BTEA - Annual Cost of Education (€500)

DubDJ

I recently applied for and got accepted to the Back To Education Allowance. I applied around mid-September and it all went through and was sorted by the end of September. I got my first payment but didn't recieve the annual cost of education (which is the €500) so I visited the office.
The bloke told me I would recieve it in October. Also on the phone 2 weeks ago I brought it up again and they told me there starting to go through the forms and i'd get it over the next two Thursdays.
Those two have come and gone and I still havent gotten it. It's really important because I need to buy about 6 books and I have assignments due soon that I need the books for.
Anybody got any idea whats happening with it? Plus, how do we recieve it? I'm being paid through the bank so do they lodge it with my normal weekly payment or do I get it by cheque in the post?

Thanks for anybody who can help me out.

Balagan

A lot of students received the E500 with last weeks' BTEA payment. If you didn't receive it, quickest thing to do would be get a letter from your college - tell them it's for the book allowance and they'll know what to put on it including the college stamp- and get it to your SW office asap, marked for the BTEA section, with a covering note from you re urgency of the matter. You may have given it before but bite the bullet and give it again.

DubDJ

Balagan wrote: »

A lot of students received the E500 with last weeks' BTEA payment. If you didn't receive it, quickest thing to do would be get a letter from your college - tell them it's for the book allowance and they'll know what to put on it including the college stamp- and get it to your SW office asap, marked for the BTEA section, with a covering note from you re urgency of the matter. You may have given it before but bite the bullet and give it again.

I don't fancy visiting the office as it's always a hassle. Half an hour queue just to get a ticket so you can queue again for over two hours and wait for your number to be called. All for 30 secs to drop a form in.
Any idea's of how its paid... ie. through cheque or bank???

wmpdd3

Through the normal way bank or post office.
you need to bring a letter to the office stating you are in the course once you start, your collage will know what to write.

there should be a hatch just for schemes so you won't have yo que with everybody else.

amacachi

DubDJ wrote: »

Any idea's of how its paid... ie. through cheque or bank???

For me it's just been thrown into the bank account along with the weekly payment.

DubDJ

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Through the normal way bank or post office.
you need to bring a letter to the office stating you are in the course once you start, your collage will know what to write.

there should be a hatch just for schemes so you won't have yo que with everybody else.

Yeah i've dropped that letter in from my college around 6 weeks ago the day after I dropped the BTEA forms in. Dropped the letter in twice actually.

There should definately be a hatch for that. Most of them in my local office are closed with about 30 hatches altogether only around 10 would be opened at any one time.

Doooo

I called my local office yesterday about this, as I haven't recieved it either.
I was told that my local office are paying it in November. He said other places paid it in October, but some offices waited until November.
He said they will start working through them all next week, so some will get it next Thurs, some the week after etc.
He wasnt able to tell me which week in Nov I will recieve it, but he assured me I will get it.

On a side note....I was completely shocked when they answered the phone first time!!! Last time I rang, it rang out for the whole day!

DubDJ

Doooo wrote: »

I called my local office yesterday about this, as I haven't recieved it either.
I was told that my local office are paying it in November. He said other places paid it in October, but some offices waited until November.
He said they will start working through them all next week, so some will get it next Thurs, some the week after etc.
He wasnt able to tell me which week in Nov I will recieve it, but he assured me I will get it.

On a side note....I was completely shocked when they answered the phone first time!!! Last time I rang, it rang out for the whole day!

I'll be nearly finished my semester by time I do get the payment and the books will give me 4 weeks use at most
I got a call off mine 2 weeks ago exactly and the bloke told me he was starting to go through them from the Monday and i'd get it in the next two weeks. Yours is telling you they're only starting now. :O
I've a feeling they'll leave it till the Budget is announced and then tell us we ain't getting it as it's been cut from the budget hehe
Thanks for the info though

battries not included

i rang my office in athlone today, the guy said it will be processed on tuesday to call if it is not in my a/c along with payment next

Generation Terrorist

Hopefully it'll be put through this week

rainbowdrop

Generation Terrorist wrote: »

Hopefully it'll be put through this week

God I hope so. Really need to buy my books, getting sick of looking at photocopied sheets:pac:

DubDJ

rainbowdrop wrote: »

God I hope so. Really need to buy my books, getting sick of looking at photocopied sheets:pac:

More like your sick of been stuck in at the weekends and need money for drink hahah
Na but seriously your right a good bit of mine is gonna go on books. Not all of it though

boardgirl

my god this is crazy! has anybody from Limerick got theirs yet? Im in Art college aswell and the cost of materials and printing is working out at roughly 20euro per week on the cheap I'm going without a lot of things I badly need and its starting to show-I cant imagine how bad it is for people needing books that cost 50euro each! Anybody got their grant from Clare VEC-still waiting on that too...

DubDJ

boardgirl wrote: »

my god this is crazy! has anybody from Limerick got theirs yet? Im in Art college aswell and the cost of materials and printing is working out at roughly 20euro per week on the cheap I'm going without a lot of things I badly need and its starting to show-I cant imagine how bad it is for people needing books that cost 50euro each! Anybody got their grant from Clare VEC-still waiting on that too...

+1 to that.
Luckily i'm getting the money every week of the BTEA otherwise I don't know how i'd survive.

Generation Terrorist

Anyone recieve it yet?

battries not included

it should be in bank a/c this week (thursday for me) if in doubt ring your local office

Generation Terrorist

Great stuff

DubDJ

Let's hope we all wake up €696 richer in the morning.
But it is an Irish government office so I wouldn't expect it. hehe. They'll probably finally sort it in Oct 2011. :L

battries not included

835euro in the bank

DubDJ

battries not included wrote: »

835euro in the bank

0.38 cent in the bank Haha
I wont get to find out till in the morning unfortunately mine doesn't go through till then >:(

battries not included

DubDJ wrote: »

0.38 cent in the bank Haha
I wont get to find out till in the morning unfortunately mine doesn't go through till then >:(

No reason why is shouldn't be there!

good luck!

DubDJ

battries not included wrote: »

No reason why is shouldn't be there!

good luck!

Now have €696.38 haha. Happy days. Hopefully everybodies was sorted as well.

BaguMka

Got again only 196 euro...It's impossible... I still haven't got 500 euro. I rang up to social office they said they haven't got my letter stating that I'm registered in college. But i dropped in this letter TWICE already. Stupid morons:mad::mad::mad:
Anyone still haven't received it?

rainbowdrop

No grant for me:(

Was told in my local office on Monday that my claim had gone to Newcastlewest, Co Limerick office (20miles away) and to ring there for info but Newcastlewest office have not been answering their bloody telephone all week, have they?:mad: And I had no money all week for diesel to drive there:(

Ahh well, got my normal money today so going to take a spin to Newcastlewest office and see what's the story.

Wish me luck.......

Generation Terrorist

Nowt there again this morning

Philosophy lecturer just told me I need 2 more books @ 40 quid a pop each anorl

This is getting ridiculous........

battries not included

Generation Terrorist wrote: »

Nowt there again this morning

Philosophy lecturer just told me I need 2 more books @ 40 quid a pop each anorl

This is getting ridiculous........

Where are you living? what county i mean?

I live in Westmeath, my payment was there today, ring your local office and ask what is delay :pac::pac:

Generation Terrorist

battries not included wrote: »

Where are you living? what county i mean?

I live in Westmeath, my payment was there today, ring your local office and ask what is delay :pac::pac:

Dublin City Centre

I received the letter weeks ago saying I had been approved for BTEA and have been getting my weekly payment no probs, just no sign of the Book grant.

I'll ring them after the next lecture. Fingers crossed

battries not included

Generation Terrorist wrote: »

Dublin City Centre

I received the letter weeks ago saying I had been approved for BTEA and have been getting my weekly payment no probs, just no sign of the Book grant.

I'll ring them after the next lecture. Fingers crossed

Just maybe the fact you living in the cc they may have a backlog of BTEA forms etc...

no excuse really though as they had ample time to sort this out!

good luck anyway,

rainbowdrop

rainbowdrop wrote: »

No grant for me:(

Was told in my local office on Monday that my claim had gone to Newcastlewest, Co Limerick office (20miles away) and to ring there for info but Newcastlewest office have not been answering their bloody telephone all week, have they?:mad: And I had no money all week for diesel to drive there:(

Ahh well, got my normal money today so going to take a spin to Newcastlewest office and see what's the story.

Wish me luck.......

Just back from Newcastlewest. Spoke to a very nice lady who apologised for the delay, told me that they were rushed off their feet and assured me that I will have the money next week. YaY:D She said that by me coming in, it reminded her of my application and so she would put me 'top of the pile'.

So, for all you people who didn't get your grant yet - make sure you phone (if you can get through) or call into the office and remind them that your still waiting....... It might hurry things along for you!

Generation Terrorist

Couldn't get through, so gonna head in at 3 after my last lecture.

Ugh. STRESS. FML

RDM_83 again

Any one who is getting payments processed through Ennis (main office handles most of clare) receive it yet?

zeds alive

For those of you who have not got it yet , make sure that the letter from the college/university clearly states that not only are you Registered that also you're In Attendance , my money was delayed for ages until I got a letter from the college that clearly said In Attendance .

DubDJ

Generation Terrorist wrote: »

Couldn't get through, so gonna head in at 3 after my last lecture.

Ugh. STRESS. FML

Its a disgrace that they still havent paid it to some students. The majority have, but still most applications were in by September so i'm sure they coulda sorted it by now.
Plus it says that it's paid at the start of each acedemic year. So it should be paid by the end of October at the latest.

newmark

RDM_83 again wrote: »

Any one who is getting payments processed through Ennis (main office handles most of clare) receive it yet?

Im in co Clare and I haven't received it yet :-(
I have been on to them and they said they wanted another letter confirming im still attending the college... I gave them this letter last Thursday so I'm hoping to get it with this Thursdays payment but I wont hold my breath.... Its a disgrace that people are being left wait like this when we need to buy books etc!!

fintan.moloney

Still awaiting the book allowance, fingers crossed it might go in tonight but I'm not holding my breath...been on BTEA since start of Sept. Called into the Office about 3 weeks ago and the guy said 'oh they haven't started doing those yet, they are too busy'. I asked had he any idea when it would be and he said 'don't know, closer to Xmas I'd say'. So as usually totally unhelpful and only in Ireland can something thats meant to be given out at 'start of term' (i.e. Sept) become close to Xmas. This country blows..

DubDJ

fintan.moloney wrote: »

Still awaiting the book allowance, fingers crossed it might go in tonight but I'm not holding my breath...been on BTEA since start of Sept. Called into the Office about 3 weeks ago and the guy said 'oh they haven't started doing those yet, they are too busy'. I asked had he any idea when it would be and he said 'don't know, closer to Xmas I'd say'. So as usually totally unhelpful and only in Ireland can something thats meant to be given out at 'start of term' (i.e. Sept) become close to Xmas. This country blows..

Wish there was an agency that you can go to and complain about things like that. It's a disgrace.

kukazhina

LIMERICK CITY SOCIAL SERVICE
Just wondering is any1 get 500 in Limerick yet?

fintan.moloney

I'm in Limerick and still have not got it...this is a joke.

StraddleFor6

fintan.moloney wrote: »

I'm in Limerick and still have not got it...this is a joke.

+1. Applied in Sept. :mad: