Can i work full time and attend uni full time?

I'm considering starting the Primary Education with QTS - BA (Hons) course at Birmingham City University, this is a full time 3 year course. I live on my own and therefore have to pay bills etc. When you attened university full time, is this a 9-5 thing? what does attending university full time actually look like? how possible is it to work 30 hours a week at the same time? The reason I want to do this course is I would qualify with QTS (qualified teacher status) and be able to start my career as a Primary School Teacher straight away.

I'm considering starting the Primary Education with QTS - BA (Hons) course at Birmingham City University, this is a full time 3 year course. I live on my own and therefore have to pay bills etc. When you attened university full time, is this a 9-5 thing? what does attending university full time actually look like? how possible is it to work 30 hours a week at the same time? The reason I want to do this course is I would qualify with QTS (qualified teacher status) and be able to start my career as a Primary School Teacher straight away.

I don't know much about teaching courses but I am financing a second degree at the moment and thought I'd make some helpful suggestions.

Have you considered deferred entry and using the interim year to save as much funds as possible? Researched trusts/grants available? There's always hardship funds too, if things get really rough!

Also, have you considered renting a room from 'spareroom.com'? I was renting a room a couple of years ago in East Lothian, Scotland with a private bathroom & shared access to kitchen/garden etc from an elderly woman for £80pw all bills included. Much cheaper than maintaining a flat alone or student accomodation!

You should be able to find a rough timetable on the university website to get an estimate of your contact hours & plan shifts around this. ALSO if you work more than 16 hours per week you would qualify for working tax credits if over the age of 25.

Hope this helps!

It's definitely not 9-5. Lectures and seminars are scheduled at different times depending on the university and the course. While you may not have many contact hours a week, the "full time" element comes from the independent study you are expected to do so while its probably possible to fit a full time job around scheduled lectures, you also need time for reading material, revision, essay writing etc. I have not tried myself but I really would not recommend 30 hours of work with full-time study. Either a part-time job or part time study. Could you get a job in a primary school as a TA? I'm not sure what qualifications you need for that but I have seen similar jobs that only require A levels. The salary may not be great but it would be relevant work experience that makes you more employable and many such roles are flexible and allow you to work certain days of the week (if you have a day free of timetabled lessons).

Hi,

I am doing a Primary Teaching with QTS course at Kingston Uni - in my third year now. I honestly would say you will not be able to work full-time whilst doing this degree, I can only say from my experience though as I did not go to Birmingham City Uni. I was in about 4 days a week in first year (the majority being full days, so usually 9-4 or 10-3), so I wouldn't commit to a full-time job until you have received your timetable really. You will obviously have placement throughout the course as well, which is full time too (8-5 you are expected to be there for). Sometimes this is spread out over the year, so one week in October, one week in December, and then usually a small block of 4 weeks in March or so. However, sometimes it is 6 weeks or more in one whole block, therefore it is really hard to judge when you will be in uni and when you will be off.

Primary Teaching is a full-time course, therefore I personally think you will have a lot on your plate already. I did not have time for even part-time work in first year as there were so many assignments to do etc. But as I say, each uni is different, but I would not commit to a full-time, or even part-time, job until you have your timetable as you don't want to put more pressure on yourself since degrees are intense anyway.

You will receive your maintenance loan, which should help to cover any costs. Your uni may also offer a bursary for first year students, so look into that. You may also be able to claim extra help from the uni or government as you would be living on your own.

If you need to work to pay bills, then that is fine, but make sure you have enough time to relax as well because uni can be very tiring at times. The only other option would be weekend work, part-time. But as I said, remember you will have essays to write too.

Hope you enjoy the course though, It's a great experience and I am looking forward to starting my career now as it has gone so quickly!

Hope I have helped.

Verity

Thank you very much for your insight this has given me a lot to think about! Congrats on making it to the third year and best of luck with your career, hopefully I will be in a similar position in a few years, but I certainly need to plan how I will complete my studies and survive in the meantime lol. Currently looking into financial support I might be eligible for. Thanks again and best of luck