3rd Level Student - Benefits during Summer Break

Pshan

My Son is currently on his summer break from uni, he cant get work in fact he cant even get his CV accepted, is there any SW benefit that he might be entitled to?

snubbleste

No.

Nickibaby*

No unfortunately not

Xiney

Students who are in the midst of their studies and on break for the summer are not eligible for jobseekers' benefits or allowance.

He might be able to apply for a payment from his university's student hardship fund.

wicklowgal

Yes we are!!! I just signed on today! My situation is basically I'm a full time student all year round, I'm working only part time for the summer so I'm entitled to a little bit of a jobseeker's allowance. However, because I am still living at home, this has to be means tested on my parents income. And the outcome of that will depend on how much I get per week.

However, has ur son had a job before?? He will need to have worked before and paid prsi in order to be eligible for some allowance.

Get your son to go down to the local doel office and enquire about it, it may be worth his while.

Xiney

job seeker's allowance doesn't take prsi contributions into account.

are you sure they're aware that you're returning to classes in September?

Pshan

Son never worked before and is returning to education after the summer.

Thanks for all your replies.

wicklowgal

Yeah they know I'm going into my final year in September so they know I'll only be receiving the payments for the summer. I needed to get a letter from my college to say when I had finished up and when I would be going back. They took my past earnings into account for definate anyway, they said my past wages satisfied the criteria.

zoey

wicklowgal wrote: »

Yeah they know I'm going into my final year in September so they know I'll only be receiving the payments for the summer. I needed to get a letter from my college to say when I had finished up and when I would be going back. They took my past earnings into account for definate anyway, they said my past wages satisfied the criteria.

Hi wicklowgal I'm in the same situation as you but it looks very unlikely that I'm going to get anything.

You said you are working parttime at the minute. If you don't mind me asking were you working during college aswell?
I was working 1 day at the weekend during college and they can only offer me the same now but the dole office said that because I'm not making any less now than I have in the previous 13 weeks I'm entitled to nothing- I have over a full years stamps to claim off like!

LadyMayBelle

This whole thing has me well confused. AFAIK, students who are in full time education and who are returning to college in September are entitled to ZERO (which sucks massively).

How did you get your college to give you a letter and what did it say? I'm guessing it would need to say something like "X is no longer studying with this college" for you to claim anything?

If I was for example to go to the social welfare tomorrow, what should i bring then, and have other people experience of definitely getting the dole while a student?

zoey

LadyPennyworth wrote: »

How did you get your college to give you a letter and what did it say? I'm guessing it would need to say something like "X is no longer studying with this college" for you to claim anything?

If I was for example to go to the social welfare tomorrow, what should i bring then, and have other people experience of definitely getting the dole while a student?

I applied for it as I had worked a year before i started college so I thought I might have been elligible to claim off my stamps.
They requested a letter from the college stating when my last exam was and the date I would be returning. I posted all the forms off today but it looks very unlikely that I will get anything.

pandamoanium

I find this very odd aswell, when I was going to college I never heard of anyone getting the Dole during the summer we all had to find jobs.

I too was always under the impression that receiving the dole whilst in education was a big no-no as you were still in full time education.

Has this recently changed?

I know that BTEA students can claim the dole during the summer holidays but not "regular" students AFAIK

LadyMayBelle

According to a poster on this thread it is doable if you receive a maintenance grant...http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055575680&page=3

Xiney

I have not been able to find ANYTHING on the citizens information website or the social welfare website corroborating the claims that the PP made in regards to students receiving the dole.

Additionally, my husband had the maintenance grant while in college and he didn't get the dole during the summer.

LadyMayBelle

From the SW website:

JA Disqualification - course of study
The legislation also provides that a person shall be disqualified from receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance while attending a course of study (including school/college holiday periods), except in such circumstances as may be prescribed. The exceptions to this disqualifications are :

(a)persons aged 21 years or over who have been in receipt of JA/ JB for at least 6 months and who are participating in approved courses of education, training or development (as per above), and

(b)mature students, i.e. persons over 23 years of age on or before 1st January in the year in which the course of study commences.
Deciding Officers should note that disqualification while attending a course of study is completely separate from the availability condition. As mature students are exempted from this disqualification, they may be entitled to Jobseeker's Allowance during the summer holiday periods if they satisfy the availability condition in the normal way.


Reference: http://www.welfare.ie/EN/OperationalGuidelines/Pages/ja_jobseekall.aspx

wicklowgal

zoey wrote: »

Hi wicklowgal I'm in the same situation as you but it looks very unlikely that I'm going to get anything.

You said you are working parttime at the minute. If you don't mind me asking were you working during college aswell?
I was working 1 day at the weekend during college and they can only offer me the same now but the dole office said that because I'm not making any less now than I have in the previous 13 weeks I'm entitled to nothing- I have over a full years stamps to claim off like!

Yeah I worked 1 day a week during the college year. The letter I got from my college just said I had been a student there since 2006 and was expected to return for my final year in Sept. 2009. I explained my situation to the SW officer and he told me that I was entitled to part JA. This has to yet be means tested as I still live at home (which may entitle me to nothing as my parents collectively may earn above the threshold), however I'm still going to see if I am entitled to something. I don't get a maintenance grant during the year as they're from the council and I don't qualify.

I made it totally clear that I was a full time student and that I was only enquiring as to whether I was entitled to anything for over the Summer as I had only been given 3 days work. (I also stated that I was available for a full time job and was still looking - which I am). He said that if I had lost a day or 2 employment per week that I would be entitled to JB, with no means test.

I understand that previous posters are implying I am not entitled to part JA but I am merely relaying what I've been told in the Social Welfare office, I haven't done anything wrong.

To any students out there who want to know whether they are entitled to anything, enquire at your local SW office. However, you have to be able to PROVE you are still looking for work (which I did). I have worked part time since I was 15 and have sufficient SW credits over the years - this is also a requirement too as I have never made a claim.

As well as that, you have to be able to prove that you are not claiming any other SW payments, or that anyone else is claiming SW payments for you.

wicklowgal

LadyPennyworth wrote: »

This whole thing has me well confused. AFAIK, students who are in full time education and who are returning to college in September are entitled to ZERO (which sucks massively).

How did you get your college to give you a letter and what did it say? I'm guessing it would need to say something like "X is no longer studying with this college" for you to claim anything?

If I was for example to go to the social welfare tomorrow, what should i bring then, and have other people experience of definitely getting the dole while a student?

It's not the dole, it's only Jobseeker's Allowance which is only part dole. The letter my college sent says that I finished my third year at the end of May and that I would be expected to commence my final year in September 2009 (this is exactly what the SW officer requested!)

You need to fill out a jobseeker's benefit/allowance form first, you need I.D, your birth cert, proof you are still looking for work (letters from various companies saying you applied for work there), a letter from your college (stating what I said above), and a letter from your current employer stating your working hours.

LadyMayBelle

Brilliant, did just that today, it's great! thx