Hi,
Great thread, it's interesting to read everyone's experiences. I was hoping people could help give me some advice.
I've been looking at a few different courses that appeal to me the two basic ones that I need to decide on are Film & TV which I have an interest in and Science which after being diagnosed with Colitis and doing a lot of research to get well got me interested in this area. But the things that worry me the most are how to actually live while doing these courses.
How do people manage to finance themselves? I mostly do temp work after being made redundant last year and at the moment I'm on JSA which for some courses would take away most of the cost, but obviously I can't claim JSA while doing a course(as far as I know). I've asked the agencies I usually work for and they have been very negative about the possibility of finding part time work to fit around a course(though they say they could find full time work during breaks). I have bills that need to be paid and the travelling and materials cost of the course so as much as I want and need(employment wise) to do an access course I'm struggling to see how I can. So how do people manage?
Also some courses I like the look of need me to have some GCSE grade that I don't have. I'm thinking that maybe I wait a year save up some money, if the work is available, and do some GCSE's in the evening. My only hesitation is the fact I'm almost 36 and feel I need to get a move on and feel frustrated if I have to wait another year to get started.