TUS scheme

jimmyjamjello

Hi I just received a letter in the post tat I have been selected to take part in the TUS scheme and I have been on Jobseekers Allowance for 12 months .

Firstly, I do not wish to do this as I have a secured place on a level 8 course in a college which will start this September and then apply for Back to Education. My question is, do I have to do this TUS scheme and is having a place in college a valid reason to decline this TUS offer and not affect my weekly Jobseeker Allowance?

wokingvoter

jimmyjamjello wrote: »

Hi I just received a letter in the post tat I have been selected to take part in the TUS scheme and I have been on Jobseekers Allowance for 12 months .

Firstly, I do not wish to do this as I have a secured place on a level 8 course in a college which will start this September and then apply for Back to Education. My question is, do I have to do this TUS scheme and is having a place in college a valid reason to decline this TUS offer and not affect my weekly Jobseeker Allowance?

Can't you do the TUS scheme until it time to go to college? What did you intend to do between now and September ?

jimmyjamjello

I am worried that doing this will affect my chances of receiving Back to Education, and I have been Job hunting with no luck and interning and volunteering at a number of business's/corporations in order to gain experience for better chances in acquiring suitable employment.

Immaculata

As far as I know, you need to be receiving a qualifying social welfare payment for the 9 months immediately preceding your studies to qualify for the back to education allowance. So if you do the TUS placement, you will be removed from the live register and you won't be eligible for the back to education allowance. However, if you don't co-operate with TUS, your social welfare payment will probably be cut or removed completely. It's tricky.

I'm not an expert in these matters, but what I would do if I were in a similar situation is reply to the TUS letter, go along to the TUS interview, and explain the situation to the interviewers. They do report back to the social welfare department staff, but they don't work directly for them, and as the whole point of TUS is to give people a way back into employment via a work placement, they will probably be reasonable and not select you for an actual TUS placement if you bring along evidence of your acceptance of your college place and ideally evidence that you're looking for work too. The TUS interviewers I have met have been intelligent and helpful. So you should be okay, although unfortunately I can't guarantee it.

If you check this page on the BTEA, it does say that being on a TUS placement can count towards the qualifying period for BTEA providing you have established an entitlement to a qualifying social welfare payment immediately before you start your course of study. A trip to the social welfare office to clarify that clause might be wise.

Another thing would be check if you are eligible (even if you do end up doing the TUS placement) for any other grants or supports, so that you could have a payment that would enable you to take up your place in September without the back to education scheme.

Sorry I can't be of more help. Good luck.

wicklow eoin

Your time on Tùs, won't stop you getting back to education in September. I did it last year and left to return to college you have to do it about 3 weeks out.