BTEA on 2 year course...a couple of quick questions?

DrFroggies

Hi Folks,

Thanks in no small part to the advice of many people on here last year i'm now well into my first year of a 2 year PLC course (with the option to link to a final year degree course after this ;-) The only way this was possible for me was because i'm on BTEA (for the PLC course) which means that for the two years i'm doing this I'm entitled to BTEA which is great...

...but!

From what i can make out (from the guy in the social welfare office) the way BTEA works is that once the first academic year is over i'm no longer going to be on BTEA and will have to either go onto Jobseekers Allowance or if i'm lucky find summer work and then re-apply to continue my 2nd year and finish my current course...so my 2 questions are.

1. On the off chance I get a full-time job over the summer will i be entitled to leave it in order to return to college go back on BTEA and finish my course or would I no longer be entitled since i had a full time job and left?

2. Someone told me that i could take a seperate summer course and remain under the BTEA scheme which would make the transition back into my normal course in Sept/Oct much less complicated but i haven't been able to find any info on this myself so i'm wondering how likely it really is?

I'd love if option 2 was possible as there are plenty of courses i'd like to take that would be hugely beneficial to the main course i'm on and would certainly improve my options of final year third level if i go that route and even if not it would increase my employability after the course.

Any information or advice would be hugely appreciated as i'm really quite concerned about what will happen after this first year.

Thanks
DrF ;-)

DrFroggies

Nobody has any experience or advice on this??