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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WIBU to go on benefits to study a Masters degree?

200 replies

mummypiggg · 03/07/2020 22:18

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..

OP posts:
Original poster
mummypiggg · 04/07/2020 00:06

I'm not on any benefits at the moment but am in a UC area

OP posts:
Original poster
mummypiggg · 04/07/2020 00:10

@LilBlackLab Grinyou clearly don't live where I live, there are about 5 people on my road that go to work

OP posts:
Babyroobs · 04/07/2020 00:14

@mummypiggg

I'm not on any benefits at the moment but am in a UC area
Ok so any maintenance loan available to you is mainly deducted pound for pound from any Uc you would be entitled to. grants such as those for childcare are disregarded as is any loans for paying tuition fees. I think they also disregard £110 a month for books and travel etc. I'm not sure how funding for masters works though or whether it is different to an undergraduate degree.
Babyroobs · 04/07/2020 00:16

@LilBlackLab

Can you just choose to ‘go on benefits’? I didn’t think you could
If you have a good enough reason to give up work ( and I'm guessing becoming a full time student is one of those) then yes you can. However as I've explained above Uc is not great for students as student loan is deducted unlike on Tax credits where you can get the tax credits and all the student loan too.
MummytoCSJH · 04/07/2020 00:16

People here have no idea what they are talking about. I'm a student on UC. You can claim benefits whilst studying but only in specific circumstances - being a lone parent is one of them - hence why some people like @questionablemouse will have looked into it and not been eligible in the past. Bare in mind they will calculate your standard allowance, your child allowance, your housing allowance and minus your student finance pound for pound from that. They calculate the amount by dividing your finance by 8 (term time months), disregarding an allowance of £110 per month and then minusing that remaining monthly finance amount pound for pound from your UC entitlements Oct-May. I'm not sure if it's the same in regards to childcare for post-grad but I get a percentage of my childcare fees paid by SFE, so worth looking into.

Thegenderbreadperson · 04/07/2020 00:18

If you already work for social care, don’t they offer career development with funded courses / apprenticeships? My local authority does as they are crying out for social workers.

Original poster
mummypiggg · 04/07/2020 00:20

@MummytoCSJH @Babyroobs Thankyou so much, really helpful information.

OP posts:
Original poster
mummypiggg · 04/07/2020 00:24

@Thegenderbreadperson I don't work for the local authority, so although I work closely with social workers and know the job very well, I would still need the qualification regardless.

As it is, my job is much more difficult in a lot of ways and is more hands on with the young people (which can also be dangerous at times) yet I'm paid £9.50 per hour and as a social worker I would start at around £20 so I really think it would be worth it

OP posts:
MummytoCSJH · 04/07/2020 00:28

It's certainly tricky - when I was trying to work out if I could afford to go to uni all dwp kept telling me was that they couldn't do any calculations until I was actually in that position, not even if I gave them specific numbers from SFE. I had to wait until I was potentially in a position I couldn't afford to find out whether I could afford to do it or not, at which point I'd already owe money Hmm it's not clear at all. If you need any extra info OP on my experience and dealing with it whilst being a student feel free to PM me. I'm on the app so might not reply straight away as I only check if I get an email but I will be here!

Babyroobs · 04/07/2020 00:31

Also perhaps the student welfare department of the Uni you are interested in applying to may be able to help you work out entitlement, or CAB.

Leobynature · 04/07/2020 00:31

I say go for it! It’s one bloody year. You will be able to provide a better future for you and your child afterwards and you will contribute more long term to the tax payer.

Thegenderbreadperson · 04/07/2020 00:32

I guess social workers get paid more as they hold the accountability. Wouldn’t you get a student loan? I was a single mum on benefits when I did my professionally related degree. They stopped benefits as I wasn’t available to work, but then I worked for 16 hours a week so I could claim tax credits - I am not up to date on UC but it may be the same? You could work from home or be self employed as long as it’s 16 hours a week?

Tigerty · 04/07/2020 00:32

I was fortunate to get a bursary with my masters. DH left before the course started DCs 7&4 at the time. I had part time work when I started the course but frankly doing that, being a lone parent and the course was too much.

I wasn’t in a UC area but I did receive child tax credits etc benefits which meant I could survive fine without working. Make sure who you get your utilities from is in the warm homes scheme and apply for that too.

I used childminders as wraparound care on
Placements. It was hard at times but worked out ok. I was able to claim the childcare hours back too. That might have been part of the bursary, best to ask the university for advice on that one.

ArriettyJones · 04/07/2020 00:33

@SuckingDieselFella

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

You wouldn't be spending much time with 'DD' if you did.

What on earth are you talking about @SuckingDieselFella ?

OP isn’t proposing to commit fraud.

user327253 · 04/07/2020 00:50

Anyone who thinks it is immoral and selfish for a single parent of an infant (under a year old, and no required to even be seeking work if on film time benefits!) to seek financial support to become a social worker is absolutely deluded. You go ahead OP, and good for you. Some people are absolutely clueless.

SuckingDieselFella · 04/07/2020 00:54

If she claims to be available for work then she is committing an offence.

And she is also immoral and selfish. If she isn't available for work she should get a postgraduate loan like anybody else.

Spare me the outrage.

Original poster
mummypiggg · 04/07/2020 01:00

@SuckingDieselFella why would I claim to be available for work? I would be doing a postgraduate degree with work placements.

I would be getting a loan. The loan would not cover my rent.

I'm 23 and still have lots of time to pay back into the system. In theory I could not work or study and would be eligible for full benefits so it's not as though I'm a scrounger, just trying to make a life for myself

OP posts:
ArriettyJones · 04/07/2020 01:00

@SuckingDieselFella

If she claims to be available for work then she is committing an offence.

And she is also immoral and selfish. If she isn't available for work she should get a postgraduate loan like anybody else.

Spare me the outrage.

Her daughter is nine months old. She won’t be expected to be available for work yet.

She is talking about a small amount of UC IN ADDITION TO postgraduate loan, to enable her to meet her rent. Nothing immoral about that, if it will give the country another qualified Social Worker and lift OP off the breadline.

Try reading the words.

(And you’re the only one sounding outraged.)

ArriettyJones · 04/07/2020 01:01

X post.

It sounds like a great plan OP. Ignore the blue rinse, Tory wives brigade.

Original poster
mummypiggg · 04/07/2020 01:03

Thanks for all your replies. I have decided that I'm going to apply for the course now Grin

Have a lot of research to do regarding bursaries/funding but I'm going to take the first step and apply now!

OP posts:
ArriettyJones · 04/07/2020 01:08

Good luck.

Sparticuscaticus · 04/07/2020 01:13

[quote mummypiggg]@Thegenderbreadperson I don't work for the local authority, so although I work closely with social workers and know the job very well, I would still need the qualification regardless.

As it is, my job is much more difficult in a lot of ways and is more hands on with the young people (which can also be dangerous at times) yet I'm paid £9.50 per hour and as a social worker I would start at around £20 so I really think it would be worth it [/quote]
Social workers in LA and the variety of youth workers who do hands on work do a very different roles. Unless you're planning on finding a role as a qualified worker in voluntary sector that pays better with your social work qualification?

For other PPs, the social work masters is a conversion course, like PGCE is for teachers who have a different (and a subject) bachelors degree, that qualifies you- although all LA social workers then have AYSE to do once qualified to show competence in practice as newly qualified SW (like a probationer). I'm surprised you can find a one year MSW course OP, they usually are 2 years as you need to do two placements the second of which is 6 months.

Also UC is for those who are actively seeking and are available to work so what you need is a maintenance loan. As well as tuition fee loan. Try using Turn2Ud website to see what you'd be eligible for as you may find it doesn't entitle you to any benefits when it's not an undergrad degree, but having a young baby may affect your eligibility positively. By the time you get on a course (given we are July already and application deadlines passed for Autumn 2020 admission) DBaby will be another 15 months older by start of course 2021.

For the other PP who talked about NHS funding or bursery, social work is not NHS funded training. It is social care, so unless you already work for an NHS service who happen to be in a specialist area and happen to have some type of career loan that they'd want a qualified SW in, that they feel they want to find a social care qualification rather than health qualification, well.... I just can't imagine what that's be that'd be.

Sparticuscaticus · 04/07/2020 01:14

I meant Turn2Us

benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/AboutYou

ArriettyJones · 04/07/2020 01:17

Also UC is for those who are actively seeking and are available to work

Wrong. It also replaced Income Support, ESA, Tax Credits and other payments.

so what you need is a maintenance loan. As well as tuition fee loan.

Also wrong. Masters Loans are one payment of approx £11k that is supposed to contribute to both tuition and living expenses but isn’t differentiated between the two. Thankfully OP clearly knows this but you shouldn’t fill the boards with incorrect advice.

JoyFreeCake · 04/07/2020 01:17

I've been getting ESA the whole time I've been a student :-/ Seems weird but who am I to say no?

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