Paying for courses at college when earning are too high!

[bignose]

My friend and her partner have low earnings so they claim benefits.
My friend has just started college doing hairdressing and its all funded AND she has received grants for petrol,uniform etc.
She's been given something like £500 cash maybe more not sure.
A little while ago we spoke about earnings and it emerged that we both have the same hosehold income(this inc my husbands wage).We added up benefits and work income.
I really wanted to go to college to do a computer course and it costs around £300 ish.
It came to me booking on to the course and I just couldnt find that sort of money spare so Iv not been able to do it.
I cant help feeling annoyed that my friend has been able to go and better herself whilst I sit at home skint!!
I have no qualifications and have no way of getting them because my husband earns just abit too much to get support or grants etc.
Im angry.Why is it like this!

Have you looked into Open University courses? They have goof financial assistace. Also, are there any Adult Learning courses at your Sure Start centre, just to get you started.
I have similar issues on my mind so I know how you feel. Sometimes things seem very unfair.
HTH

Yes thank you its just very maddening.

Same problem here bignose. I have just paid about £270 to do a computer course to improve my employment possibilities. I found that of all the people on the course I was the only one paying. Finding the money has been a struggle for us and it does seem unfair that while I'm there trying to increase my employment prospects I'm surrounded by people who have either been sent there by the job centre and don't bother turning up or do no work when they are there or just fancied something to do on a wednesday afternoon.
This happens in a lot of situations for us. For example dd wanted to learn an instrument as part of a music program running at her school. If we got certain benefits we didn't have to pay but because we were just over the threshold we would have had to pay about £150 a term which we don't have.
Don't misunderstand me I don't begrudge people on benefits getting this help. It just makes me wonder why dh and I go to work because in real terms we would be no worse off when you take into account all the things we'd get free if we didn't. There was a thread on here where someone listed the benefits she got as a single parent of 3 dcs and she actually had very nearly as much coming in as we do. Plus in her situation my dd could have had her music lessons and I wouldn't have to pay for my computer course. I don't believe that the extra income we have coming in equates to the value of the things we would get free if we earned a bit less.

there has to be a cut off point.. why feel angry at your friend? that is mean spirited. can you save up? borrow the money? negotiate a payment plan with the college? see if a non means tested grant or funding is available? instead of being cross she is doing a course ,find a way to do it too!

or would you rather she remained on benefits and low earnings?

I do feel your frustration, I recently enquired about doing an NVQ to apply for a job in maternity care, but it would have cost me £500. which i don;t have at the mo, but i will sort it out.

Sorry my last post makes me sound a bit anti people on benefits which I'm most definately not. I receive carers allowance myself because my ds has a disability. Sadly they don't consider carers allowance for free college places
I have nearly finished the course I'm on and I've been offered a place on another higher level course which I would love to do but it costs £500 and I can't find that kind of money on top of what I've already spent.

Can you do an ecdl course which costs about £50 ? Most colleges do it on an open learning basis.

Whats an ecdl course LIZS please?
Sorry I should of said Im not angry at my friend personally.Its just the way it all is as very well explained by kiddiz.

why do you go to work then?

claim benefits

ecdl - basically a course you can do as and when you can covering a variety of IT skills and packages. It can take place at college or anywhere with an IT suite within the community so may be worth seeing where there is one being run locally to you. If you are a SAHM you may find back to work type courses which include IT being run at subsidised rates or even free by educational charities or in libraries.

I dont go to work myself well I do partime but thats such low earnings.Its my dh job.He loves it.

If my dh just gave up work voluntarily we couldnt claim anyway and it would just be the wrong thing to do surely?!

It was similar when I went to uni - I paid the whole fees etc, despite being a single mother, because I lived with my parents. However, my friend's parents were divorced but both were really well off & he didn't pay any fees.

To be honest I'm not really that bothered about it, but the system sometimes does seem a bit crazy, especially as we both ended up earning a similar wage at the end of it.

It may be different now though.

I'm in the same situation bignose. I had to pay for my course whilst all the others were sent by the jobcentre. Not that I mind this because obviously they need to update their skills as much as I do.

It just riles me that I paid and couldn't afford to go to the xmas dinner last year and they didn't pay for the course and went on the xmas dinner

To add insult to injury, just at the time that I will be finishing college and looking for a job the government is proposing to offer employers £2500 to take a person off the dole queue or off benefits. Guess whose gonna get the job. Not a SAHM returning to work.