Another B.T.E.A question please?!

fonzy157

Hi,wondering if anyone can help?
If you have a level 7 qualification(it's a diploma), can you claim BTEA if you want to start a new different level 8 course(a degree),ie from year one?

Ive checked out sw site and other sites and some of the info contradicts itself, so im a bit confused!!
Thanks

atheist

I think you have confused BTEA and the grant. It's the latter the rules on progression apply. l'm going from level 6 to level 8 but had to provide supporting medical evidence as to why I could not continue in my originaI profession in order to be allowed start back in 1st year last year. good thing l did as provision of facilitation has takentime, ...

Some info is on thegrant form's explanitary notes booklet and more on you'r VEC's website.
http://www.studentfinance.ie
Eligibility for a grant is linked to the number of years you have studied or intend to study in either further or higher education. Any previous study in further or higher education will be taken into consideration in assessing your eligibility, even if you did not receive any maintenance grant at the time.
Studentfinance.ie will help you check if your participation in previous educational courses affects your eligibility

fonzy157

Many thanks for your reply.
I must have confused myself with all the info online! For some reason I was under the impression that if you had a previous qualification it would affect your eligibility for BTEA..I will check out the info again and also contact my vec re grants etc..

xinchao

I was in the same boat as you!
I had an old diploma, was unemployed for a year. I was going to apply for the BTEA, read what you did and i thought i was ok. But to make sure i rang the social welfare place in Leitrim or roscommon and they said i wouldn't qualify.
I too wanted to start a course completely different from my proevious qualification. But when i rang my local dole office they said i would be entitled to the BTEA. I sent my forms off in June and then had to wait three months. I got a letter last week saying that i was accepted.
So you should be entitled to the BTEA providing you are on the dole long enough. Otherwise you will be fine. Anyway they really want people off the dole queues and doing something. Looks good for the Government.
Anyway hope this helps. With regards to the grant you should still qualify on those terms. they will regard you are a second chance student and by the sounds of it you are out of college more than five years (i presume).
So as far as those qualifying conditions are concerned you should be ok.

Hope this eases your mind.

Regards,

Kevin.

xinchao

Ohhh, by the way, I had to wait three months not because it took that long but because the person responsible for the BTEA programme in my local office retired and they didn't get anyone to replace her for a few months. Don't know what she was doing for the last few months she was there. Probably thinking about spending her pension!
Think most people only have to wait a few weeks. If you get accepted to the programme make sure you get a letter from the Uni or college you are attending stating when you started on the course and it is full-time. Once you get that then submit it to the dole office and they will start paying your BTEA allowance.
You also get €500 to help with University/college costs and believe me you really need it.
Good luck with your course.

fonzy157

Thanks for your reply.
You presume right in that my diploma is over 5 years old!
Good to hear that you got BTEA, you would hope that they would look favourably on going back to college especially in this current climate etc..
Im just checking out my options at the moment as i have been made redundant:eek: and may decide to go back to college if the job market stays the way it is.

xinchao

Not a bother.
Good luck in whatever you decide. you have plenty of time anyway to see what you would like to do. If you do decide to go back and have to do a mature student interview start now about your course. Some want an assignment or some sort of test first then interview, I myself am going to UL and they just did an interview. So i just read a few books on my intended course so i had some knowledge about it. They don't expect you know too much about the course but they seemed surprised when i knew what the course was, the options available to me when i started, and what it was about. So that did help me. Again it depends on what you want to study and where you want to study. But if you intend on going back next year then mature student interviews can start from Match up until may/june. Closing for most applications in Dublin (i think) is usually march, i think! anyway look up this section about interviews and closing deadlines etc. All the info you want is on this site and the people here are really good with advice etc.
If you go back next year then think about the grant situation. Remember if you move back home or something like that then your parents will be means tested. Your salary will be also and the redundancy package you receive. You have to prove independent status and they will look at your income for this year (2009) and also proof of address from October 1st 2009 (ESB Bill). So think carefully about what you want to do. These things need to be considered now because it is almost October! If you have any other questions then let me know, as i have gone through the mill this year with the grant authority and social welfare crowd. but all's good!

Ciao for now.

Kev.