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Getting Fás to pay for courses

  • 03-08-2010 03:43PM
    #1
    Denerick
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6,488 ✭✭✭


    I'm thinking of doing the CELTA english language teaching course sometime this year. It costs around 1,500 euro and it lasts for four weeks. I was wondering how you go about getting Fás to fund this, as I've heard about people who managed to get either partial or full funding if they've been unemployed for a significant length of time.

    Apologies if this is the wrong forum for posting this, please move if in the wrong place.


Comments

  • #2
    Mervin J Minky
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 105 ✭✭Mervin J Minky


    I started a thread about this issue a few weeks ago (see here) and am finding it impossible getting a straight answer out of anyone in regards to securing the funds I need to do a course.

    Have you talked to your local FÁS Employment Service Officer yet? They will most likely offer you €500 for a course then show you the door but you never know if you don't ask.


  • #3
    Denerick
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6,488 ✭✭✭Denerick


    Mervin J Minky wrote: »
    I started a thread about this issue a few weeks ago (see here) and am finding it impossible getting a straight answer out of anyone in regards to securing the funds I need to do a course.

    Have you talked to your local FÁS Employment Service Officer yet? They will most likely offer you €500 for a course then show you the door but you never know if you don't ask.

    I did ask and didn't get a straight answer either!

    But I do know of people who have gotten funding out of Fás, so I assume there are a few bureaucratic hurdles one has to overcome before getting it.


  • #4
    Mervin J Minky
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 105 ✭✭Mervin J Minky


    It actually seems like FÁS are picking and choosing who they want to give this funding to for some reason. A former colleague of mine told me that his local FÁS office were very accommodating when he approached them in regards funding and they got him on a course with 80% paid by their grant without any hassle what so ever.

    I have been down with     FÁS three times already talking to different people and they have been very dismissive of me and are basically fobbing me off to the social welfare for funding even though it has nothing to do with them (I asked a few people in the SW who refereed me straight back to FÁS).

    I've even approached a few local TD's but haven't heard back from any of them. It's a total farse IMO.


  • #5
    Clauric
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 610 ✭✭✭Clauric


    The straight answer is that FAS will pay about €600 per person. This is assuming that you haven't got funding from them in the last 3 years or so, have been out of work for 6 months or more, the course can be shown to have a clear relation to getting back into the the workforce, and that it is recognised by FAS, FETAC/HETAC, HEA, or an approved industrial body (e.g. Microsoft training, IATA, PMII, etc)

    These were the rules as explained to me by FAS in Dun Laoghaire, and also the FAS WPP officer inspecting where I am doing a placement.


  • #6
    Oleander
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 462 ✭✭Oleander


    A few months ago, I tried to get funding from FAS for a course I wanted to do. I spoke to a FAS Employment Officer in Finglas, he said I had to be claiming some sort of social welfare payment (I'm not claiming anything but I have been unemployed for ages). It never used to be like that he said, but now FAS are on a tight budget! I spoke to another FAS guy and he said he would look into it and phone me back but he never did! Useless organisation!

    As the guy above said, the course has to be supported by FAS - HETAC/FETAC etc and if you do get funding, I believe you have to pay for the course upfront, and on completion of the course FAS will then refund you.

    I hope you get your funding - good luck.


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  • #7
    Mervin J Minky
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 105 ✭✭Mervin J Minky


    Lots of conflicting answers like I suspected.
    Clauric wrote: »
    The straight answer is that FAS will pay about €600 per person. This is assuming that you haven't got funding from them in the last 3 years or so, have been out of work for 6 months or more, the course can be shown to have a clear relation to getting back into the the workforce, and that it is recognised by FAS, FETAC/HETAC, HEA, or an approved industrial body (e.g. Microsoft training, IATA, PMII, etc)

    I was told by two FÁS Employment Service Officers in Bray that their absolute limit is €500 but that the SW can also provide €500 to bring the total to €1,000 and in extreme cases (homelessness, substance abuse, illiteracy, etc) the amount available for a course can be upto €2,500. But the stipulation is that I had to be refered to FÁS from the SW and this is where the breakdown in communication accrued as the SW claim that FÁS have total control over this scheme and the referrals were visa versa. This was pretty much backed up by my former work colleague who went into FÁS in Blanchardstown, told them what course that he wanted to do, they approved him there and then and setup a meeting with a Job Facilitator in SW to gain the total available funding and that was it.

    Also this former colleague that got funding for an IT course (that FÁS didn't provide training for) had only been on social welfare for 3 months and said that another guy on the course had been on the dole for 18 months and this was his second TESG in that time frame. Actually another poster on boards who PM'ed me from my last thread told me that he was in the process of securing another €1,000 for a follow up course to the one that he had previously got funding for.

    Obviously the rules might have changed but there is still no straight answer to this and IMO FÁS have done their level best to keep this scheme as quiet as possible as there is zero information on their website about it and they seem very dismissive if it an individual brings it to their attention.
    Oleander wrote:
    I believe you have to pay for the course upfront, and on completion of the course FAS will then refund you.

    I would be very surprised if this was true. The course that I am looking to do would cost me the equivalent of two months of my Job Seekers Allowance and like most people on SW I would not be in a position to pay for a course up front (hence looking for funds in the first place).


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