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Parenting

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Original poster

NHS Bursaries - are those people living in the real world??!!!

15 replies

belgianmama · 28/10/2006 00:19

OK I feel the need to have a rant at the NHS bursary people. I just found out that I'm getting ?242 for a WHOLE year !!!!!!!! How can they possibly expect a mature student with 2 young children, who'll need out of hours childcare because dh works away in London (and so we've also got 2 mortgages going), to pay for that childcare? What makes it worse is that last year I had more that 10x that amount and I was already struggling and that dh actually earns less this year than last year.
Also for anyone who's heard of the NHS now paying for childcare of students: well apparently my children are not my dependents and therefore I am entitled to ?0.0! WHO went through labour and gave birth to those children? WHO breastfed those children and cared for them since they were born? WHO takes time off work to when they're ill?? ME ME ME! Now if that doesn't make them my dependents what does!
OK ranting finished now, feeling much much better . Anyone else want to have a go?

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Chandra · 28/10/2006 00:23

You are getting £242 for a whole year???? I never got any economic support as a student mum.

Original poster

belgianmama · 28/10/2006 00:30

Really? Nothing at all? Poor you. Student nurses and midwives get a bursary, of some sorts.

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sallystrawberry · 28/10/2006 00:41

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MamaMaiasaura · 28/10/2006 01:37

Are you doing degree level?

I did advanced dip as automatically get non means tested bursary.

No they arent from this planet.. byut you can then top up your ad dip at the end of course to a degree and you would have had the bursary. (picked up my badge today.. yay - all done). Am now looking and studying social work as sod all jobs for part itme hours so might as well get even more qaulifications while i can.

frenchconnection · 28/10/2006 09:36

Belgianmuma, what course are you doing? this totally worries me, i am applying to do speech therapy and am RELYING on nhs bursary to see us through. have 2 kids like you so was hoping they would be generous? What do they say when you call them? there must be a mistake surely?
When i do the nhs calculator it says im entitled to £4000 a yr for having 2 kids!

Original poster

belgianmama · 28/10/2006 10:02

I'm doing midwifery. My uni doesn't have the diploma option, so I have to do degree level.
French, the calculation of £4,000 could be right as that is what I used to get. If your bursary will be means tested, it will be based on what your dh/dp earned the tax year before. If that is less than £22,561 a year he wont have to contribute at all. Check \link{http://www.nhsstudentgrants.co.uk} for more info.
The problem is that with us my dh does earn more than average, I accept that, however we do live in a very different circumstances than most people. He has a sea/port based job, which he simply cannot do from the midlands, where we live. Therefore we have sets of mortgages/utility bills to pay. Also I do not have my dh to help out with childcare for 9 days of the week, resulting in me having to pay for childcare to cover my shifts, i.e. out of normal nursery hours. This is not cheap and so our childcare bills are different from the average person too. We do have some relatives in the area, but all have their own children/problems and can only help out with childcare occasionally. Having explained all of this to the bursary people they've just ignored it. All they see is this figure, which is my dh's wage. They can't see the people/problems behind it.

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tiredemma · 28/10/2006 10:34

oooh, my fave topic. not.

Because of the pittance given out on a means-tested bursary ( and my Dp is NOT a massive wage earner) I have to work an extra 17 hours a week ON TOP of my studying.
To put it lightly - im struggling, im shattered, grouchy, and still broke.
So when I start my placement in 3 weeks, not only will be doing the 37.5 hours required of me, but will also be doing the added 17 hours just to keep our heads above water.

If you join the police force - your salary whilst training would be approx £20k

If you joined the Fire service your training salary would be approx £18k

If you train to be a nurse/midwife - your training salary is pennies.

what a piss take.

frenchconnection · 28/10/2006 10:42

Tiredemma, can i ask how much they give you a year? sorry, rude i know! just dont even know whether to apply for my course any more...its not nursing/midwifery its speech therapy. are you allowed to get student loans for your course??

frenchconnection · 28/10/2006 10:43

tiredemma · 28/10/2006 11:06

FC- my bursary obv goes on dp's income - so each is different. When I say it isnt much - it really isnt - I dont want to give full amount on here but I get less than £300 pcm - but I do get student loan.

I dont get any childcare allowance so have to work pt for £485 pcm- out of this is £398 for ds2's nursery and £90 for ds1 after school club.

Roll on next year when ds2 goes to school and my childcare bill drops, wont have to contemplate selling a kidney and/or one of the kids just to get through this course.

Stargazer · 28/10/2006 11:09

When I trained as a nurse - it was on the job (like in the police & fire service) and got a salary. Can't remember what it was (too long ago now), but at least it meant that I concentrated on the job - we had periods in school and most of the time was spent on the wards. Maybe it was better before. I certainly wouldn't train as a nurse now - still crap hours and even worse pay!!

Stargazer · 28/10/2006 11:09

Forgot to say - didn't complete the training - as discovered I didn't really like the job.

glitterfairy · 28/10/2006 11:12

It is quite pitiful and I really and truly sympathise. Nurses are different from all other professions and students in that they are often mature coming in with a level of debt already and child care needs on top. Also you have to pay travel costs to placements and the hours you work mean that often you cannot work on top as other students do. It is very wrong but I think the RCN has a campaign going on this very subject and there is a need for more work to be done by the unions and nurisng groups.

Original poster

belgianmama · 28/10/2006 11:39

Tiredemma, I so feel for you. I dont know how you can do it. I had some mummy classmates who did have a job in the beginning of the course, but they all had to stop the part time job (or quit the course ), because they just couldn't do it anymore: their uni work + children were suffering too much.
I dont get a student loan, because I'm European and hadn't applied for 'settled' status before I started my course. If anyone had told me that I needed that before I started the course or even that it existed, then I would have done that. But hey, to late now.

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MamaMaiasaura · 28/10/2006 12:26

Didnt realise you were doing midwifery belgianmum. I dont understand why they are means testing degree level tbh as surely if dip and ad dip arent means tested it should also apply to degree.

They do pay crap, I had no child care allowance due to dp wages but the basci mature student allowance was approx 560 a month. I also had my course exteneded by a month and they gave me an extra month. IT was tight financially and I am now job hunting for a part time posotiion, although there is not much about and may return to uni to study social work as well.

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