Education Maintenance Allowance

[Dante]

Mod Edit: Split from "Things That Annoy You"

EMA, and the people who receive it (in 6th form).

[Jamie]

EMA, and the people who receive it (in 6th form).

Ditto.

One of my friends gets it and he actually asked us all to lend him £300 to buy a new guitar. Apparently saving up 10 weeks is much too tough.

[Dante]

One of my friends' parents actually have a combined income of over 30K, but he gets it anyway, because they're divorced and he only gets to see his dad every weekend - which, apparently, means his dad can't possibly chip in for his education.

This is what I don't get: It can't be for education maintenance because there isn't any subject you can possibly take that requires £10+ a week, and it can't be an incentive to come to lessons because, well, this is sixth form and we're not that stupid.

[Stargirl]

what is that? is it like social security checks in the us?


people who are constantly asking you for stuff bug me, like there is this girl in my pe class who every day asks us for food, and it's not like she's poor or anything, she's just rude!

[Jaya]

Urgh, I don't understand why one of my "friends" gets EMA when her mum and step-dad BOTH work so they MUST be earning over 30k. Plus she always buys stuff and has new stuff and then tells me she has no money. I mean, I get that they might have less because there are 4 kids...but their household income CANNOT be that low...

[Stargirl]

WHAT ARE EMA's???

[Tomsy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_ ... _Allowance

It basically gives money to poor people who stay at school after GCSEs.

[Dante]

what is that? is it like social security checks in the us?

EMA = 'Education Maintenance Allowance'. If your combined nousehold income is less than £30,000 a year, you get paid essentially just for turning up to lessons. I think the amount your paid is £10, £20 or £30 depending on how much lower than 30 grand the income is. It's absolutely ~*iguana*~ ridiculous, the most useless waste of money I've heard of, and with what we're hearing all the time in the news it seems like the last the the government should be spending on. Like I said:

This is what I don't get: It can't be for education maintenance because there isn't any subject you can possibly take that requires £10+ a week, and it can't be an incentive to come to lessons because, well, this is sixth form and we're not that stupid.

And what's more, where's the incentive for people who don't get it?

[Stargirl]

oh so it's paid to people in university/college? ah ok.

[Starshade]

Not quite.
Try High School in American terms.

[Stargirl]

hm, ok well i'm just more confused then. oh well. i think i get it though.

[Jaya]

Seriously, and my friend was all 'Oh no, I got a C in my biology homework! I need good grades to keep getting EMA!'

HER ENTIRE CLASS GOT C. C is ~*iguana*~ good for your first piece of A Level homework! And she whined about worrying for AGES. ARGH.

(note: C isn't good in my school, but it was right at the start of the year so the teachers just wanted to scare people anyway)


You know what annoys me. My school. If you don't get As you're doing BADLY. If you're nto brilliant you're STRUGGLING. Really, I didn't hand in one french exercise and my french teacher sent a note to my tutor. Then she came and talked to me about how I'm 'coping' with year 12 and if everything was 'alright' at home and things....


EURGH.


My school

[Max]

what is that? is it like social security checks in the us?

EMA = 'Education Maintenance Allowance'. If your combined nousehold income is less than £30,000 a year, you get paid essentially just for turning up to lessons. I think the amount your paid is £10, £20 or £30 depending on how much lower than 30 grand the income is. It's absolutely ~*iguana*~ ridiculous, the most useless waste of money I've heard of, and with what we're hearing all the time in the news it seems like the last the the government should be spending on. Like I said:

This is what I don't get: It can't be for education maintenance because there isn't any subject you can possibly take that requires £10+ a week, and it can't be an incentive to come to lessons because, well, this is sixth form and we're not that stupid.

And what's more, where's the incentive for people who don't get it?

Yeah, what pisses me off is the assumption that because my father's income is over 30K they must give me ~£30 a week... which they certainly don't.

[Cookiemonster]

Yeah, what pisses me off is the assumption that because my father's income is over 30K they must give me ~£30 a week... which they certainly don't.

It's the same with university tuition fees - the support you get paying them is based on your parent's income; whether your parents intend to give you any of this income is irrelevant. Well, the amount of money I get from my parents in a year pays for approximately one third of the total tuition fees, and there's accomodation and food and everything else to pay for too. I'm very overdrawn this term and it's pissing me off.

[Ian]

My mother doesn't work, only my father. However, we're considerably over £30k (like by miles). However, I agree - people who go to sixth form want to be there. Why the hell should they get paid money for doing the same thing that I do. In fact, they basically just have to attend college. They don't even have to try very hard. How come, when I try really hard, I get nothing? I know I've just repeated everyone else, but it feels so unfair.

[Blossom]

*nods* especially when i know for a fact my friends EMA is used to fuel their drug habbits. It's not fair, if i had £10 a week i'd spend it wisely hah, yeah okay...

[Max]

Damn socialism eh!

[Jez]

Okay, just to step in here about the EMA... stop moaning all you rich folks! I get £10 EMA a week and it all goes on driving lessons. Without it, it's unlikely I'd be able to afford it - or my family, for that matter. EMA is also a good incentive to attend all the lessons at college, though I'd do that anyway.

Why is it unfair that the Government give a bit of extra money to families with low incomes? Obviously, it's harder for people with lower incomes to pay for stuff like driving lessons, university fees etc. Oh yeah, and the support you get for uni tuition fees. Equal opportunities people... cost is a big factor when you're applying for university and for me personally it's a relief that I won't have to pay the full university fee - it takes some pressure off my family who wouldn't be able to afford to support me anyway. I'm going to be in debt until I'm thirty five as it is...

[Ian]

Equal opportunities people... cost is a big factor when you're applying for university and for me personally it's a relief that I won't have to pay the full university fee - it takes some pressure off my family who wouldn't be able to afford to support me anyway. I'm going to be in debt until I'm thirty five as it is...

It's of course awfully equal and PC. Of course my parents are going to bank roll me through university because we're rich. Of course they're going to bank roll me through driving lessons and buy a car for me and get it insured, and if I fail my tests and exams, they'll bribe examiners to let me pass, and they're paying me £6 an hour to go to college. Of course, they take me to HMV and I get all the CDs I want as a reward for doing well at school and the chauffeur drives me to school everyday. Hell, they're so desperate to see me in school, that they use their vast and extensive riches to see to it that little Ian has lots of incentive to go to school.

Get real.

[Blossom]

Heh, the income based thing is a joke. I am having to pay for ALL of my uni fees myself. We may well earn over 30k, but we never see any of what my father earns and mum can't afford to give me money for uni. So if it wasn't for my grandfather's good sense to plan ahead, i'd be utterly screwed.