EMA

[Benji]

What with tuition fees "going up" to £9,000 a year one thing that I keep hearing in the news and on shows like Question Time are arguments that cuts to EMA and such things will hurt the poor and stop those most disadvantaged reaching the top. To me, it seems to be an argument made by adults and parents alike that have no actual experience of what it entails and what it's used for.

When I did A Levels, EMA was basically a free-money incentive for kids to stay on at school, when they knew full well they didn't want to stay. None had aspirations to go on to university and very few actually cared about the qualifications. I don't know a single person that got it, and used it for books, stationary or anything to do with education. For a start, even at the worst state schools they give you the text books you need. So what actually is the argument by people that complain about cuts to these kind of areas? Just throwing money at problems that actually lie with the mentality of (generally) state school kids solves absolutely nothing. It's something that's griped me ever since I was at sixth form especially when you'd have some kids even having the cheek to use loop holes such as self-assessment parents to get the full amount. And it was raised again by some idiot kid mouthing off on Question Time last night.

I'm honestly curious to know if anyone has had it or knows anyone that has/had it and used it for the right reasons?

[ScouseFox]

I get it, and apart from buying 3 textbooks for about £30 (one week of EMA) it's just used as a reason for me to not get a weekend job really.

However next year they're cutting this and scraping my free bus pass. Having to get 4 buses a day you're looking at about £20 a week on travel, which is what i'd be using my EMA for, but that's going as well. So this year it's been pointless and next year i'll need it but won't have it <_<

[Houdini Logic]

I remember when I was at school a number of people left because they wanted to earn some money to go out at the weekend or go shopping - I guess it could potentially keep them in school if they can study and still get a couple of bob? (though there's an argument for a part time job?)

Or maybe rather than shopping they need to help towards their household, especially at times like these?

Maybe they are even living by themselves and need it towards their own bills?

Maybe as part of their course they need to visit places or buy materials or purchase software?

Just a few ideas

[Haydos]

What with tuition fees "going up" to £9,000 a year one thing that I keep hearing in the news and on shows like Question Time are arguments that cuts to EMA and such things will hurt the poor and stop those most disadvantaged reaching the top. To me, it seems to be an argument made by adults and parents alike that have no actual experience of what it entails and what it's used for.

When I did A Levels, EMA was basically a free-money incentive for kids to stay on at school, when they knew full well they didn't want to stay. None had aspirations to go on to university and very few actually cared about the qualifications. I don't know a single person that got it, and used it for books, stationary or anything to do with education. For a start, even at the worst state schools they give you the text books you need. So what actually is the argument by people that complain about cuts to these kind of areas? Just throwing money at problems that actually lie with the mentality of (generally) state school kids solves absolutely nothing. It's something that's griped me ever since I was at sixth form especially when you'd have some kids even having the cheek to use loop holes such as self-assessment parents to get the full amount. And it was raised again by some idiot kid mouthing off on Question Time last night.

I'm honestly curious to know if anyone has had it or knows anyone that has/had it and used it for the right reasons?

I received it. £30 per week.

I can't really condone it, it helped pay for driving lessons I suppose and slightly towards bus fare/petrol money But it was still way more than I needed. I literally spent none on my education. It went on what I've mentioned and beer/clothes.

Should be scrapped in my opinion, or at the very least monitored.

[Houdini Logic]

I wish I lived back in the days when £30 was way more than I needed.

[Joe.]

EMA is absolute horse shit, ridiculous system that does completely the opposite of what it's supposed to do. £30 a week is quite a lot for somebody still in college to do absolutely nothing but turn up, and there was people like me working six hours a week still not getting that amount.

And they are very deluded if they think that money was being spent on educational use. I think it's good it's on its way out (or is it gone now?) - people have less of an incentive to stay on at school for the sake of it, and the kids that aren't entitled to it are back on the level playing field.

I hate it when I hear crap along the lines of the country letting down youngsters when it comes down to finding jobs and such, because from personal experiences in recent years I've seen first hand that there are a lot of lazy students that really cannot be bothered to get off their arses and look hard for one.

It also riles me when politicians feel the need to encourage more kids from "under-privileged backgrounds" to go to university. Anybody can go if they want to, regardless of financial position. Sure fees are going to be much higher soon, but it's not like you come out of university down shit creek because you can't pay off the debt straight away. And if you do happen to come from a low-income household, you get so much monetary help it's embarrassing.

[The Doctor]

never recieved it but i doubt i'd actually need it for education anyway.

[Benji]

I remember when I was at school a number of people left because they wanted to earn some money to go out at the weekend or go shopping - I guess it could potentially keep them in school if they can study and still get a couple of bob? (though there's an argument for a part time job?)

Or maybe rather than shopping they need to help towards their household, especially at times like these?

Maybe they are even living by themselves and need it towards their own bills?

Maybe as part of their course they need to visit places or buy materials or purchase software?

Just a few ideas

All taken. Travel is one thing I can understand, especially if for catchment area reasons you're pushed to a sixth form not within a reasonable distance. But that would I'd have thought apply to the minority.

I don't deny there are exceptional circumstances where people genuinely need a bit of help while they try to get extra qualifications. But the blanket system that was in place was frankly a joke. The majority of those can be solved by a part time job, be it weekends or nights. Especially since most colleges give "study" periods galore for A Levels nowadays.

[Houdini Logic]

All taken. Travel is one thing I can understand, especially if for catchment area reasons you're pushed to a sixth form not within a reasonable distance. But that would I'd have thought apply to the minority.

I don't deny there are exceptional circumstances where people genuinely need a bit of help while they try to get extra qualifications. But the blanket system that was in place was frankly a joke. The majority of those can be solved by a part time job, be it weekends or nights. Especially since most colleges give "study" periods galore for A Levels nowadays.

Agree - they didn't have EMA when I was at college but the college did give out grants each term to those who applied and needed it. Then again with the general administration of means testing it may work out cheaper to just give it to everyone!

Despite our personal opinions though, it must be doing something right being that a number of leading ecoonomists have come out and said that it should stay as it will pay for itself.

[Bugg]

Costs me £15 per week on the bus, add that to the fact that I had to pay quite a bit for the tools and books at the start of my course and my £30 a week is gone pretty quickly.

[ajthefox]

Totally agree with Joe.

Everyone who got it that I knew just spent it on stuff completely unrelated, driving lessons, clothes and getting drunk really. At college, there are barely any costs educationally. I payed £30 for a calculator but I didn't actually need that one, a graphic one would of sufficed. That's it.

We didn't have to buy text books although that could be different for some.

The only regular weekly cost is travel, but just because you're under priveleged doesn't mean you should get free money to go to school. My parents chose to live close to my college and someone elses didn't, finance has fvck all to do with that.

[lcfc_jme]

I got full EMA when I was at college but it was actually useful for stuff I needed for college and food when I was there (was at college in Loughborough starting at 9am and not getting home 'til gone 6:30). I also worked weekends whilst I was at college as well, so it's not like I was relying on EMA to enable me to go out and get hammered all the time / buy me clothes / pay for driving lessons or days out. But then again, I worked 3 days a week and paid tax during my 1st year of uni as well. I'll admit that the majority did know how to play the system, though, and use it for non-education related things.

One thing I will say, though, is the idea that being from a low-income household gets you "so much monetary help it's embarrassing" is certainly not true in my case. I'm lucky I've had a small bit of money saved up to be honest 'cos my next loan (my last ever uni loan) is entirely wiped out by my next rent installment.

EDIT: Thinking about it, I'm not sure whether my bus pass was free because of how far away I lived from college or whether there was a small charge on it. Travelling on a bus there was an absolute nightmare, though.

[syston_fox]

When I was at school we didn't receive it but if you lived more than a certain distance away (pretty much reasonable walking distance), you got either a free / cheaper bus pass for certain times of the day. Made much more sense than just giving out £30 right left and centre.

[Houdini Logic]

Totally agree with Joe.

Everyone who got it that I knew just spent it on stuff completely unrelated, driving lessons, clothes and getting drunk really. At college, there are barely any costs educationally. I payed £30 for a calculator but I didn't actually need that one, a graphic one would of sufficed. That's it.

We didn't have to buy text books although that could be different for some.

The only regular weekly cost is travel, but just because you're under priveleged doesn't mean you should get free money to go to school. My parents chose to live close to my college and someone elses didn't, finance has fvck all to do with that.

Yes it does

[ajthefox]

Yes it does

Probably phrased that a little wrong.

You should get funding, but not money you don't actually need to pay for school, and EMA as it stands in most cases now, is that.

[Benji]

I got full EMA when I was at college but it was actually useful for stuff I needed for college and food when I was there (was at college in Loughborough starting at 9am and not getting home 'til gone 6:30). I also worked weekends whilst I was at college as well, so it's not like I was relying on EMA to enable me to go out and get hammered all the time / buy me clothes / pay for driving lessons or days out. But then again, I worked 3 days a week and paid tax during my 1st year of uni as well.

Fair play to you. Clearly if you work part time and still require the help from EMA then it's doing its job and there exist the kind of circumstances I talked about above. The gripe to me is that unfortunately its now some kind of political weapon used by people that don't seem to realise that from my experience and from the looks of it most others, the majority:

I'll admit that the majority did know how to play the system, though, and use it for non-education related things.

Surely there's another way

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

There are good and bad points about EMA, but it was a flawed sysytem.

Though to be honest I'm sick of hearing about students and fees, etc.

[Ozwin]

I abused it to shit, booze, games, mcdonalds and all sorts. I wish I'd put it towards driving lessons or something now though.

[Joe.]

I got full EMA when I was at college but it was actually useful for stuff I needed for college and food when I was there (was at college in Loughborough starting at 9am and not getting home 'til gone 6:30). I also worked weekends whilst I was at college as well, so it's not like I was relying on EMA to enable me to go out and get hammered all the time / buy me clothes / pay for driving lessons or days out. But then again, I worked 3 days a week and paid tax during my 1st year of uni as well. I'll admit that the majority did know how to play the system, though, and use it for non-education related things.

One thing I will say, though, is the idea that being from a low-income household gets you "so much monetary help it's embarrassing" is certainly not true in my case. I'm lucky I've had a small bit of money saved up to be honest 'cos my next loan (my last ever uni loan) is entirely wiped out by my next rent installment.

EDIT: Thinking about it, I'm not sure whether my bus pass was free because of how far away I lived from college or whether there was a small charge on it. Travelling on a bus there was an absolute nightmare, though.

One of my mates gets about £2,000 every time his loan comes in (three times a uni year), and around £1,000 on top of that in grants every time. I understand some people need extra help, I have no issues with that, but some of this money is just excessive and not particularly justifiable.

[Jon the Hat]

I got full EMA when I was at college but it was actually useful for stuff I needed for college and food when I was there (was at college in Loughborough starting at 9am and not getting home 'til gone 6:30). I also worked weekends whilst I was at college as well, so it's not like I was relying on EMA to enable me to go out and get hammered all the time / buy me clothes / pay for driving lessons or days out. But then again, I worked 3 days a week and paid tax during my 1st year of uni as well. I'll admit that the majority did know how to play the system, though, and use it for non-education related things.

One thing I will say, though, is the idea that being from a low-income household gets you "so much monetary help it's embarrassing" is certainly not true in my case. I'm lucky I've had a small bit of money saved up to be honest 'cos my next loan (my last ever uni loan) is entirely wiped out by my next rent installment.

EDIT: Thinking about it, I'm not sure whether my bus pass was free because of how far away I lived from college or whether there was a small charge on it. Travelling on a bus there was an absolute nightmare, though.

Sound to me like you were committed to going to college, and that you would have spent your earnings on the stuff you needed had it been necessary, rather than on going and and buying clothes etc. So the EMA might not in fact have been what made it possible to go to college, but rather the fact you were willing to work part time is what made it happen?

[Cat Burger]

Don't know any kids that use it properly in the school I teach at. It's a shit system that can be misused by so many...

[lcfc_amie]

I get it. I get £20 a week.

Don't really spend too much of it on school stuff though to be honest - i think i've bought one text book with it over the 2 years i've been getting it.

The rest i'm trying to save up for uni. Though probabaly if it wasn't for my EMA i might not have been able to get next seasons season ticket.

My excuse is it lets you have a social life, while still being able to pay for books etc..

But being honest - i would have easily got through college without it!

[Webbo]

My daughter starts sixth form next school year and we're disappointed that she won't get EMA now. I understand why it's been stopped though.

[Dylan]

I'm someone that'd miss out, rather annoying

Being in a position of not being well-off, the money would help me much more with bus costs (probably around £7 a week), and food whilst at college (at least £10 a week). Starting college, you wouldn't want to rely on your parents for money for bus/dinner anymore (IMO anyway), but cutting EMA completely makes this very hard. And finding a part-time job isn't the easiest, especially if you've got 1000's of students a year looking for one.

A cut in what people get would've been better, maybe even raising earning thresholds, but cutting it will affect many imo.

[Jackirius]

EMA system has so many flaws it's unbelievable. I don't get it but i know a guy at college whos dad has a brand new aston martin and must be a millionaire and gets £30 a week somehow, whereas the people which really need it get the same or less.