The Grant system - what a joke

andreab

After 3 years in collage I was left with a loan of €9,500! I was not entitled to a grant my mam is a teacher and seemingly earns too much. So I went to the credit union and they helped me pay the fee's and my rent as I moved to dublin to be closer to collage. I had a part time job in a petrol station working saturday and sunday which paid for my weekly expenses and the weekly payback on my loan.

So you can imagine how pissed off I was this weekend to discover that a person I know in collage who gets the grant is using it to fund her 8 week vacation travelling around Europe. And another fella I know went out last week and bought a 40inch plasma tv and a xbox 360.

I mean in a time when the country has no money at all should we really be giving out this sort of cash to people who obviuosly don't need it for the purpose it was given. Neither of these people have part time jobs and both don't plan on working during the summer months off - why would they need too when they know they're entitled to more free money in September.

Surely you all agree with me that the grant money should be there to help people with their collage expenses and nothing else. I think the government need to change the system and make these people submit receipts or give weekly allowences or voouchers to students instead of a cheque for a couple of grand every few months. It's an absolute digrace.

irish_goat

I agree with 100%. I don't get it because my parents "earn too much" though the fact that my parents don't give me a penny towards college doesn't seem to matter.

I know people who live at home too but still get the grant which they can then solely treat as extra pocket money.

We should have a loan system like the UK where everyone gets a cheap loan from the government and only pays it back(in small amounts) if they start earning over a certain amount.

The only positive I take from it is that when college is over a lot of people are going to get a rude awakening when they start having to worry about their bank balance every week.

andreab

Yeah I had people like that in collage too, they were well able to go out to the pub each night while I had to budget and only get out once a week.

They will get a shock like you said once they actually enter the real world, this is little consolation to us though.

I talked to my local TD about it at the time and he even agreed with me but alas what can he do.

It just gets to me sometimes when I hear these stories, I need to vent!

gaz wac

Dont know much about the grant system, but surely, they also went through the same grant process as you but they were approved because of their circumstances !?

Their parents dont earn enough so they help from the Gov. Your parents do,so you dont get a grant. Just because some parents dont help their kids while in college is hardly the Gov's problem?

andreab

I'm not giving out that I didn't get the grant I'm giving out that some people who get the grant use it as pocket money and not for what it is there for to help with collage expenses.

The 2 example I gave were a girl using the money to travel and a guy bought a plasma tv and Xbox.

Surely the governement shoulkd vet this system so as my tax money is not being wasted on things like that.

gaz wac

So do you expect parents to only use their children allowance on their children? People on job seekers allowance, can they only use the cash for printing cv's, transport to and from job interviews? What they use the cash on is, no concern of yours! They met the criteria and are not breaking any laws so..?

Daisy Steiner

It's week 12 in my college, I still haven't got my grant which means I have to spend my savings until it comes through, frankly, if I want to spend the 'grant' on penny sweets, a tv or a holiday I'm entitled to seeing as I've had to use my savings just to live the last few months.

dazzday

Daisy Steiner wrote: »

It's week 12 in my college, I still haven't got my grant which means I have to spend my savings until it comes through, frankly, if I want to spend the 'grant' on penny sweets, a tv or a holiday I'm entitled to seeing as I've had to use my savings just to live the last few months.

To have savings while in college is pretty impressive!

Daisy Steiner

dazzday wrote: »

To have savings while in college is pretty impressive!

Mature student I am. All (meagre) savings are now gone, subsisting on the kindness of others at this stage . . . next week is the study week prior to exams and no sign of the grant, stressful to say the least!

Pigwidgeon

I live at home, and receive a grant, but I pay rent to my Mum weekly, and buy all my own food, bus tickets, etc. myself with my grant money. I lost my job in September, so what I get from the grant is the only money I ever get, no luck trying to find a job.

I know several people who get the grant and top up rate, and go out and spend the majority of the cheque the week they get it on nights out and clothes. I can't stand this, when I can barely scrape by, I rarely go out, and spend most of my money on college things.

schween

gaz wac wrote: »

So do you expect parents to only use their children allowance on their children? People on job seekers allowance, can they only use the cash for printing cv's, transport to and from job interviews? What they use the cash on is, no concern of yours! They met the criteria and are not breaking any laws so..?

gaz wac wrote: »

Dont know much about the grant system, but surely, they also went through the same grant process as you but they were approved because of their circumstances !?

Their parents dont earn enough so they help from the Gov. Your parents do,so you dont get a grant. Just because some parents dont help their kids while in college is hardly the Gov's problem?

This is his point! What he is saying is that since she is able to go on the trip she shouldn't receive the grant, while the OP is in thousands of euros of debt and receives nothing.

It's not the states fault his parents don't support him you say? Of course it's not! But the fact is using your parents income alone is quite a bad system.

SarahBM

My situation in 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of college was that both my parents had jobs so there wasnt a hope in hell I would get the grant. 1st and 2nd year , my parents paid for my accommodation and I kept my self with a wknd job in centra.
In 3rd year I was on work placement. lived at home, but didnt have a part time job. slowly began to dip into my savings. 4th I moved up to Dublin in order to complete the final 2 years of my course. could not get a part time job as I had too much college work to do. my savings lasted me til christmas, my dad lost his job so I had to apply for the grant.
didnt get any money til the april which I handed all but 500 over to my mother and used that 500 to live on til the end of the year. re-applied for the grant and got it. but its not enough to pay for my rent and live on. so my parents have taken out a loan to put me through this last year.
I have used the grant money I have gotten to pay rent and week to week expenses like food, printing, some clothes for interviews and practical things. I have by no means blown it like some people I know.

3rd installment I have been told wont be paid til 30th of april so I must get another 500e off my mam to cover my rent. I fell terrible because they have done so much for me already and I know they are struggling enough with money as it is. I feel like such a burden. I dont know if I will be able to get a job when I qualify this year , because of Mary Hareney and her stupid recruitment ban in the HSE, its looking like emigration for me, which is the last thing I ever wanted.

the entire system is messed up. :mad:

Mrs Garth Brooks

Completly agree. It is a joke. Hopefully going back this year and im on my own. Can't expect parents to pay, not fair on them. Been to college already and received the grant back then, and because i am dropping levels, i won't be eligilble. Stuck in a job i hate and barely scraping by but i could just stay there and be miserable or do something i have always wanted to do. I have applied to a plc college, so at least i wont have the crazy univerisity fees. Living expenses is my biggest worry. Think i might be able for the first year but haven't thought about the second year yet. Might have to take a year out and save, i don't know yet.

wingnut

Lol norhing changes. Back in my day it was us regular guys cycling to college the only people getting grants were the farmers who were driving in in their new cars and 4x4s!!

NeonAddict

andreab wrote: »

After 3 years in collage I was left with a loan of €9,500! I was not entitled to a grant my mam is a teacher and seemingly earns too much. So I went to the credit union and they helped me pay the fee's and my rent as I moved to dublin to be closer to collage. I had a part time job in a petrol station working saturday and sunday which paid for my weekly expenses and the weekly payback on my loan.

So you can imagine how pissed off I was this weekend to discover that a person I know in collage who gets the grant is using it to fund her 8 week vacation travelling around Europe. And another fella I know went out last week and bought a 40inch plasma tv and a xbox 360.

I mean in a time when the country has no money at all should we really be giving out this sort of cash to people who obviuosly don't need it for the purpose it was given. Neither of these people have part time jobs and both don't plan on working during the summer months off - why would they need too when they know they're entitled to more free money in September.

Surely you all agree with me that the grant money should be there to help people with their collage expenses and nothing else. I think the government need to change the system and make these people submit receipts or give weekly allowences or voouchers to students instead of a cheque for a couple of grand every few months. It's an absolute digrace.

oh I really know how you feel we had a guy in our class and I mean WE HAD! he got 7,000 euros from the grant office and he dropped out after half a year so I dont know what hes doing with the money and he seems to never complain about being broke.As for me due to the stupidity of county council my papers werent processed till a month before the college year was over the papers were sent from dublin to dundalk because they tought i posted them to dublin by accident when IN FACT I DIDNT and after it was in a stack full of papers for few months my form was returned to dublin to be put into another stack of papers.and it doesnt helo that im living alone 18 and unemployed who tries to scratch money together to go to college to get an education while other classmates would have their mommys and daddys looking after them and they dont have any money worry at all and at the end of all this i only get 1,000 euros which barely covers the college expenses I had last year and I have to put the money away for next year as I cant reaply for a second grant because Im redoing another FETAC lv5 next year.They seriously love giving money to wasters who drop out and then we the ones who work our arses off have to suffer.Put a sheep in goverment it will run the country much more better

luv-eirexx

I totally agree that the grant system is wrong. Im part of a middle income family so we do not qualify for a grant.

For the last 2 years my sister got through college okish with my parents paying for her accomadation and her having to work during the summer and every weekend to earn money for living(food, clothes, etc)

Now Ill be starting college in september. They will have to be paying for two sets of accomodation, helping us with food and toiletries etc and another 70 euro a week so we can travel home for the weekend. . .we have to come home every weekend for our part time jobs, which if we didnt have i doubt our parents could send us to college, which is completely unfair.

It really annoys me then to hear of people who do not have to work at a part time job at all and have all their weekends and summers free but still have loads of money to go out and have fun while they are at college, because of their grant.

My sister knows of someone who did their lc twice, did worse the second time around due to laziness . . . went on to do a plc which they failed . . went on to do another plc a year later which they also failed . . all this time geting grant money which they spent on going out and buying a car.

Now i do know that the majority of people who get the grant need it and spend it properly but the government needs to change the system. Just because my parents wages reach a certain limit they think we do not need any sort of financial help. This is not the case. I am part of a large family which costs a lot of money in itself for my parents and along with this having 2 of us at college from september will put a huge strain on them. I think it is only right financial aid should be given to people depending on individual circumstances and not just because their parents wages reach a certain limit . . .

Im 100% positive there are loads of people on here who agree with me!!!!