To do a masters...any grants available

Reflector

hey guys,
hoping someone can help me, I'm hoping to go back and do a masters, probably in 2010.
Anyway I am 30 years old, male and have worked in my area (science) for last 6 years and have good experience. I've been meaning to go back but always put it off as I hated college and my life really turned around since I left. I still am lucky enough to have a job but really want to further myself. I've seen a course which is full time so only one year.

So my question is as I would have to give up work is there any help out there for someone wanting to go back into full time education in the form of grants. The chances are that I will not have my job by then anyway. I dont live at home and would have to pay rent for the year.
Anyone with any experience in this area their advice would be greatly appreciated.

asho123

Hi,

I'm pretty much in the same boat as yourself. I have just completed my degree as a mature student and have an offer of a masters. I worked part-time while doing my degree but I don't think that will be feasable doing the masters. My only hope is to go and talk nice to the bank manager and the student loans company.

I know that there are grants and studentships available from the colleges, but they are only if you are doing your masters/phd through research. My own experience is that there is very little out there in the way of grants for taught masters.

sorry:(

paperclip2

The Higher Education Grant from the County Council is available for full-time post-grad courses of not less than 1 years duration in an approved third level provider, (college, Uni, IT etc).

To be grant eligible you need to be assessed on your income for the last full tax year prior to the start of your course. If you start the course in 2010 you will be assessed on income from 1st Jan 2009 to 31st Dec 2009. Income from your spouse or partner and your parents, if you live in the family home, will also be included.

The income limit for the full rate of grant in 2009 was €39,760. The limit for 2010 has not yet been made available. Last year it was mid-july before it was published.

The current full rate of grant is €3420 paid over the duration of your course.

If your income for 2009 is above the income limits you can still apply for the grant citing a change in circumstances as you are no longer going to be working. It may be accepted, it may not.

More info here: http://www.laois.ie/media/Media,4940,en.doc

Social Welfare Assistance
The BTEA payment from Social Welfare is only available for post grad courses up to H.Dip or Postgrad certificate level, not Masters. So you would probably need to work part-time to have a weekly income.

giveliberty

asho123 wrote: »

Hi,

I know that there are grants and studentships available from the colleges, but they are only if you are doing your masters/phd through research. My own experience is that there is very little out there in the way of grants for taught masters.

sorry:(

Asho123 is basically on the money. The state sees anything after a level 8 your own choice. If you were still working you may get your employer to pay for it, but you mentioned that you could be unemployed soon, so that may be a non-starter.

The banks are still lending for post-grad study. Several friends of mine recently secured loans for masters programmes.

National Irish Bank have an interesting loan scheme that will give you up to €300 per month over three years, that is repayable 5 years after the first monthly stipend to you. You may want to consider this.

Don't know how you would fair for the maintenance grant either, as I don't know what your earning were.

Only other option is to get let go in your job, stay on Jobseekers Allowance for 9 months and pray you qualify for the back to education allowance - mind you i'm not sure if you can apply for BTA for a masters.

Fretz

Hi all, I've just joined. I have just completed a degree in UL as a mature student. I am continueing on to a masters and yes, I have been told that I can apply for a for the back to education allowance. It has to be an approved course though.
One other thing you could try is your 'jobs facilitator' at your local social welfare office. They can be quite helpful if you explain your situation to them. Hope you get sorted...

paperclip2

Fretz wrote: »

Hi all, I've just joined. I have just completed a degree in UL as a mature student. I am continueing on to a masters and yes, I have been told that I can apply for a for the back to education allowance. It has to be an approved course though.
One other thing you could try is your 'jobs facilitator' at your local social welfare office. They can be quite helpful if you explain your situation to them. Hope you get sorted...

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Publications/SW70/Documents/sw70.pdf
See the blue notes section on page six.

I spoke to the BTEA section of DFSA this morning and according to them they havent changed the rules regarding the receipt of BTEA. It is only available for H.Dip courses and Post Grad Certs of Education. If there is an alternative method of getting the payment can you post details please as it would be really useful to have that information. Thanks.

Fretz

My profound apologies... I just recieved a call today from the 'jobs facilitator' to inform me that the BTEA DOES NOT cover a masters, be it taught or otherwise. This has gone against everything I was told up to this point.
Originally, I was to get funding from the college (all I had to do was sign over my maintenance grant) but all funding was withdrawn this year (I wonder why??)
You are correct in saying that a higher diploma is the furthest you can go.
Again, my apologies. I will only post messages in the future when I am 101% certain that the info is correct...

paperclip2

Fretz wrote: »

My profound apologies... I just recieved a call today from the 'jobs facilitator' to inform me that the BTEA DOES NOT cover a masters, be it taught or otherwise. This has gone against everything I was told up to this point.
Originally, I was to get funding from the college (all I had to do was sign over my maintenance grant) but all funding was withdrawn this year (I wonder why??)
You are correct in saying that a higher diploma is the furthest you can go.
Again, my apologies. I will only post messages in the future when I am 101% certain that the info is correct...

:mad::mad::(
Aww Fretz I'm really sorry to hear that. I was hoping there was another way cos it would really help out a few people I know too. Christ, I do wish the DFSA staff would read up on all the rules about the BTEA before giving out the info. Are you still eligible to apply for the Maintenance Grant? Also our local Jobs Facilitator has a grant scheme available where they can cover up to 75% of the cost of courses fees to the value of €1000 if thats any good.

Fretz

paperclip2 wrote: »

:mad::mad::(
Aww Fretz I'm really sorry to hear that. I was hoping there was another way cos it would really help out a few people I know too. Christ, I do wish the DFSA staff would read up on all the rules about the BTEA before giving out the info. Are you still eligible to apply for the Maintenance Grant? Also our local Jobs Facilitator has a grant scheme available where they can cover up to 75% of the cost of courses fees to the value of €1000 if thats any good.

Ok, here is the latest !! I went to my local social office today to see if there was anything that could be done. I am married but my wife is not working. They recommended that my wife sign on, (this way half the money goes into her account and half into mine) (marriage eh!!) and I continue applying for the course. I am entitled to the full grant, so when the course starts, I simply sign off and then my wife recieves the full amount. It's not much and its only because we are in a position to live on a very low income (having bought our house fifteen years ago and paying a mortgage of 27 euro a week !!) and our two 'kids' have flown the nest!
In my short time on this site I have seen a few angry comments about people 'bleeding' the country, possibly seeing someone like me being one of these people.... so here...
I don't feel guilty as I had to leave school when I was fifteen (because my mother who was a single parent could not afford to put five of us through school) and was working on a concreting gang in Heathrow airport at the age of sixteen. I returned home when I was twenty and had worked as a welder for twenty four years to rear my kids before returning to education.
The way I see it is that this country still owes me an education!! I've certainly paid enough taxes to cover anything I am now recieving.
Phew... thats my rant,...promise I won't do that again.

Thanks for the tip concerning the jobs facilitator...I'm seeing him tomorrow...will keep you posted.

Sorry about the rant lads!!

asho123

asho123 wrote: »

I know that there are grants and studentships available from the colleges, but they are only if you are doing your masters/phd through research. My own experience is that there is very little out there in the way of grants for taught masters.

sorry:(

Wait... a taught masters is Level 9, and is eligible for a maintenance grant (if you fulfill the criteria) if full-time and other requirements. But yeah, if by grant you mean research funding then yeah there's not much out there.

But have a look at some of the courses here, since the HEA part funds the course.

snubbleste

Fretz wrote: »

Ok, here is the latest !! I went to my local social office today to see if there was anything that could be done. I am married but my wife is not working. They recommended that my wife sign on, (this way half the money goes into her account and half into mine) (marriage eh!!) and I continue applying for the course. I am entitled to the full grant, so when the course starts, I simply sign off and then my wife recieves the full amount....

Fretz I don't get this, what payment will your wife be getting? Is it JA and when you are doing a masters in Sept, will it still be JA for both or for one?
PM me if you want

Fretz

Yes, a jobseekers allowance...she is as entitled to sign for it as I am if she is not working.

Fretz

snubbleste wrote: »

Fretz I don't get this, what payment will your wife be getting? Is it JA and when you are doing a masters in Sept, will it still be JA for both or for one?
PM me if you want

And sorry yes, it will be for the both of us. At that stage I'm a student and then she is considered to be supporting me... hope that clears it up?

snubbleste

Yeah it does, kinda.
Wish you the best with your course!

HLFA

I am still really confused, going back to reflectors question. I finished my degree four years ago and am planning to go back to do a full-time masters in September 2010 like reflector. Does this mean I have to leave my current job and start claiming social welfare for 9 months in order to get a grant and my fees paid?? I am 25 so I qualify for mature student status I presume.

Fretz

HLFA wrote: »

I am still really confused, going back to reflectors question. I finished my degree four years ago and am planning to go back to do a full-time masters in September 2010 like reflector. Does this mean I have to leave my current job and start claiming social welfare for 9 months in order to get a grant and my fees paid?? I am 25 so I qualify for mature student status I presume.

I'm afraid that is the case... it's ridiculous I know but thats the rules. You would then be entitled to the BTE allowance only to do a Higher Diploma. To do a masters you would need to be able to live on the grant and whatever they call it when you're NOT getting the JA. I'm not being nosey, but are you married?
Would you consider staying in your job and doing it part time over two years?... Just a thought. I wish you luck.

HLFA

HLFA wrote: »

I am still really confused, going back to reflectors question. I finished my degree four years ago and am planning to go back to do a full-time masters in September 2010 like reflector. Does this mean I have to leave my current job and start claiming social welfare for 9 months in order to get a grant and my fees paid?? I am 25 so I qualify for mature student status I presume.

You don't have to have been unemployed to get the grant. To get the top-up bit of the grant (so max would be around €6,600 for the year), yes you would need, but if you are applying straight out of a job you should be fine. They'll take the fact you finished your job into account so your income would be ~ 0 (you'd be applying under a change in circumstances). But no, to get the grant you don't need to have been claiming social welfare.

karenmaryobrien

I'm looking into doing a masters myself at the mo. I'm looking into two options - both taught and research.

So far I've found this website ok for information www.studentfinance.ie .. I say only 'ok' as in the Maintenance grant section (http://www.studentfinance.ie/mp7232/maintenance-grant/index.html) it states 'Please note: this information is for the 2008-9 academic year. Details of the 2009-10 schemes are not yet available.' It gives no indication of WHEN this info will be available.. So basically all the info that's there for the grant at the moment is 'old' and may be subject to change.. This is a bit disconcerting especially with govt finances in such a mess!

My position is that I have to pay 500euro before 22nd July to take my place at WIT on the taught masters. Postgraduate study courses do not have their fees covered by the govt like other courses. You have to pay all fees yourself. In my case this would be 5,000euro. Basically I could not afford to go to college unless I'm sure of getting the maintenance grant (which covers fees.. according to 2008-09 info at least). But can I even check to see if I'm eligible?.. no.. because they still don't have the effing details up for 2009-10.

So I have to pay 500euro and pray that when the maintenance grant info is available for 2009-10 that I'll be eligible.. If not, that's 500quid down the tube.

Also, Just out of curiosity I checked the BTEA section and it states that it indeed does not cover masters (i.e. level 9 qualifications) apart from hdip or diped as stated in other posts of this thread - see: http://www.studentfinance.ie/mp7721/postgraduate-courses/index.html.

When looking into doing the research masters, I came across this information for science, engineering, tech related research - http://www.ircset.ie/tabid/63/default.aspx. IRCSET give about 24,000euro funding to successful applicants (16,000 of this is maintenance, the rest goes to the college on fees etc). I've heard it's quite difficult to get this funding though, your research topic would have to be extremely well thought out.

Finacially, if you could get this kind of funding, it would be a lot better to go the Masters by research route. So maybe worth looking into further, just to weigh up your options.

Yeah the 2009/10 grant details has yet to be announced. I e-mailed the Minister for Education and got a reply from his Private Secretary yesterday:

Mr. X

The Minister for Education and Science Mr. Batt O'Keeffe TD has asked me to refer to your recent email.

The process of reviewing the criteria for the 2009 maintenance grant schemes is a priority for the Department at present. Decisions on the 2009 scheme will be announced as soon as the process is completed.

The Department's website will be updated with the 2009 schemes as soon as they are announced. The grant application form for 2009/10 has issued to the assessing authority and, for the first time this year, it is possible to download this form. The form can be accessed through the Department's website or on studentfinance.ie, which is hosting the 2009 grant application form, http://www.studentfinance.ie/mp7658/view-a-sample-application-form/index.html

I hope this information is of assistance to you.

Yours sincerely

rocketballs

what needs to be done, is that the people in these grant/allowance bodies need to get their facts straight. I have just found out that i will NOT be entitled to a BTEA now as i am doing (well was meant to be but its extremely likely i will be financially crippled now and wont be able) a taught masters( not H.Dip or Diped), yet i was told months ago by VEC and others that i WOULD be entitled to this as i would be on jobseekers 9+ months and as i am doing a FAS course at present. basically, i am infuriated by this misleading information being passed around by different awarding bodies.

What they told me before was that if i was to even work for 1 day bewtween now and september that i would lose my BTEA that i was entitled to. basically i would have been in a better position( both financially and, obviously studywise with not having to try find part time work throughout the year). now i am not entitled to it.

to say that i am pi**ed off would be the understatement of the year. it seems to me that the people who are being punished are the same people who have to fork out the €6000 approx fees for postgrad courses, whereas the undergraduate is both free and awards BTEA ( btw i am not criticising people trying to further their education by undergraduate study in any way shape or form, just trying to point out that it isnt acually fair)

sulk sulk