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Back to education grant denied. Any advice

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  • 24-09-2010 1:07am
    #1
    Cunning Alias
    Registered Users Posts: 782 ✭✭✭


    Hi im trying to do a bit of research on behalf of my girlfriend.

    She got into a massively competitive course and started last week as a mature student. She has been on the dole for a while as her degree is pretty much useless in the current climate.

    She got a letter back yesterday saying that she didn't get the grant due to the fact that she has a degree at the same level.

    She is going to get the lecturers to give her a letter or two for the appeal. Also the new course results in 3 awards: fetac, trinity guilds and another one (might have got them wrong, but there are 3), so she should be able to argue that it is advancing her education.

    Anybody have any advice on on anything else she could add?

    It all seems a bit mental to me. If she has been on the dole and is changing to the back to education, she would still be getting the same amount of money off them. I would have thought the government would want a trained person out earning proper money and paying tax in the end as opposed to someone on the dole or earning minimum wage.


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    #2
    donegal11
    Closed Accounts Posts: 689 ✭✭✭donegal11


    As your girlfriend already has a degree she wouldn't be entitled to BTEA for a fetac course which is no where near the same standard as a degree. You may argue that the course will help your girlfriend get a job but the term progression means a higher qualification, cert-(ord)degree-(hons)degree-masters.This is to stop people going on an educational merry go round at the expense of the state.

    Its hard to see how when the decision is made how they would change their minds. If you where just short of the days required i would say contact a TD to help but in this case your girlfriend is not entitled to it and no amount of letters from TD's or college staff is going to change that.

    The fact that her college course leaves her unavailable for work (minimum wage or not ) means she wouldn't be entitled to the dole. Unfortunately the only way she would receive any funding to do a course would be to do a fas course or do a part-time course in which she could claim social welfare on the availability for work criteria.


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    #3
    Doop
    Registered Users Posts: 1,470 ✭✭✭Doop


    donegal11 wrote: »
    Its hard to see how when the decision is made they would change their minds. If you where just short of the days required i would say contact a TD to help but in this case your girlfriend is not entitled to and no amount of letters from TD's or college staff is going to change that

    Sorry to hi-jack but have you heard of anyone doing this with any sucess? I was seriously considering writing a letter after being denied for not being on the dole long enough, and am really struggling financialy.. already!


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    #4
    Annasopra
    Registered Users Posts: 41,062 ✭✭✭✭Annasopra


    Doop wrote: »
    Sorry to hi-jack but have you heard of anyone doing this with any sucess? I was seriously considering writing a letter after being denied for not being on the dole long enough, and am really struggling financialy.. already!

    It might help

    It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.

    Terry Pratchet



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    #5
    Cunning Alias
    Registered Users Posts: 782 ✭✭✭Cunning Alias


    Thanks for the info. Il pass it on.

    If she has any luck I will post how she got on.


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    #6
    Giggernaut
    Registered Users Posts: 221 ✭✭Giggernaut


    I'm in then same boat I was refused the btea on the grounds that I already had a degree greater than that of the course I was applying for. I went to my social welfare office and after speaking to three ladies I was advised to appeal. I had already explained that I had a general degree in business and that I was applying for the cache course in classroom assistant to gain some classroom experience before applying as a mature student to one of the teaching colleges in persuit of a post grad.

    I asked her what additional material they required for the appeal as per letter as I had already included everything in my initial application. I had a letter from my class tutor emphasising the benefits of the course and I had a solictor write me a character reference as well as my lease agreement.. She said all I should do is write down a few lines and pop it into the post box before four,which I did.

    Anyway I received a letter on the tuesday saying no,so I went to my local social welfare officer and was told he couldnt help me out as I was suspended on the system. I was getting fustrated I told him the state was telling me to give college up , go back on the dole and on top of that I'll be applying for rent allowance because I signed a lease on an apartment costing the state even more. He shrugged and said he hated telling people the dole was their only option.

    Im now three weeks without dole, in arrears on rent and electricity all because Im trying to continue the course but with none of my cv's catching the attention I've given myself till next monday thats when I'll call time on college and go back to the black dog!

    Rant over


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