Leaving work to do Masters full time

froog

Hi all

so i'm thinking of leaving my full time job and going back to do a masters full time. probably crazy but it's what i really want to do.

anyway, i could probably just about afford fees but wouldn't be able to cover living expenses for the year. What kind of support am i eligible for here? I have been working full time for the last 5 years.

Annasopra

froog wrote: »

Hi all

so i'm thinking of leaving my full time job and going back to do a masters full time. probably crazy but it's what i really want to do.

anyway, i could probably just about afford fees but wouldn't be able to cover living expenses for the year. What kind of support am i eligible for here? I have been working full time for the last 5 years.

Not much that I am aware of

Maintenance grants have been abolished for postgrads. There will be fee grants though.

B: Fees and Maintenance Grants for new entrants to postgraduate studies

Students entering new postgraduate courses from the 2012-13 academic year onwards will not be entitled to any maintenance payment under the Student Grant scheme
However, students on the lowest level of income entering new postgraduate courses from the 2012-13 academic year who qualify for the special rate of grant will be eligible to qualify to have tuition fees paid up to the maximum fee limit under the Student Grant scheme
A limited number of other low-income students who would previously have qualified under the standard grant thresholds will qualify to have a €2,000 contribution made towards the costs of their fees. However, there will be a new income threshold for this payment which will be lower than the standard grant threshold. The income threshold for this level of grant is currently being determined in the context of the formulation of the student grant scheme for the 2012-13 year.

You might be able to claim a tax rebate on fees (If you can't claim yourself - someone else can claim it on your behalf)

http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/leaflets/it31.html