WIBU to go on benefits to study a Masters degree?

[mummypiggg]

I'm currently working a job I absolutely love (social care related) but even at the highest level would not be able to ever live comfortably or buy a house. I can literally cover rent and bills/food and I'm left with about £50 a month if I'm lucky. I know many people live like this but it doesn't feel like much of a life, and I'd love to be able to save for a rainy day.

I did look at starting a masters after finishing my BSC but was really excited to get into work and received an offer a week after submitting my dissertation.

I'm now a single mum with no financial or childcare support from DD's dad. I have no desire to meet anybody until my DD (9 months) is a little older and would like to set us up for a better future assuming we'll be alone if that makes sense.

The trouble is, the course I want to do includes work placements, and there's no way I'd be able to work the weekends or evenings as I wouldn't be able to get regular childcare and it would be the only time I'd get to spend time with DD.

In one way I feel that I'd be unfairly using the system, but on the other hand I think it would only be for a short time (I can complete the course in a year) and would pretty much completely change our lives. Would like to get some opinions before I make a decision..

Why are posters saying the masters will not be eligible for student finance?

The course costs £5000 and the maximum loan is £10,607 so after the course I'd have £5,607 to live on.

I'm in a UC area and have no idea how it works but I don't think I'd be able to claim tax credits. My rent for the year is £15000 (SE London) so without benefits would be impossible to do. I haven't made any decisions yet and will also obviously depend on whether I would even be able to claim?

@Lougle

The government site says "When working out your Universal Credit, any loan amount that is intended to cover tuition fees and other costs of study will be excluded.", so if the OP just got a tuition fee loan, none of that would be taken into account for UC and she could use all of it to pay her fees.

She won't get separate maintenance loan - the PG loan is a flat rate, hence the flat UC disregard.

Could you look at OU courses? That way you could work as well as do your course.

@Moondust001 it's not that I don't expect him to, but if he was paying he would almost certainly use this as a way to get back into our lives and my sanity is worth more than £30 a month .

The course costs £5000 and the maximum loan is £10,607 so after the course I'd have £5,607 to live on.

Your UC income will be reduced by a third of the loan, so you won't really have £5607 to live on.

@Moondust001 it's not that I don't expect him to, but if he was paying he would almost certainly use this as a way to get back into our lives and my sanity is worth more than £30 a month .

The person who said it's a criminal offence is talking nonsense. As a single parent of a 9 month old you can go on benefits and you are not required to look for work until your child turns 2. You will have to attend work focused interviews when your child turns 1 though.

I'm not entirely sure how it works with a masters degree though as the loan might be means tested.

Why are posters saying the masters will not be eligible for student finance?

@healththrowawayx

I was under the impression that the government don’t offer loans for masters level? Maybe I’m wrong but I thought the fees had to be paid upfront and there was no loans available?

@titchy thanks, I will have to look into it a bit more. I meant I'll have that to live on without benefits

Some of these replies are ridiculous, how dare you try and better yours and your child’s life! Don’t you know that if you aren’t born rich you aren’t allowed to make decent money.

My friend did a masters in social work and I’m sure she got a decent bursary that helped with childcare. I think you should contact the uni and ask them about and additional help they can offer, and I know it’s not ideal but I think some banks do student overdrafts which would be a little bit of a back up. Please don’t give up on this opportunity because of people being unnecessarily judgemental.

A masters loan is different to a 1st degree loan for benefits . With a first degree loan, your tuition fee is paid direct to uni and so if not counted as income. Only the party that is paid directly to you is classed as income. But with a masters, it's all paid to you and then you pay Your fees..... and your fee money is classed as income. So you get just over £10k and spend £5 on feed it didn't matter to the dwp our tax man. It's still classed as income.

A masters loan is different to a 1st degree loan for benefits . With a first degree loan, your tuition fee is paid direct to uni and so if not counted as income. Only the party that is paid directly to you is classed as income. But with a masters, it's all paid to you and then you pay Your fees..... and your fee money is classed as income. So you get just over £10k and spend £5 on feed it didn't matter to the dwp our tax man. It's still classed as income.

Have you considered Open University post grad social work? If you are working for a local authority for example, you can work at the same time as studying but your employer needs to support your study and placements. There are also social work apprenticeships that might be suitable.

It's a criminal offence and you could go to jail.

Way over-dramatic. It is absolutely not a criminal offence to make a benefit claim being honest about your circumstances! It's only illegal to make a fraudulent claim.

As others have mentioned, I'm not sure much benefits funding is available for students. You'd be looking rather at student funding, which is typically loans.

How will you pass the course if you can't do the placements needed?

If so the masters and claim whatever you're entitled to while doing it,you'd pay it back I in tax over time.

Just to add, if you have decent credit then you can get private masters funding from the bank and only start to repay it once qualified. Definitely worth looking into if you are sure you will get a job. Also apply for every single bursary and award going.... a friend of mine got 4k extra by applying to lots of different charities and the like. Some awards where just £1-200 and the biggest was £1200

If so= I'd do

@Babesinthewud

*Why are posters saying the masters will not be eligible for student finance?*

@healththrowawayx

I was under the impression that the government don’t offer loans for masters level? Maybe I’m wrong but I thought the fees had to be paid upfront and there was no loans available?

@Babesinthewud I think that might be outdated information? I’m in my early 20s and recently graduated, some of my friends are going on to do a masters - they certainly can’t afford to pay up front.

www.gov.uk/masters-loan/eligibility

By looking at this link I can’t see a reference to blanket no funding for masters. With OP’s specific course, she may not be eligible for a
postgrad loan but may be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan instead.

I’m starting a masters in social work too and my little girl is 9 months old! 2 year course though.
You won’t be able to claim UC during your course, but might be worth speaking to someone at your local job centre about what you could claim; working tax credits, childcare credits, ESA etc.
Are you attending a university or is it an OU course? Speak with your uni finance team, they will be able to help. You can apply for a bursary through the NHS business services as well as applying for help with childcare costs; you and the provider fills in some info, including costs and the NHS business will contribute towards the overall cost.
If you’ve got any disability or illness you can also apply for funding through NHS business services.
Good luck with it all!

Thanks for all your helpful replies, it's something I have been wanting to do for a while now, and finance is the only thing stopping me. I'm going to have a look at bursary's now - feeling much more positive

I dont think you are being unreasonable or selfish - you are trying to create a better life for you and your child, and as you day, will pay back more on taxes. There may be additional financial help you can get, good luck :)

@healththrowawayx

Yeah perhaps your right. It does seem rubbish that people want to better themselves but there’s no funding.

I think I looked at it a few years back but thought how am I supposed to do that if you can’t get loans etc

Hopefully they have changed it

When I was doing my Master's we applied for UC because we were told by our midwife that we had to register for Child Tax Credits or our son wouldn't get a national insurance number (sounds like bollocks to me but who knows). Our UC application was denied fully and totally because, as a student, we were not entitled to anything at all from UC. We could only get Child Benefit because it's on a separate system. They said, very clearly to us, that as a Master's student you're not entitled to any Universal Credit payments - as an undergraduate student, you can get some elements but not for a Master's.
Might be different but this was only a year ago so I doubt it's changed that much. We were entitled to the Master's loan, Child Benefit and the Council Tax reduction - nothing else at all.