BTEA Work Experience Summer Months Abroad

Bubblegum19

Hi,
I need some advice, im currently on age reduced BTEA. The college have reccomended that we go on work placement for the summer abroad if possible to help us get experience and get a good placement for our mandatory placement in 2nd year. I had a breif medting with them in the links office and explainec my situation. They will provide me with a letter stating it is better for me to go on placement this summer as it will be very hard to get anything in 2nd year if I dont go in the summer.

In spain your not paid, in the Canary islands your board and that is covered but I not sure if you are paid wages. If you ars not paid wages can you keep your btea in the summer?
If you are paid wages during the summer placement can you get back on btea the following september? There is a new rule now since last june that you have to "re establish" your jsa claim for summer and then get on btea for college. As far as I have researched you have to be getting jsa immediatly before you get btea.

Sorry my post is so confusing its just I really want to go abroad for placement and I need to get all the info I can, the links office dont really seem to know what the situation is with the btea.
Im thinking it would be better to go on work placement for free if i get my board and all that paid and keep the btea if they will allow it.

Anyone have experience of this? Helpful replys would be most welcome!

The Raptor

Is the summer work placement as part of the course? Thats what it sounds like to me.

So you might be finished classes in May but are you not continuing the course during the summer?

So is there a finish date at all? Do they still continue to send letters asking for finishing dates. Find out from the college and get a letter with the finishing date in September.

I know i had a course where i had to do work placement during the summer. It was all part of the course. We, technially only had a week after in September before we started again for the next year.

Bubblegum19

Well this summer is not mandatory but they "strongly reccomend" u go abroad this summer to ensure u get a good place for the mandatory place in 2nd year. They will provide a letter stating this but I doubt the socail welfare will see it that way if u get me.

The letter would need to state it is part of my course, this is true as if I dont get placement this summer it will b vry difficult to get a place for 2nd year.

Thank u for ur reply im really stuck

The Raptor

Bubblegum19 wrote: »

Well this summer is not mandatory but they "strongly reccomend" u go abroad this summer to ensure u get a good place for the mandatory place in 2nd year. They will provide a letter stating this but I doubt the socail welfare will see it that way if u get me.

The letter would need to state it is part of my course, this is true as if I dont get placement this summer it will b vry difficult to get a place for 2nd year.

Thank u for ur reply im really stuck

Well, that is a tough situation because all the rules is there in black and white which they follow.

You should go into the welfare office next week and find out. But that could be a wasted trip because its often a case that they pass you around and you don't get any help at all. If you have any free time, its worth a try.

Or if you were on jobseekers benefit and not allowance before the course, you get transferred back onto the same payment you were on before. They do allow people on jobseekers benefit to go abroad for three months to look for work. However, you won't be looking for work as you're on placement so I'm not sure how that will work.

Bubblegum19

It was allowance I was getting and im terrified of losing it as if I dont get btea thats the end of college for me. U are rite contacting them is pretty muvh pointless, im going 2 meet the links office im thinking if i get the board and all that paid for i may get 2 keep btea 4 the summer but its a long shot i wont get my hopes up

hdowney

By the way - the re-establish JSA thing is not new. I was on BTEA 10 yr ago now and I had to go back on JSA for the summer between years

Bubblegum19

Well it said its new, i think b4 this all u did was ring dem and tell them u were dne for the summer. Now from what I can see youbhave to fill out all the forms again ect. It def is a new rule its on citizen information website. I dont know why they brought it in

It wont let me post link or scrn shot jst google citizen info btea its under d heading 2015/2016

The Raptor

I would ask anyway because you wont know unless you ask and hope for the best.

But failing that, is there anywhere in Ireland you can do your placement instead? That may be your only option.

Bubblegum19

Ya I will meet with them in d links office and see wat d story is. I can but again I would b going against the rules for jsa as I would b "unavailable for work" they said in d links office abroad is the best option as it will help get a place for the mandatory placement in 2nd year. It would look much better on my application to. And tbh I would love to go to another country for experience il b long enough in Ireland. Its only 12 weeks of summer but still I would love it