Swapping degrees, both parents as students - it's all go round our way - advice needed!

[TippytheTipsyTurkeychick]

Hi all

I can't believe I forgot about this section . I'm hoping for some sage and educated advice please...

I'm doing the Early Childhood Studies foundation degree and hate hate hate it. I thought it would be a good route into Primary teaching but I can't get engaged with it at all. I'm not even sure I want to teach to be honest and I'm sure as eggses that I don't want to work with EY children!
I'm in my first year so my plan is to drop a few modules, keep the study skills and enough easy ones to get me through the rest of the year and start again from scratch on an English degree in September. Does that mean that my grant/loan will run out a year early? Does anyone know how many modules I need to do to remain full time for the rest of this year? I've given up my job so I need the loan to keep coming...Will I have to repay anything from this year straight awayif I swap degrees?

My second question involves my partner. We're getting back together after a year apart (10 years together before that) and will be living with our 2yo daughter in a HA house. He wants to retrain, has to for health reasons really, and wants to do a degree as well. Anybody know what we can claim as a two student family? Will we get housing benefit and any top up like tax credits or IS? I've tried the entitled to websites etc but they're no good for students.

Sorry for the brain picking,my college are less than no help in these things, my tutor will get very snotty when I say I want to transfer so I want to know what I need to do and the Student Finance helpline makes me lose the will to live

If you drop subjects then you will not be eligible for the student loan as you will be part time. You can have the loan/grant for 4 years as far as I am aware because they give you a year's grace incase you've made a mistake. If you have had a grant for the whole year you may be asked to repay the remainder, however, I think they are paid in installments, one in September, one in Jan, one in April? You need to do 12 units (??) to qualify as full time so I would be tempted to finish the year and gain the experience and essay writing skills that this will offer.

As a 2 student house, you can get housing benefit, won't pay council tax and can get funds from the access to learning fund from the uni/college if you need to. Be aware that there may be 2 student loans to repay if you are both doing degrees.

Have you been to student services?

It may mean you have to work hard to complete first year by end of this year and make up next year as foundation degree loans are usually 2 years oly speak to local educationauthority to clafy you can then have a loan for the next degree (unless rules have changed) repayment when you earn over £15K so unless you change from full to part time no repayments due. Speak to college welfare officer about changing.

It's a degree run by the local FE college as a partnership to the nearest University so welfare officers etc are not great. Advice often contradicts other departments in the college or I'm just referred to national helplines etc. who are generally not good at "what ifs".

I do plan on only dropping two units, the two that are workbased or involve placements as that would just be wasting everyone's time. So I think I'll still be OK for this year, it's just a question of making the payments for the next three - I was planning on topping up the foundation degree at some stage if not right away into a BA Hons.

Thanks for the advice

Could you drop them and pick up an independant study?

PlanB,I've been speaking to another lecturer (not on that degree) who thinks that as we don't have assessed work until May ish to hand in then I might be able to swap now and catch up. As long as I pass year 1, even if I just scrape in at 40% then I'm OK as the marks don't count towards the final degree.
Off to find the course leader first thing and see how I do, will let you know

Good luck!