Single Mum, back to full time uni?

[hylb686]

Hello,

I have been having some serious thoughts about what to do with myself. I am currently a Housing Officer and I am getting really fed up of the housing sector. I am craving something different.
I am a single mum of 12yoDS and I will turn 39 next month.
I am renting at the moment and have a small amount of CC debt which I can clear in no time, but, I am seriously thinking of going to uni. I want to go into Social Work, which I know will be different but equally quite similar to what I am dealing with at the moment.

I don't want to have to move back to my parents house, but my rent is £750pcm just for reference. I need about £1400 a month to be able to pay all of my rent and utilities and I also have to feed the growing child.

Can someone give me a rough idea of what I would be looking at and if going to uni is something that I would be able to achieve?

I know I would probably need a little weekend job whilst I am studying which is fine but I just want some advice on whether it would be financially viable.

Thank you so much in advance :)

Have you contacted your local authority/social services to see if they are offering an apprenticeship programme. Due to the struggle in recruiting social workers this is an initiative many are looking at.

Hi

completly do-able but if you wanted to get into a vocational job, there are often paid apprenticeship routes to explore. For example if you have experience and/or a degree you could consider ‘think ahead’ fast track for social work, or have a look into nursing apprenticeships. Think again seems to have closed to applications for 2025 but it’s worth looking around / keeping an eye out for 2026. It’s a years fast track paid band 5 (nhs) and start on a good wage (band 6)

I work in mental health and have put a lot of people through varying apprenticeships - just need a decent manager and a good work ethic! Even if it’s not these routes there may be a good middle ground for you. That being said, 3 years will go by quickly. Occupational Therapy is also a nice route to go down (in my opinion a bit less stressful that nursing/social work)

It’s tough isn’t it because it’ll cost but you might increase your earning power. Great role modelling to go back and learn too. We need good social workers.

Sounds like you’re not currently in a position to easily pay for a degree and your living costs unless you can find funding or perhaps have parents who could loan you money. Have you read about social work degree apprenticeships? Might be a more affordable option if it works for you, as well as giving you early insights as to whether it is really what you want to do.

I am currently in my last few weeks of university and I am 37. It is totally possible to do but it's hard work and you need to be committed. You can apply for student finance which you will also get an lone parent element and maintenance loan to live on. You can also claim universal credit but it will be a reduced amount as your maintenance loan will class as income. (Don't get me started on how unfair that is when you have to pay back a maintenance loan). You would also have work commitments turned off during term time so you would be expected to look for work and attend appointments during the summer. There is a really useful facebook group for students who claim universal credit which explain it all if that is a route you want to go down.
For a social work degree you will be doing placements so with a child that is something to consider as you won't get school holidays off with placements and uni holidays are different to school holidays.

But it is possible, I am living proof. I can honestly say it has been the best thing I have ever done and I am so glad I made the choice to go to university.

Good luck xxx

I did exactly what you are proposing in 2017. Went to uni, full time, with a ~3yr old (was a single parent at the time). It was the BEST years of my life, categorically, hands down. Uni had a subsidised nursery, a gym, and uni feels easy when you're used to working. Don't have to worry where the rent is coming from. You're mature enough to appreciate the learning and experience.

You will also most likely be eligible for an enhanced Student Loan; mine was 9k a term or something, which meant I could keep my rented flat and pay childcare without worry. Not sure if that would be true with a 12yr old though.

I now make almost 200% more than what I made without my degree. The ONLY con of this plan, is the loan repayments. Mine are huge, and the interest means it will have to time out. But hey, at least I have better earnings 😅😫.

I’m 47, gone to college and just finishing intro to social work, accepted on to level 6:)
then need to do HNC and whatever else :)
im looking at more like family support than actual social work ….
6 kids, 4 SEN , youngest is 12 :)

Currently work in the same role as you, but was a SW (CP) for just over 10 years. I had to change due to my children being younger than yours and it wasn’t sustainable for me. Just wanted to say you may think they are similar roles because you have contact with each other regularly but they absolutely are not! SW was much more enjoyable (strangely despite the stress!) I never worked in adult social care so can only comment on children’s.

I done a full-time MA back when it was NHS funded rather than Student Finance England, but I still needed to work to afford rent/life (pre-kids). The last LA I worked for had Apprentice Social Worker roles which would absolutely be the best route to go down. The pay was just under £30k so not far from your current wage I imagine. There were a few in the team I worked in and I would have much preferred that route than an MA with nearly full time lessons in uni then 2x 100 day placements. You work as a social work assistant so can hold CiN cases and shadow on CP cases to learn, exactly as you would if you go down the university route ☺️

You’ll get about 10k student loan for the year, 2k top up for being a parent and just shy of 5k social work bursary. Plus any bursaries your university offers. Absolutely doable.

However you might need an access course in order to gain entry to the university, which is usually the trickier part financially. Have you looked into this?

Start off working as a social work assistant to make sure it’s what you want to do! They provide essential support to qualified social workers by assisting clients, managing administrative tasks, and ensuring effective service delivery. Going down this route you’re likely to get the chance to do an apprenticeship in SW which means you’re earning your full salary whilst training and no loans to payback. It also gives you a chance to see if it’s what you want to do as it’s a tough job.

Yep! Go for it OP.

It's hard but completely manageable. I went back to university as a single mum when my child was 18 months old, I also worked a professional job for 3 days a week. I was 22.

So, this is what got me thinking in the first instance. I didn't go great in maths at GCSE and I had a lengthy conversation with a lady from the council who has advised that Level 2 Functional skills in maths is the way forward and I can do it with Hull City Council for free (that starts tonight)
They haven't advised whether there will be another intake of the SW Apprenticeship but they think possibly March 26, so this course should put me on good ground to be able to apply for it. I am just not guaranteed to get on it, so was also thinking of other avenues. So I am also due to start the access to Social Care course at Hull Uni in September, which, luckily for me is an online evening course, so I shouldn't need any loans. :)

Fab! There is also a loan available for the fees for Access courses (I'm a careers adviser so can't help myself sharing info - sorry if you know this already!) and if you go on to complete a degree you don't have to pay it back,
I studied at Hull uni, met my husband there and now my son is in his second year! Love the campus there still!
www.accesstohe.ac.uk/about-access/about-the-diploma/fees-funding

So I'm in my 40s, went for career change but couldn't afford uni and went down social work apprenticeship route, hard work, but not debt and lots of vocational experience through it and went straight into a job at the end. I'm a year post qualifying now, no regrets, although social work is exhausting, stressful and I definitely have a lot of new grey hairs I wouldn't change it, and the route in was def worth it.
In my area I needed maths and English gcse and a certain number of UCAS points, so my alevels from the 1990s came in handy.
Good luck!

I’m 40 and just about to finish my first year of a social work degree. Single mum of two.

I get 14k student finance, I think around 4k of that is the parent grant that I don’t need to pay back. My SF comes in three chunks of around £4700 each time. One in September, one in January and one in April. I also get some UC. It is tight but do-able. You’ll be able to work part time around the course in year one, and then there is a bursary in years two and three. You also don’t pay council tax as a full time student which really helps.

Please feel free to message me if you need any advice but honestly, go for it. The time will pass anyway - the bigger picture is worth the struggle!