGCE 15 years ago. At the time I was married and had a toddler. My husband (at the time) had a reasonably paid job but nothing special so basically, it was really tight for money. Don't underestimate the cost for books and materials - they will specify certain texts needed and these are nearly always a lot of money. I spent hundreds on books over the course of the 4 years in total. I also worked a bit during the summer (degree semesters normally end in May and don't start until October).

It is tough and to be honest, was tough on my marriage (not the reason it ended but it didn't help!). I basically spent lots of evenings studying which I loved, but afterwards I went into teaching and the evening work never stopped!

However, I'm a glutton for punishment - am now nearly through an MA whilst working 60 plus hours a week.

It isn’t really the right time for us as a family no...but he is only 33 and only having one child is straight forward for us. We have been through such awful shit together I’m certain we will get through this.

Backforgood- so full time was full time contact hours? We’ve had differing things from the uni...50% contact time by the admissions team and “full time all week” from other sources. I suspect it is 50% spread over 5days but dh work would support morning/afternoon shifts and is in the same city...

Therewillbetime- I did my pgce as a mature student but no kids! Can’t imagine with kids!

I imagine it’s ok some of the year then more stressful when deadlines approach etc but I am pleased to hear that working is at least doable!

Yes, I do remember having a couple of wobbly moments during term-time where I felt like I was flat out with deadlines and had no time for anything except studying, but that was only the odd week or two. Most of the time I found it really manageable, although I’m sure it’s different for each course.

Is it an undergrad course where some of his fellow students will only be 18 or so? If so, then I think the first year or so would be an absolute doddle for a mature student, time-wise. I look back on my undergrad years and even the ‘incredibly busy’ science students (who had far more lectures than us lazy artsy types ) really had plenty of spare time on their hands!

It's worth asking at the uni / keeping an eye on their job board - there is often part-time work for students eg basic admin, library shelving, call centre fundraising, SU bar/events stuff etc available.

Yes it is a normal degree with 18year olds! Yes I imagine the first year will be easier, just looking at the modules tells us that year 3 is much scarier Good idea about jobs at the uni, I remember they did mention something about that now!

Get on the student room website and find current students at that uni doing that course and ask how much they are actually on campus.

I know plenty of degrees where at open days the prospective students are told it's a full time course, etc but actually you're in for less time.

It's partly because technically it is a full time course so students are supposed to be doing self directed study if they're not actually in uni. It also protects against any moaning if there is a week where they have to be in every day. Nobody can turn round and say "you said we'd only be in class 3 days a week".

I did my first Master's degree as a single mom (one was a new born). I was also an immigrant from outside the EU through the point based system so not entitled to benefits of any kind. This also meant I could be on on mat leave for only about 4 months. Marriage had broken down so no husband or any other family for support.

How did I survive?

• I had some savings before the course which didn't last very long
• It was a 'full-time' course but lecture days were only 2 days a week so my employers allowed me to work 3 days a week and the other 2 days project based. So, I still carried on working.
• Kids had to go to nursery - it cost around 1k per month
• I took a data entry job that was work from home and did that during the night along with night feeds and normal mom duties to enable me pay for nursery fees.

No idea how I did it really!

Your husband has it easy with all the support from you and loans he can get. Are you able to support the family on your own? I would say that as there is a family to support, he should ensure that the course will enable him get a well paid job at the end of it. Now is not the time to do a course just because he likes it!

Good luck :-)

Sorry if this has already been posted but some universities have bursaries, childcare grants, hardship grants and extra funding available for small groups ie son of a clergyman, mining family. Good luck.

Check with your council before you assume you'll get the student council tax discount. I don't get it because my council has an income threshold for it and Mr Elbows earns above it.

I did it as a single mum and then did an MSc. It was tight but student discounts, working p/t and being thrifty we managed. The university will have access to hardship funding if you are genuinely in need. The university will probably run a job shop my uni employed students in all sorts of positions including lab demonstraters and in the library.

I don't want to put you off, but have you checked that he would be able to get the job he wants (or be able to work up to that job) with just a BSc? Biological sciences is a competitive field and all my friends in the field have gone on to do masters / PhDs to get the jobs they want (ie beyond lab technician). If he is only interested in lab work then he should be fine, but most lab technician's roles are based around routine checking and are therefore quite repetitive.

It might be that a future employer would fund a masters and if he is a good student he should be able to get an industrially funded PhD if required. I think the average PhD salary is around £18k py (tax free!) but it depends on the uni. My OH did an engineering PhD funded by industry and that was 21k py tax free. So having to do a PhD isn't necessarily a bad thing financially but would mean an extra 3-4 yrs of intense study (science PhDs are often funded for 3 years and then you end up spending a year writing up in the evenings after work)

Thank you all, so much helpful advice. He definitely needs to investigate more which job he wants to achieve at the end of it. Either way he will need to do an access course before any degree!

Well, dh was on campus from just before 9 - 5, but he did his a couple of decades ago, and hours seem to be a lot fewer nowadays. Also, his University was in another city so he wouldn't have been able to pop home if he had spare hours in the day.

I am a lone parent on a full time degree course.
I'm not gonna lie, it's hard. Money is tight and trying to be a good student and a good parent is tough. Inevitably something slips through the cracks.

I wish him luck. As hard as it is it will be worth it in the long term.