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Education & Financial Support
Question
Hello all.
I am currently employed fulltime and have been for -/+20 years.
I would like to return to education, but i'm slightly hesitant. The main woe being finances: how can I financially afford to take 2/3 years off to study without running into serious debt and how will I pay my rent/ electric/ food/ travel etc...
There must be an Agency Service or Citizens Advice Bureau here in Brussels that can properly advise me?
I was wondering could any of you advise on any entitlements or assistance I could obtain?
Maybe:
- Chomage
- Mature Student Grant
- living expenses during a study break?
- Benefits
I'm 38 years old.
Thank you kindly in advance for your help & assistance.
The problem with SophiaD's roundup is the assumption that you will be laid off. From your post this does not seem to be the case - you are looking for a way to resign and obtain benefits. That will not happen -at least not in full. The Belgian state takes a pretty dim view of those that voluntarily give up employment. If you can engineer being laid off then that's the "best" scenario. If resigning, for a long period you will receive nothing. After that, you will receive a minimum level of unemployment benefits.
If you've been working in the same place for 20 years, surely your best bet is to take an extended sabbatical. You will qualify for time credit for at least part of the study period. Ultimately, other people save for a long time to support ideas such as this, or work part time, or have a spouse who is capable of supporting them during the period.
SophiaD - pointing out the weaknesses of the original question or the difficulty of doing what the poster wants to do does not make people trolls.
Let's be clear even in the uk which is benifts happy comparatively there isn't a way to quit a job and seek retraining that's paid for like this. Things like grants are there but mostly aimed at disadvantage children who would be able to study and very strictly monitored these days maybe the brightest of the brightest get scholarships. They are few and far between and highly sought after.
As it's incredible vague what the questioner is qualified in and now seeks to retrain in the only other option is distance learning where one studies at home to obtain qualifications. This doesn't mean quitting your job but it is a massive commitment in time.
There is no way you are going to be able to take 2-3 years off work to study and be given benefits. It's doesn't work that way in Belgium. Won't happen. They are getting strict with those who are unemployed and pushing them to find jobs/work, so for someone to say "can't I take time off from work and just study and get benefits?" isn't being realistic. No one is "trolling" here. People are just being honest about the situation. Being truthful is helpful even if it is something that someone didn't want to hear. Justmeself, I suggest you work and take a light class load on the side.
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