BTEA Students get special treatment?

paky

Just got confirmation on my grant today that I will receive 3600 for the year. Considering that I had to survive on less than this last year I will be happy for what I get. However I think its ridiculous that those who qualified for the BTEA somehow receive 'special treatment' because they were on the doel prior to entering unversity. I was around 3 months off qualifying for the BTEA last year but decided to up sticks and go abroad and earn some cash before I returned to college. How wrong was I. Seems to be the case in Ireland that one has to be on the dole for a very long time before they receive any reasonable benefits which would put them through college.
Now that the grant has been severley attacked this year many people who worked hard all last year will have to drop out because of a typical incompetent irish system which has no measures in place which would prevent this from happening. I'd imagine now that there are many mature students queing up at doel offices and wondering why the SW didnt give them the money when they needed it and now somehow there circumstances have changed because they are no longer in college??? LOL
seafóideach!!!!!
Im am lucky to have found a job this year otherwise I would be outraged at my this.

why do those who are on the grant get less than those on the BTEA? The BTEA can work out at over 9000 a year

In$omniac

Because this country is fcuked up and our so called government with the power to change this don't give a damn about students.

achmairt

paky wrote: »

Just got confirmation on my grant today that I will receive 3600 for the year. Considering that I had to survive on less than this last year I will be happy for what I get. However I think its ridiculous that those who qualified for the BTEA somehow receive 'special treatment' because they were on the doel prior to entering unversity. I was around 3 months off qualifying for the BTEA last year but decided to up sticks and go abroad and earn some cash before I returned to college. How wrong was I. Seems to be the case in Ireland that one has to be on the dole for a very long time before they receive any reasonable benefits which would put them through college.
Now that the grant has been severley attacked this year many people who worked hard all last year will have to drop out because of a typical incompetent irish system which has no measures in place which would prevent this from happening. I'd imagine now that there are many mature students queing up at doel offices and wondering why the SW didnt give them the money when they needed it and now somehow there circumstances have changed because they are no longer in college??? LOL
seafóideach!!!!!
Im am lucky to have found a job this year otherwise I would be outraged at my this.

why do those who are on the grant get less than those on the BTEA? The BTEA can work out at over 9000 a year

You might get the dole if you could spell it. It's DOLE: not doel LOL !!

FlashD

We all know the system is broken but it is still there to facilitate people and it does it quite adequately and generously. There are many on BTEA who would contadict you and say the system works great.

Your post more then anything outlines your own lack of ability to plan ahead. A lesson to be learnt, next time do your research well ahead of schedule.

In saying all this, thank you for the 'heads up' as I may be needing this BTEA 2 years down the line myself so no harm in planning ahead now to swing it in my favour.

Regards,

nosietoes

It is a difficult call to make

I understand what the last poster has said but I also know someone who made sure that his part time waiter work was off the record simply in order to claim BTEA. That's not fair really to those who didn't have that option. He def needed the money but I felt a little bitter because my boyfriend wasn't willing to waste a year of his life on the dole in order to get money from the government in order to get the qualifications that he was in need of...

[Jackass]

Well, I came back from travelling and was told in the dole office that I should not work for the next 9 months and I would get the BTEA....

I found a job and worked as it was more than the dole, but as a result now get a grant of about 1k to do me for the year unless I can find part-time work, which is near impossible to find except for around xmas...

Where's the incentive to work? I was actually advised by the social welfare office not to work...

Anyway, get your education, hang in there and it'll be worth it in the end. But yes, it's a very flawed system.

jamesbere

The system is a joke, Btea is a good scheme, but somebody who has not been working for 2 or 3 years can easily get money into there pocket when they start college.

But then somebody who has been working for the last couple of years decides to go back to college and then goes for a grant, has to fill out loads of forms has the damn thing sent in loads of time and will have to wait until Christmas to get any payment.

I think people on the grant should be allowed to get rent allowance i think it is only fair.