Am I likely to be eligible for a scholarship or bursary?

[ZennorCalling]

I am looking to do a Masters in Political Theory/Political and Social Theory from Sept 2015. I am near the end of my penultimate year of an OU degree. My current grades are very high (consistently getting 95) and I hope to get a First next year. I have several years worth of work experience, some of which spent in middle management of a large international NGO. I am also active in my local constituency as a member of a political party. However, my grades at school were not great - As and Bs at GCSE, CCE at A'Level.

I am currently a SAHM so could would need a scholarship or bursary to afford the fees charged by the more prestigious universities. I have, of course, read all the official information I can find regarding the necessary processes, but would really appreciate some informal guidance from those in the know... what are universities looking for when deciding whether to award funding?

(My longer-term aim would be to do a PhD - if I can figure out how to fit in with kids etc - then teach. Perhaps return to NGO further down the line)

Thanks

There are very few bursaries for stand-alone Masters in social sciences.

At my university, when we have them, we award them on the basis of the undergraduate results. We are not interested in anything prior to that.

If you know you want to do a PhD, you might be better looking for 1+3 funding (Masters plus PhD), you would need to have a PhD proposal.

But do have a look at the many threads discussing getting academic jobs. Having a PhD is no guarantee you will get a post teaching.

I don't want to rain on your parade OP but my older two are both doing stand alone masters next year and we haven't been able to find funding for either of them - it's not at all an easy find, I'm afraid.

I appreciate your responses, thank you. I am a long time lurker on these boards so am aware of the difficulties involved in finding a teaching post after completing a PhD.

Courses in the £6k region are just about affordable, but the £15-30k programmes are well out of my reach financially. Yet these institutions seem to have the most scholarships etc listed. It is encouraging to read that school results are not seen as too important.

My current tutor has suggested the 1+3 route. While I certainly haven't dismissed it entirely, I am worried about making such a commitment when my children are all so small. A part-time Masters feels doable. Drafting a research proposal feels scary! Although I have very clear areas of interest, I am also aware that there is so much I am yet to cover (as a simple example, my UG studies to date have not included a sustained study of Marx and Hegel, though they are constantly in the background). How do I pin down my research area when there is so much I haven't covered that may end up being of greater interest? My current tutor doesn't see this as a problem ("you will never feel as if you know enough" were his words) but I'm not sure.

Most research councils now don't fund stand-alone Masters. Some universities offer bursaries. But your status in life etc etc is irrelevant. We'd be looking for results.

Thank you Upthechimney