EMA fopr those who dont know hwat it is its for students who are on a low income and need a little bit of extra money, it ranges from £10-£30 a week with bonuses of around £100.


I finished my first course last year at barnsley college and signed up for EMA for this year, started college and there was no sign of my money, so i rung them up and asked what had happened and guess what....it had got lost. So i had to wait a week for a new form. I rung up asked if there was any way of me getting money any sooner cause it was costing me a fiver a day bus fare. I told them they allready had my details nothing had changed except my dad was self employed, they kept ssaying he needed this card thing, so we checked it out, no such thing, rung them up twice more, nothing they could do.

I sent the form of two weeks ago and i want to know how friggin long it takes them to sort it out because im loosing 30 pound a week here that i need for bus fare....do you think there should be a quicker and easier way of doing this or what?

from fallen

You should be able to claim back payments. Speak to the person incharge of EMA at college and let them know of your problems and intentions. Keep filling in your forms and getting teachers to sign them and you should get a nice big payment once all this is sorted out.

Trust me, they wont hurry for no-one cos they're the ones handing you the money... Same old same I'm afraid.

Is there any way you can reduce the amount you have to pay in bus fares? Weekly/monthly pass? Student discount? It sounds like a lot of money each week to get to college.

What would you do if the EMA wasn't available? I think it's only recently that it's been available across the country, used to be just a few areas I believe.

This is my daughters second year at college. Last year she had to wait till November till her EMA was sorted out and got a nice big payment. This year though it started straight away as they had her details. The EMA only started a short while ago and is a pilot scheme for so many towns and cities. Really we are lucky that our students get this. Personally I think it's a good idea.

It started at least 2 years ago in Sheffield because I got it when I was doing my A-levels - first year they didn't have our details sorted in time so I was in the same situation. They do pay it all eventually though, so while you're struggling now, look forward to a nice big lump later on :)

My daughter has had 2 payments so far but is still owed some. I have to say that this is through no fault of the EMA department. The fault lies with Sheffield Colleges shambolic admin department! The students have to post their signed forms into a box each week and they supposedly get sent off. Except it doesn't seem as if they do!! My daughter says that most days the box is full of forms from the week before that haven't ben sorted. If the college sends them off late, the kids don't get their money. This seems really unfair. If it's not sorted out properly within the next week or so I am going to complain to the college. For students of families on a low income (such as ours) the money is essential for them for fares, equipment etc and they shouldn't lose out because the college can't get it's act together.

I must admit that my daughter hasn't had any problems at all. She puts her form in every Friday and it appears in her bank the following Thursday. If they don't get in signed, are off ill or don't hand it in on time, then the whole weeks EMA will be lost. She has had hers every week without fail since September. Castle College's admin don't seem to have any problems.

I'm curious - as the EMA is seen as 'essential' for some families, do you think you or your child would have been able to go to college if EMA did not exist?

If it is enabling people to go to college, who otherwise would not be able to afford to go - then I think it is a brilliant scheme.

If it is a great benefit to young people, perhaps they should be letting their local counsellor/MP know how much of a difference it has made - just in case someone somewhere decides it is not good value for money ...

EMA is not a pilot scheme. It was a polit scheme but as of sept 04 (IIRC) it became a natioanl one because it was so successful.

Wilf

EDIT: Whoops. See post below as to why edited. That'll teach me to try and be helpful :P

Were you a polit scheme indeed?....good for you!!!!

My lad is 18 with educational needs and goes to the new Hillsborough college 3 days per week. He has to pay £4 a day bus fares and cannot get any concession because he is 18. A weekly saver etc is not worth his while purchasing because to be honest he only uses the bus for college because the service is useless where we live.

When I was at college, EMA hadn't been invented. I alway miss out ;)

But I did get a bus pass so I could travel to college for free. IIRC the condition was that you had to live more than 2 miles from the college. This was in Rotherham so the rules may be different in Sheffield.

I do think EMA is great. I know of a couple of people who weren't able to finish college due to financial pressure.

I thinkk ema is great last year it helped out so much, and the bonus's was a great extra, i havent got any of those sheets that you post in the box at the college, because i was supposed to have been sent some and never received any, i didnt get them last year either but they still payed the money in.

I cant get a free bus pass but we passed ina photo and filled a form and college were supposed to get them us but suprise suprise no success there.

I think its great motivation as well as great help for kids i mean they can get payed to learn how great is that.

I still havent heard anything from them or got a payment and i have been at college for seven week now....

Fallen

Originally posted by feelinolder
My lad is 18 with educational needs and goes to the new Hillsborough college 3 days per week. He has to pay £4 a day bus fares and cannot get any concession because he is 18. A weekly saver etc is not worth his while purchasing because to be honest he only uses the bus for college because the service is useless where we live.

If times really are hard, you could apply for the Learner support fund. All your son has to do it go to the student services desk in Hillsborough (thats right in the middle of the building) and ask for the Learner Support Fund form. You fill it in and he might get a lump sum or an EMA type cash reward each week

If that isn't gonan happen (if he lives with you and your income is too high) then he can apply for something called the Adult Learning Grant (ALG)

I had ALG when I returned to college because it wsn't based of if you were living with your parents, it was instead based on the amnount of income you had lost by coming back into Full Time Education (FTE). If the drop due to FTE is more than 50% they should get 30 quid a week with it.

Hope all this helps!

Note that both these funds are like EMA in that you have to have 100% attendance and be signed off for a lesson each week before you get the money.

Unlike EMA you don't get a bonus for full termly attendance, sadly.

Now, onto the great EMA debate :D I like EMA, I really do, it is a proven success that works despite many people thinking those that stay in education to get it are simply going to be 'time wasters'.

What I have trouble with is that the means tested part creates a stigamtism about getting it sometimes. The amount of people who didn't want to get it because 'thats what the poor kids get' was worrying. I'm not saying do away with means testing, but I think it should be widened so that ALL can get EMA (even if it is to a small extent). That way, the stigma is removed from getting the form out or applying. No-one needs to knwo how much you are actually getting a week.

I also have an issue with how much it gives. £30 a week max is not enough, many students are still going to have to work on top of this. For me, if I wanted to get to college, have a social life and eat properly while at college. That would cost a LOT more than 30 quid. I reckon that my total cost ened up being

travel to college £7.50
food at college £15
Travel to socialise £7.50
Actual socialising (beer drinking) £15

So you can see I was already in a defecit of £15 on average. It was also shown in areas where the EMA pilot scheme where the amount peopel recieved was £40 that students were more likely to stay in FE, much more.

My final dig at the EMA system as it is is how it works with benefits. IF you're on EMA you cannot claim benefits for ANYTHING, this is the same for all FE based learner incentive schemes (learner support, ALG). How is a measly 30 quid going to encourage a teenage mother back into education? She could live on benefits and be much better off, in fact I highly doubt she could survive on £30. How is a person with a disability going to think when they find out they can't get EMA without losing their previous benefits they will get for sitting around doing nothing. It just isn't going to work unless you make the two compatible somehow.

If I've ranted, sorry. I just know EMA and FE policy all too well.

Wilf

arent they just back dating it for people who havent got the forms sorted and stuff yet? I was talking to a girl in one of my classes the other day who only started filling it in this week and they are backdating it to the beginning of the year for her...

why does it cost you a fiver every day for the bus.. thats a rite lot! even without a pass!

Personally i think EMA is a great idea. I didnt even nearly qualify for getting it last year, but I didnt have any problem with that cause living with my parents i really didnt need it. however, i am glad they decided to pay it me this year as i think that little bit extra will help a lot.

i am also having trouble with EMA ...my mum phoned up 6 weeks ago to ask for some forms to be sent to me, she phoned back today because i still haven't recieved any and they said that they would send some out but i will not be able to get it backdated :rolleyes:

What about the people who don't get EMA?

I am one of them and because of that i have to work 2 jobs to actually be able to afford to go to college and even then i am scraping by.

£30 still isnt enough but i do not see it as fair to give to one lot of people and not to others, why can't someone whose parents earn less get a job like me?

I think EMA should either be given to everyone or not given at all.

Also my friend gets money for supplies every term. In total this is what she gets
£30 weekly EMA
Termly bonuses of £100 (£300 in total)
Supply allowence £150 (£300 in total)

and what do i get?
£0

I do not get any money from my parents or any other support and i have to totally depend on my earnings to be able to go to college. Which in turn means my college work suffers..... all because my mam and dad worked hard for a living........how is that fair?

yeah Fallen when i was at Loxley Col last year i had a few mates who had the same trouble as you....

Tbh i think EMA is a waste of time, i mean i was on £11 a week, now cummon' it is 2005!!!! not 1885!! what was i supposed to buy with £11??? its ridiculous!!!

should have been more like £211 a week :hihi:

Originally posted by feelinolder
My lad is 18 with educational needs and goes to the new Hillsborough college 3 days per week. He has to pay £4 a day bus fares and cannot get any concession because he is 18. A weekly saver etc is not worth his while purchasing because to be honest he only uses the bus for college because the service is useless where we live.

Does he have an NUS card and use a First Bus? If so, he can get a student weekly saver for £10 from the bus driver. It saves him £2.00 at least, and if he wants to, he can use it the rest of the week if the need arises.

There are also monthly passes etc. which might cut down on the £12 a week you are spending. He might only use it for the three days but it's money that's all important.

It gets worse when you go to University and your student loan isn't paid on time :) You suddenly have to research into money saving ideas in every part of your life!