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Need Back to Education Allowance - but I'm currently self-employed - advice needed.

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  • 07-07-2016 10:53am
    #1
    tomhenryford
    Registered Users Posts: 421 ✭✭


    Hi there,

    Yesterday morning I was offered my first choice of a Mature Entry Nursing place but now I don't know what to do financially. There are two parts to my query below:

    Part One:

    I was on JA for 12 months before becoming self-employed and got a Back to Work Enterprise allowance approved. I am currently 14 months into the 24 months of this scheme.

    I cannot afford to go back to college without the Back to Education Allowance.I understand that my time spent on Back to Work Enterprise Allowance contributes towards the qualifying period but do I need to transfer back onto Jobseekers Allowance in August to be eligible to apply for BTEA or do I just need to establish via a case officer that I am entitled to JA without actually going back on it and switch directly from BTWEA to BTEA.

    Part Two:

    If I was approved for BTEA, could I continue working part-time as a self-employed person or is part-time work only allowed if you're a paid employee (PAYE as opposed to self-employed).

    I really need to clarify both of these things before I accept the offer. I have read through the information on the DSP website but it's dated June 2014 so I'm not sure if it's valid. I also emailed Citizens Information and used the contact form on the DSP wesbite but both responses just re-quoted the information on the website and didn't answer either of my queries above.

    And I really, really don't want to contact my local office as I just absolute hate dealing with them unless I absolutely have to. I'd much rather have my information gathered before approaching them.

    Any help is much appreciated.
    Thank you.


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    #2
    Samp21
    Registered Users Posts: 35 ✭Samp21


    If I were you I'd accept the offer and get the form for BTEA in now. At least that way you're covering your bases. I picked up a form today for myself, it's called BTE1. I can't post links here, but if you google it you can download the form online, might save you a trip into the social welfare office. The only thing they asked me to include with it was a letter from the college to say I was accepted. All advise I've been given is to get it in now so they can process it, and the worst they can say is no.


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    #3
    tomhenryford
    Registered Users Posts: 421 ✭✭tomhenryford


    Samp21 wrote: »
    If I were you I'd accept the offer and get the form for BTEA in now. At least that way you're covering your bases. I picked up a form today for myself, it's called BTE1. I can't post links here, but if you google it you can download the form online, might save you a trip into the social welfare office. The only thing they asked me to include with it was a letter from the college to say I was accepted. All advise I've been given is to get it in now so they can process it, and the worst they can say is no.

    Thanks, I'll get the form and go through it, just don't really want to send it in yet without knowing where I stand.


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    #4
    Samp21
    Registered Users Posts: 35 ✭Samp21


    I was self-employed until August of last year, before moving on to JA. The last few weeks of being self-employment, I had little to no income. When I met with a case officer afterwards to go on to JA, she told me I should have come in sooner. She told me because I was earning so little, I could have gotten a partial social welfare payment while still self-employed. So depending on what you're earning as self-employed, you may be entitled to some kind of payment.

    I can only give you my advice and opinion based on my experiences, I am in no way qualified to advise you on social welfare payments. I think from the sounds of it though, you're going to have to bite the bullet go into the social welfare office.

    And now for my 2 cents. I think maybe too that if you're going to college forget about working. I know having less money adds a financial strain, but it's only 4 years, they'll fly by. It'll be tough, but it’s manageable. I imagine nursing will be tough enough without the stress of sacrificing study time for work. I know I have no intentions of working while going for my degree. I’m going to go to college, getting the best possible results I can, and enjoying it. This is just advice I've gotten from multiple friends who have been to college as mature students and a career guidance counsellor I met with before applying to college, they all said the same thing. It might not suit you, but I just thought I’d share it.


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