Back to education allowance 2013/2014

Molly1210

I have applied for back to education allowance for this September. I have been signed on for the required amount of time and am over 21 so I qualify for it in that way. However, I have 4 weeks of part time casual work (2 days a week) at the moment, which I will finish 2 weeks before I start college.

I am just feeling quite apprehensive that this work might in some way disqualify me from the allowance. Does anyone have any experience with the back to education allowance? Or, has anyone applied for this year that has heard back yet?


Thanks.

RealistSpy

As far as I can recollect, your part time job shouldn't matter as long have you have the required total days.

Sephiroth_dude

Molly1210 wrote: »

I have applied for back to education allowance for this September. I have been signed on for the required amount of time and am over 21 so I qualify for it in that way. However, I have 4 weeks of part time casual work (2 days a week) at the moment, which I will finish 2 weeks before I start college.

I am just feeling quite apprehensive that this work might in some way disqualify me from the allowance. Does anyone have any experience with the back to education allowance? Or, has anyone applied for this year that has heard back yet?


Thanks.

I too have applied for btea and have heard nothing back,applied middle of july.

Molly1210

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

I too have applied for btea and have heard nothing back,applied middle of july.

That's somewhat reassuring that it's not just me !

ifeelill

As long as you are in receipt of a social welfare payment you will be fine.

eastbono

BTEA is normally done as a joblot in the offices. Its easier to do it that way than one at a time.

ShaShaBear

I was informed that the applications were done in bulk after they have received letters from the college approving registration to correspond with the BTEA applications. My local office told me not to even bother handing in a form until I had a registration letter to go with it, because it wouldn't be looked at until I was registered.

ifeelill

ShaShaBear wrote: »

I was informed that the applications were done in bulk after they have received letters from the college approving registration to correspond with the BTEA applications. My local office told me not to even bother handing in a form until I had a registration letter to go with it, because it wouldn't be looked at until I was registered.

You can still apply now and then the SW will send you a letter asking for college registration.

ShaShaBear

ifeelill wrote: »

You can still apply now and then the SW will send you a letter asking for college registration.

Oh I know, but my SW office wouldn't let me - told me to wait until I was registered. I don't mind really, only takes a week or two and I don't start for a month after registration

ifeelill

Most likely to cut down on the admin work, i can't see any other reason for it

rawn

Are people still waiting on letters from college with start dates then, so it's not just me?! I recently moved and gave the college my new address but was a bit worried that they still sent the letter to my old address.Have my BTEA forms filled in but no point sending it til I have a registration letter. Was advised to apply for BTEA at the beginning of August at the latest though, in case the process takes a while!

ifeelill

rawn wrote: »

Are people still waiting on letters from college with start dates then, so it's not just me?!

Contact the colleges Students Union they will be able to direct you to the person/department who is sending the letter and they will inform you if the letter has been sent, when i started college i got my letter towards the end of August, but different colleges have different procedures and schedules for these types of things.

LegacyUser

Is the reg letter the letter you get when you pay your fees ya?

TheTott

Im going to ucd in september and applied for BTEA last week. Any hope of me getting it on or near my start date? (8th of sept)

ifeelill

TheTott wrote: »

Im going to ucd in september and applied to BTEA last week. Any hope of me getting it on or near my start date? (8th of sept)

For me one week i was getting Job seekers Benefit, the next week i was getting BTEA there was no break in payment. But you know how it goes with government departments if you fall through the cracks.

The important thing is if there are any disruptions in payments then get on to the SW office that is issuing you the BTEA as soon as possible

Sephiroth_dude

Anyone hear anything back yet?

LegacyUser

Hello,
I applied for BTEA through the Hanover St. SWLO in Cork last Friday and I got my acceptance letter this morning. When I applied, I provided them with the email that the CAO sent me to confirm that I had accepted my course, and this seemed to be sufficient. The BTEA acceptance letter that I got this morning states that they will pay me from 16th September (when my course starts) but if I don't provide a letter from my college confirming that I have registered and the end date of the course by the 4th October, then they will discontinue the payment. So the decision not to accept a BTEA application until the applicant is fully registered with the college is at the discretion of the individual SWLO rather than an overall policy. The best way the find out is to go in and ask.
Oh, I also work 2-3 days a week and it wasn't a problem.

Sephiroth_dude

I got a letter this morning saying I had been accepted onto the scheme but no other info was given,it also says I must give them written confirmation that I am registered as a full time day student,I thought I already gave them that nothing about payment dates or anything.

ifeelill

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

it also says I must give them written confirmation that I am registered as a full time day student,I thought I already gave them that nothing about payment dates or anything.

Once you start college you need to get a letter of registration and give this to the social welfare.

rawn

I just got a letter from my college to go register on August 28th, I assume class would start in a week or two after, would that be enough time to apply for BTEA? Or would the letter I got suffice?

Sephiroth_dude

ifeelill wrote: »

Once you start college you need to get a letter of registration and give this to the social welfare.

I gave them my reg letter though,that's the letter you get when you pay your fees ya?

ShaShaBear

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

I gave them my reg letter though,that's the letter you get when you pay your fees ya?

Yep, a letter to say you have officially registered, after fees are paid. You will also, in my experience, need a letter to say when you start attending college officially, so they know when to switch you to BTEA.

Sephiroth_dude

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Yep, a letter to say you have officially registered, after fees are paid. You will also, in my experience, need a letter to say when you start attending college officially, so they know when to switch you to BTEA.

Should I have gotten two letters today so?

rawn

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Should I have gotten two letters today so?

I think the second letter is sent out after registration

stacexD

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

I gave them my reg letter though,that's the letter you get when you pay your fees ya?

I applied in March and got the letter saying i was accepted last week.

I'd sent in the statement I got when I paid my fees with the course and start date on it but at the bottom of the acceptance letter it says I must provide them with a letter from either the registrars or admissions office only

ifeelill

rawn wrote: »

I just got a letter from my college to go register on August 28th, I assume class would start in a week or two after, would that be enough time to apply for BTEA? Or would the letter I got suffice?

Bring the letter of registration and not a letter to say that you are going to register. The SW people can be pretty picky about what they can and can't accept. So best to give them what they asked for.

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

I gave them my reg letter though,that's the letter you get when you pay your fees ya?

No you don't need to have paid your fees in order to get a letter of registration. You can just ask for one. Think about it, a lot of students were getting grants as well as getting BTEA, so when the whole SUSI system broke down last year a lot of those students weren't able to pay their fees.You only have to ask for a letter from the college that you are a registered student

Sephiroth_dude

I have to wait till registration day to get the letter ?

rawn

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

I have to wait till registration day to get the letter ?

Looks like it, yeah. My registration day is August 28th, and I assume classes start at the beginning of September so will I not be paid BTEA or JA til the SWO processes my form?

Sephiroth_dude

rawn wrote: »

Looks like it, yeah. My registration day is August 28th, and I assume classes start at the beginning of September so will I not be paid BTEA or JA til the SWO processes my form?

My reg day is 4th of september,classes begin week of the 9th.

Sephiroth_dude

Well I went in and I asked them and they said the letter I got when I payed the fees should be ok,I already gave them that letter so I dunno what to do,sorry for my constant ramblings,I just want this to work out.

ifeelill

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

I have to wait till registration day to get the letter ?

Yes you do.

rawn wrote: »

Looks like it, yeah. My registration day is August 28th, and I assume classes start at the beginning of September so will I not be paid BTEA or JA til the SWO processes my form?

If you start on the around the 4th-ish? Then this gives you a week to cross onto the new payment, so you should be ok.

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

My reg day is 4th of september,classes begin week of the 9th.

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Well I went in and I asked them and they said the letter I got when I payed the fees should be ok,I already gave them that letter so I dunno what to do,sorry for my constant ramblings,I just want this to work out.

If they said that was enough, then that is enough. You should just roll onto the BTEA. Also if you have paid more than €2,000 the you can go to your local revenue office and make a claim for the tax you have paid on the fees. Good luck with college guys and if you have anymore questions just post back on here.

stacexD

how does the change over in payment actually work? i'll be starting classes on Monday the 9th and usually get paid on a Wednesday, will i get paid the wednesday before and get weds-friday payment in the post like they do when you sign off or will btea kick in on the same day as I'd normally get paid?

Wexford92

Hi. I'm wondering if anyone has had a problem with their Back To Education Allowance for 2013/2014 who has been working part time ? Basically I have been deducted nearly €100 per week from my BTEA because I was doing x's and o's before I started my course. When i found this out, after checking my bank balance and rang my local office to find out what was going on, I was told this is a new rule that had been brought in to means test BTEA and that I was only entitled to what they had been giving me on average for the 8 weeks previous to my course starting. Also, the place I work is closing in two weeks which I told them I could get a letter from my employer stating but the woman said id didn't make a difference that I have no job for the remainder of the year and there was nobody I could appeal it to. I know of at least two other people that were working before they started their course and they are receiving the full payment. I just don't understand this, apart from the fact I will have no job next week, how can they expect people to earn the same money they had previously when you're in college five days a week? And they are also penalising people for working where they can ?I also can't see anything about it in the budget so just do not understand this at all. If anyone else has experienced this or knows what this is about I'd be grateful to hear from you thanks.

von Smallhausen

Wexford92 wrote: »

Hi. I'm wondering if anyone has had a problem with their Back To Education Allowance for 2013/2014 who has been working part time ? Basically I have been deducted nearly €100 per week from my BTEA because I was doing x's and o's before I started my course. When i found this out, after checking my bank balance and rang my local office to find out what was going on, I was told this is a new rule that had been brought in to means test BTEA and that I was only entitled to what they had been giving me on average for the 8 weeks previous to my course starting. Also, the place I work is closing in two weeks which I told them I could get a letter from my employer stating but the woman said id didn't make a difference that I have no job for the remainder of the year and there was nobody I could appeal it to. I know of at least two other people that were working before they started their course and they are receiving the full payment. I just don't understand this, apart from the fact I will have no job next week, how can they expect people to earn the same money they had previously when you're in college five days a week? And they are also penalising people for working where they can ?I also can't see anything about it in the budget so just do not understand this at all. If anyone else has experienced this or knows what this is about I'd be grateful to hear from you thanks.

Could nearly say I am in the same boat as you. I am being means tested on my BTEA when I was told that I wouldn't be. My partner is working a full time job and I moved from JA to this. Their website is conflicting though..On it, it states that it will not be means tested but you will get what you previously got before on what ever scheme you were on.

mystic

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Back-to-Education-Allowance-Scheme.aspx

Section 1.16.2 of the operational guidelines

'For new BTEA entrants where a person has been signing casually immediately prior to the commencement of a course , the rate of BTEA should be calculated by averaging SW payment from the last eight weeks payment. If there is a change in means circumstances, other than part-time work undertaken by the BTEA participant, during the academic year, then a revised decision may be applied.'

This applies only to new BTEA applicants. It would also appear that if a person has to give up their part-time work because of College commitments, they will not be re-assessed.

BTEA is an administrative scheme and cannot be appealed. However, a decision may be reviewed and if necessary be sent to the BTEA section for further review.

BTEA Section
Department of Social Protection
Social Welfare Services Office
Government Buildings
Shannon Lodge
Carrick-on-Shannon
Leitrim
Ireland
Tel:(071) 967 2616
Locall:1890 927 999

chopper666

If I get course related work experience can I stay on the BTEA during the summer or will I have to sign on the dole again ?

ifeelill

chopper666 wrote: »

If I get course related work experience can I stay on the BTEA during the summer or will I have to sign on the dole again ?

A friend of mine had the same issue as part of his course he had to undertake work experience and he did in fact get the BTEA. Also got paid by the employer.

IanLAD

how much is the btea?

ifeelill

IanLAD wrote: »

how much is the btea?

[/QUOTE]Since 1 January 2013, if you are a new BTEA participant aged over 25 your weekly BTEA rate will be equal to your previous social protection payment

If you are a new participant aged under 25 and you were getting a reduced age-related Jobseeker's Allowance payment, you will get a new personal maximum BTEA rate of €160[/QUOTE]

Source: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/back_to_education/back_to_education_allowance.html#l62fd2

IanLAD

ifeelill wrote: »

Since 1 January 2013, if you are a new BTEA participant aged over 25 your weekly BTEA rate will be equal to your previous social protection payment

If you are a new participant aged under 25 and you were getting a reduced age-related Jobseeker's Allowance payment, you will get a new personal maximum BTEA rate of €160[/QUOTE]

Source: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/back_to_education/back_to_education_allowance.html#l62fd2[/QUOTE]
thanks, i just looked on there myself
now, time to get the finger out and see what damn course i want to do
TICK TOCK!

ifeelill

IanLAD wrote: »

Since 1 January 2013, if you are a new BTEA participant aged over 25 your weekly BTEA rate will be equal to your previous social protection payment

If you are a new participant aged under 25 and you were getting a reduced age-related Jobseeker's Allowance payment, you will get a new personal maximum BTEA rate of €160

Source: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/back_to_education/back_to_education_allowance.html#l62fd2[/QUOTE]
thanks, i just looked on there myself
now, time to get the finger out and see what damn course i want to do
TICK TOCK![/quote]

The CAO have a list of vacant places if you don't get the course in the college you want it might be listed on there