Page 6 | To set up a crowd fund to pay for my post graduate degree?

Spiceupyourlife1989 · 2021-08-19T22:42:51+00:00

I don’t have the funds to pay it and am currently living on a low income, topped up by universal credit. I know the post grad loans are £11,500 or thereabouts, but that’s to pay for course fees AND to live on [sad] without help, I won’t be able to do it. I want to improve my job prospects, specifically for my toddler son, who I don’t want to end up going without, particularly when he starts school.

alphabetspagetti · 20/08/2021 08:13

You say that you currently work part time as a TA. Does your DC qualify for the free 30 nursery hours? When are they starting school?
It seems me that you should have spare time in your week as you're working fewer hours that DC is in childcare so could you either gain some voluntary experience during that or take on a second paid role which may increase your income? I imagine the voluntary experience will be easier to achieve.
If your current part time role in a school means that you're working 10-2 each day which would make it hard for you to fit in voluntary experience/a second job could you ask the school to restructure your working hours to free up a block of time? This may be impossible depending on how the school works but they may try & achieve it if they understand why you're asking for it.
Alternatively, quit your current very low paid role and apply for a better paid role, even if it's just for a couple of years with an aim of saving enough to fund this course.

Seymour5 · 20/08/2021 08:14

Old fashioned perhaps, but I think once you have decided to have a child you have to support him or her. Once you are earning, then consider your options. I wouldn’t contribute.

Original poster

Spiceupyourlife1989 · 20/08/2021 08:14

I just feel really stuck.
I don’t want to work in schools anymore, but there doesn’t seem to be anything else open to me without qualifications AND experience. I’ve applied for a couple of jobs in mental health - charities mostly and I tried the sure start centre, but despite my experience with children and my degree, I didn’t have the ‘relevant’ experience in mental health that they were looking for.

OP posts:

Teach234 · 20/08/2021 08:14

I would look carefully at play therapy. I know a few people who have completed the qualification looking to move out of education, social work etc.
They are really struggling to earn full time as a play therapist and are adding to their experience doing it part time or after their normal job.

DeathStare · 20/08/2021 08:17

@Spiceupyourlife1989

I just feel really stuck. I don’t want to work in schools anymore, but there doesn’t seem to be anything else open to me without qualifications AND experience. I’ve applied for a couple of jobs in mental health - charities mostly and I tried the sure start centre, but despite my experience with children and my degree, I didn’t have the ‘relevant’ experience in mental health that they were looking for.

Try social work.

JuliaBlackberry · 20/08/2021 08:17

You can try but I certainly wouldn't donate. I would love to do a master's to improve my career and my kids lives, as do so many women. But it's not a financial priority for my family so I can't. I wouldn't dream of crowd funding, if I really wanted to do it I'd take a private loan. If I saw it I'd think you were a bit of a CF but that doesn't stop you trying.

SpeakingFranglais · 20/08/2021 08:19

An NHS play therapist seems to be band 4, I’m pretty sure you could get that salary with your current degree. It also says on the NHS that you only need a level 3 qualification in childcare.

I know not all jobs are in the NHS but it doesn’t seem like the job will pay anything like what you could already achieve.

Grimacingfrog · 20/08/2021 08:19

I think you'd be better off doing a child and adolescent therapy course part time. You could probably find one that would be only one day a week. It might take you a couple of years but that would be worth it. Once you've got the qualification, your skills which be highly in demand in private practice to supplement any job you might get in schools as there are far fewer child therapists than adult therapists.

Once you're on a course, you can much more easily get a placement while continuing to work a few days a week as a TA or in other school roles.

girlmom21 · 20/08/2021 08:19

Would you consider a job in a completely unrelated field where you could work full time and earn more, therefore supporting your child more easily and being able to save towards a Masters - if that's really what you want to do? It appears your current qualification and experience just won't get you the income you want, so you potentially need to sacrifice the field for the money.

notthemum · 20/08/2021 08:21

@Alternative perspective
This exactly.
Also OP. I would have loved to have gone to university but was told at age 11 that as soon as I was old enough to leave school then that was what would be happening.

I have spent my life working in low paid care jobs . I now have no permanent home and no job because of my disabilities.

Play therapy jobs appear on line, you just need to look. Don't always need experience so
If you already have a degree, transfer it over . Then work, like the rest of the population who are able to. But honestly begging for money when you've already had your shot shot is abhorrent.

MrsTulipTattsyrup · 20/08/2021 08:24

@MaliceOrgan

Good luck but I can't imagine you will get many people wanting to contribute (especially given how many people are struggling financially right now). I did my MA part time (over 2 years instead of 1) and just kept working FT so that I could pay for it myself. Yes it was hard - financially and workload-wise but it was worth it. Would you consider doing yours part time while working?

I was going to post something very like this. Many postgrad courses can be taken full or part time. I took mine while working, having been there for a few years, and work even paid half my tuition costs and let me have the three hours a week teaching time off, because the skills I gained meant I could be more valuable to the organisation.

You should be able to get a decent enough job as a graduate that you aren’t on a low income. Brutally, if your degree and skills haven’t enabled you to work at a higher level than you are, you need to question how you’d cope with a Masters degree, and be really sure that it’s only the lack of a postgrad qualification which is stopping you earning more.

Good, relevant work experience is often more valuable to employers than highly qualified but inexperienced (or inexperienced in the field) candidates.

OldTurtleNewShell · 20/08/2021 08:25

I honestly don't get why people are so bothered by the OP considering trying to crowdfund for this. No one is obliged to donate if they don't want to.
As for having a low income with a degree, that does happen and pretty often. A degree doesn't guarantee you a high paying job.

x2boys · 20/08/2021 08:25

@Bagamoyo1

Am I missing something here? Why should other people pay for your further education? Can I crowd fund for a shiny new car?

Well yes, I doubt t many people will donate, but anyone can set up a crowdfunding page.

GoWalkabout · 20/08/2021 08:32

Be wary - I know play therapy is rarely funded in camhs services these days (it should be). Maybe there's more roles in the sectors you are in? For instance I know lots of highly qualified arts psychotherapists but they get 'bitty' contracts for 8 hours here, 4 hours there - well paid hourly rate but not substantial nhs or social care posts with security. I presume that you have done your research and know there's plenty of secure roles? Its not cheap enough to be attractive to service commissioners and not empirically supported enough (though evidence reviews are generally positive) to make it an essential part of services. I would get myself into a large SEN school build my skills and make myself indispensable and then find a good training route from there.

MrsTulipTattsyrup · 20/08/2021 08:32

@OldTurtleNewShell

I honestly don't get why people are so bothered by the OP considering trying to crowdfund for this. No one is obliged to donate if they don't want to. As for having a low income with a degree, that does happen and pretty often. A degree doesn't guarantee you a high paying job.

You’re right it doesn’t guarantee a high-paying job, but it should lift you clear of the need for benefits.

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 20/08/2021 08:33

Well, you’ve got one degree, started and left a postgraduate course and want to work with children, but not in schools.

I really dislike the fact that you’ve said a PGCE is your only option. You’ve tried it once and left it. You don’t want to teach and it’s unfair to any future class you might have, if you regard it as a last resort. Schools and children deserve better.

You’re right, you’re cheeky and entitled and you need to start saving and maybe getting another job to supplement your income. There are shortages in lots of areas at the moment.

HeadNorth · 20/08/2021 08:33

What about going into mental health nursing? There is a bursary. One of mine is doing mental health nursing and a student on the course already has a degree in psychology - couln't get a job so went back to qualify as a metal health nurse. You would be pretty much guaranteed a job when you qualify, although the ones with children are harder to get.

LaMagdalena · 20/08/2021 08:34

@OldTurtleNewShell

I honestly don't get why people are so bothered by the OP considering trying to crowdfund for this. No one is obliged to donate if they don't want to. As for having a low income with a degree, that does happen and pretty often. A degree doesn't guarantee you a high paying job.

I agree. Someone up thread just called it 'abhorrent'

, which is a bit strong. I wouldn't donate to someone who did this but I wouldn't get so worked up about it either.

I'm also confused about why people are saying that you should be able to get a higher wage as a graduate - I doubt that there are that many high paying jobs in this country to go around.

slashlover · 20/08/2021 08:34

I'm currently studying for my degree part time with the OU. I'm planning to do my masters with them too so I can continue working. It will take me either 2 or 2 1/2 years instead of 1 (depending on which course I pick).

LannieDuck · 20/08/2021 08:36

For funding - have you looked at charitable grants? When I did my MSc, I found a huge book of Charitable and Grant-making bodies in the careers library. You have to select those which are relevant (some aim to give grants to women, others to fields of mental health etc), then send letters to all of them.

I probably sent off a hundred letters (!) so a bit of an outlay in stamps and envelopes, but I got 5-10 positive responses. Some gave me £100, others £1500. It was enough (at the time) to mostly cover my course fees.

MsFogi · 20/08/2021 08:36

Well if you're the sort of person who regularly goes out to your friends and family asking them to contribute to the cost of your life choices eg raising money for your kids to go on holidays to exotic locations dressed up as "working/raising money for charity" go for it. Hopefully your friends and family won't feel obliged to contribute (although I fear people often do feel they have to do so), I certainly wouldn't.

Thisbastardcomputer · 20/08/2021 08:38

I wouldn't contribute I'd say you were a CF, especially if you sent family and friends a link to your page.

A gardener who did a bit of work for us, it was a bit of work and mostly spent his time either talking or puffing on a vape. He wasn't in the best shape and health, his girlfriend tagged loads of us customers by Facebook messenger to gofundme and didn't get a single penny.

Howshouldibehave · 20/08/2021 08:40

@Thisbastardcomputer

I wouldn't contribute I'd say you were a CF, especially if you sent family and friends a link to your page.

A gardener who did a bit of work for us, it was a bit of work and mostly spent his time either talking or puffing on a vape. He wasn't in the best shape and health, his girlfriend tagged loads of us customers by Facebook messenger to gofundme and didn't get a single penny.

What did he want the funding for?!

Lockdownbear · 20/08/2021 08:40

I'm also confused about why people are saying that you should be able to get a higher wage as a graduate - I doubt that there are that many high paying jobs in this country to go around

At which point, doing a degree is pointless. The whole point of doing a degree is to get better job opportunities.

JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn · 20/08/2021 08:40

@Spiceupyourlife1989 it's a bit of a cheeky ask as there are plenty of people who'd love to study but can't afford it. But go for it... what have you got to lose?

Another thought if employers are looking for experience, why not set up something at the school you work at? There must be kids there who'd benefit from play therapy? Or offer at a local private school? Set something up yourself to get the experience you need. Employers can only be impressed that you do it yourself.