Stuck in limbo land with no income -unwell student

A question about : Stuck in limbo land with no income -unwell student

Basically I'm a suspended student on medical grounds. If I were to go back to full time study I'd find it very difficult indeed, and that's the problem.

the problem is because I'm a suspnded student, by law, that makes me a 'full time student'.

As I'm suspended I have no loan, no income from student sources.

Unfortuantely because I'm a full time student I'm unable to claim any benefit whatsoever, no income support, no job seekers allowance, although i'm hoping I can get housing benefit because of the fact that I'm apparently a 'full time student'.

So basically I have nothing to live on without a part time job, which I could cope with and am looking for in earnest.

I'm very lucky as I have a low rent in my student accommodation, don't have to pay water rates and share the gas and electric bill with 3 other students. thus with scrimping and saving on food I can just about get by on Ј200 a month.

trouble is I'm Ј1500 in debt to the banks. However I do have two overdrafts = Ј4000.

I'm fairly uneasy about this whole situation, I can't really go back to full time study because that would be the death of my degree. I'd get the shittest degree ever trust me, I just wouldn't be able to handle the full time study. Make no mistake I'm very academic though and would normally do very well indeed, this is really besides the point though, basically going back to uni full time simply isn't possible for at least 6months.

this is a very difficult situation. As I have no income and must find a job quickly but on top of that I have the uncertainty of losing a job and being left with nothing again. !

Given all of this I've wondered whether it might be a good idea to become a part time student. I'm at the late stages of my first degree and must compelte one year more. Would being a part time student offer me the possibility of certain benefits? I'd intend on working part time and doing study. Don't ask me why I think I can cope with this, but I think it woulc actually be very healthy for me indeed. Whereas being a full time student just isn't possible.

Thanks

Best answers:

• Just to add i don't think my doctor would let me go back full time incase you're wondering and in order to go back full time I'd require something from him in writing.
  Apparently the only way I'd be entitled to anything would be if my university said I was suspended with no chance of going back. The department of work and pensions don't seem to understand the definition of 'suspended'.
  Quote:
• Hi,
  First of all I don't understand the term "suspended" either. You won't be the first person this has happened to so I would suggest getting in touch with the Students Union and asking them what other students have done in this situation.
  I also don't know who's telling you that you can't go back and finish your degree at any stage later. I was under the impression that each stage counted as so many points or whatever towards a degree and that you can take them whenever you want. This also needs clarifying.
  Is there a person at college ("pastoral care person" or something like that) that you can discuss this with?
  It sounds to me that you'd be better off leaving, ie, at the end of this term and not accepting any more loan money (assuming that you get this termly). Surely they can keep a place for you to start again at a later date and surely this means you are not a student meanwhile and so can claim benefit.
  If you really think that you can cope with being a part time student though, have a word with the relevant person about the posibilities now.
  If you leave the course you can put in a claim for Incapacity Benefit and put in a claim for Income Support at the same time. That is unless you would be seen to be fit for work, in which case, Jobseekers.
  If you are in a student house, you have to look out for Council Tax. A house occupied fully by students is exempt from paying council tax, I'm not sure what would happen if one was working.
  You could also go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau for advice, they could advise you re benefits and whether they think you'd be entitled and the rest of your situation. They can also tell you the best way to handle your debt situation and negotiate on your behalf if necessary to do with any of this (and clarify Council Tax situation). I don't know what the situation is regarding Housing Benefit - you can ask them this too. It would be better to see them re your overall situation as they will have all the information to hand.
  First though you have to speak to someone in college about the possibilities and decide what you want to do next. Getting a job over the next couple of weeks is going to be difficult.
  Let us know how you get on.
  P.S. You could also put in a letter of complaint to your Jobcentre about the way you were treated.
  Re your question whether you'd get any benefits if you were part time - assuming this still involves a loan of some description it depends what element of that loan counts towards living expenses. I would guess that the loan plus part time work would take you over benefit levels. (But this needs checking.)
• Thank you greatly for your replyI'm sorry I haven't explained the situation properly. I shall also pop down to CAB
  Quote:
• just wondering if it would be possible for you to move back in with your parents for a bit until you were better?
  full-time students aren't, I don't think, usually eligible to claim HB so that might need clarifying.
• Lastly I'm no stranger to work. !I worked most summers full time fmo the age of 13 I even worked 23 hours a week in a part time job during parts of my A level.
  Sorry wrote this then read your reply. I'm afraid I'm a totally independent person as of last year. Comes at the worst time too. My parents can't really put me up, it's abit of a tricky situation, besides I have a tenency agreement for the rest of this academic year.
  yeh full time students aren't allowed to recieved HB they simply hand in their letter of registration and don't have to pay anything. Trouble is by law as a suspended student I'm a full time student, but as I'm a suspended student I didn't register for the academic year so I can't give them that letter.
• As you appear to have been ill for some time and expect to be too ill for further study for some time in the future it occurs to me that you may be considered a "Disabled Student"you are a student who has been ill and incapable of work for a period of not less than 196 days in which case both an Income Support and an HB claim will be viable. Have a word with CLSDIRECT
  It might also be worth posting your query to Welfare Rightsnet
  I have modified this post to include a link to IS20 - A guide to Income Support (IS20 Apr 2004) which will give you more details of the criteria for being classed as a "Disabled Student" You will however be required to submit to and meet the threshold of a Personal Capability Assessment. You will get an idea by using the calculator here
• Hey hum,
  Is there anything on THIS SITE - soon.org.uk that is of use?
  As far as I see it you MUST get HELP from someone who can work this all out for you. There is plenty of help available, please don't be disheartened. It is too complicated to sort out through websites as there's more than one issue and you need to be sure of correct information and you need to sort it out urgently.
  Going to the CAB is a good idea. Speaking to someone at college is a good idea. Why not print this post and take it with you to CAB?
  This is how I see your situation from what you have said (sorry if I have misunderstood any of it and it will all need checking)-
  1) STUDENT?
  You are not a student. You didn't register. You need a letter from college to confirm your position. Get someone with some authority to help you get this letter. They shouldn't be keeping you waiting like this.
  2) BENEFITS?
  As you are not a student you can claim benefits. It depends on your present situation which benefits you can get. You can get info by following Ted's links and/or from CAB re which benefits. As Ted suggests, it does appear that you could be entitled to a sickness or disability benefit as your medical condition is ongoing.
  3) ACCOMMODATION?
  You don't see yourself returning to full time education during this academic year. You need to establish where you stand with the landlord if you stay in the accommodation. He might not want you to stay if you aren't a student. SHELTER can help you if you end up with nowhere to live.
  4)COUNCIL TAX?
  As you are not a student you should be paying Council Tax. You might qualify for Council Tax Benefit. They might want CTax paying from the end of the last academic year so you could owe from then. If you are able to stay in the accommocation you need to be sure what your situation is. It may be possible to pass your tenancy over to someone else - you need to ask the landlord if either of these is possible. Check your tenancy agreement and take it with you to CAB.
  5) DEBT
  Again, you need to know where you stand with your finances and CAB can help you sort this out.
  6) OTHER
  There is no urgency to complete the course right now, you can return to education at any time in the future. If as you say you would normally do well academically, you are unlikely to have a problem getting on a course when you are ready for it.
  Once you have spoken to CAB and someone at college you will have a weight lifted as you will know exactly where you stand. Please let us know how you are getting on. If there's any more questions we can help you with then post again.
  Good luck and hope you get it sorted out soon.
  Fran
• Thank you for all the advice and information sources.
  I have made an appointment with my local CAB for next wednesday to try and get this sorted. I'll also be making an appointment with student services.
  I will find the next thing out from student services and my LEA, but offhand does anyone know what a part-time student is entitled to?
  I'm aware that in order to claim JSA, a part time student must be available for work full time and put 40hour work way above his studies, so much so that he must give them up in certain cicumstances. Given this I will try to claim DLA and look to income support for my current circumstances.
  As far as tenency goes, I have a very good landlord, thank God. I doubt he'd want to kick me out once he discovers that I'm going to have to try and claim housing benefit. The thought of going into a Shelter does send a few shivers down my spine and helps me to appreciate the urgency of this situation.
  Fundementally though I would really just like a part time job. It's hard to explain why but this would be really good for my health. I can't believe how hard I'm finding it just to get that. I'm abit restricted during some days but I've followed a number of routes to no avail. It's crazy as I worked every summer from the ages of 13-19 in various jobs and in a rural area yet now, in a city, with a load of qualifications and a load of experience I can't even get a job at Tescos {:-~
  I can probbably cope with part time hours and have been looking in earnest of late. I'm concerned this may make DLA impossible which puts me in another difficult position. hence I'm hoping part-time student status can save me. Lastly the DLA online test was sucessful but was quite close.
• > I can probbably cope with part time hours and have been looking in earnest of late. I'm concerned this may make DLA impossible which puts me in another difficult position. hence I'm hoping part-time student status can save me. Lastly the DLA online test was sucessful but was quite close.
  Although there are DLA self-assessment tests online I suspect you are confusing Disability Living Allowance with the online calculator I linked to that would enable you to know if you were likely to meet the threshold necessary to be regarded as unfit for work. This test was called the All Work Test but is now called the Personal Capability assessment because as well as providing a report to your Incapacity Benefit/Income Support Decision Maker the report also details your work related abilities which will be available to a Disability Employment adviser as it is becoming policy for all people regardless of their disabilities to be encouraged to work whereever possible.
  I would not want anyone to be confused by your paragraph above which implies that work and DLA are incompatible. Disability Living Allowance is available to all who meet the criteria irrespective of the work they do or not. There are many people with DLA awards who work full time either from a wheelchair or with adaptations to the work environment. See the help provided by Access to Work The only complication which may arise is when someone with DLA wishes to do some work which appears incompatible with the claims they made when applying for the benefit. Common sense would tell anyone including a DLA Decision Maker that the occupation of Window Cleaner was not compatible with claims of being virtually unable to walk. But providing a clear logical explanation can be given of the way the work has been modified or adapted to enable someone with that claimed level of disability to accomplish it then it looks as if it will increasingly become standard practice for those with severe disablement to be expected to work.
• Thank you, that's is very helpful clarification.