College Fees

RE: College Fees

therainyj — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 20:47:15 GMT

[quote user="enigmaticat-uk"]Much like yourself I qualified via the NVQ route - with the aim of qualifying so I could work as a VN. I'm curious what the purpose of spending more time/money on something which is essentially seen as equivalent in terms of the job you can do.[/quote]

From personal experience some countries overseas will not accept the NVQ qualification, also if you wanted to teach (depending on level etc), go into industry or a non-veterinary job you might find it harder without a degree. You also might not. But these are some issues I've come across as an NVQ qualified nurse.

For what it's worth I think the British standard of training is exceptional, whichever route you take to become an RVN.

-therainyj

RE: College Fees

Ann McAleer — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 20:12:36 GMT

The reason why I have went this route is that I have got my foot in the door with a local college (which is in the Republic of Ireland, I live on the border) by helping supervise large practical classes and taking the odd module. This college has a BSc (hons) year which is a Level 8 in their classifications) and I was told that it would not be appropriate to have someone who has qualified with a NVQ (Level 5 in ROI) teach a BSc (hons) year. It was also mentioned that if anyone applied for the same job as me but with a higher qualification then obviously they would be more likely to get it. The DipAVN would leave me with a Level 7 so I would still have to go on to do more if I want to teach in this college.

I really want to get into teaching. I know it is not an easier job than being in practice nursing but the money is far better and the holidays are brilliant. I feel that I have sacrificed a social life and my quality of life to do this job. So any way to still be involved in nursing and have a better personal life would hopefully be worth it. My little experience in the classroom as a lecturer I have enjoyed so much. I am told that I am quite enthusiastic about nursing and it helps motivate the students.

Anyones thoughts on this will be warmly welcomed as I would love other nurses points of view on this

Thanks A

RE: College Fees

Nicola Smith — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 17:02:57 GMT

Just checked - it's 9% of your earnings over 21000.

RE: College Fees

Nicola Smith — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 17:00:36 GMT

I did my top up after dip avn as was only a few extra modules. For many it opens up other options - research positions etc often look for a hons degree, or if you are looking to move career you have a degree which can open up some routes into other careers.

The amount you pay back is a percentage of what you earn over the threshold which I'm sure is about 21-22000. If you look on the student loans pages it gives you a detailed breakdown of how repayments are calculated but if you don't earn the minimum amount you don't pay anything back.

RE: College Fees

enigmaticat-uk — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 16:33:06 GMT

Apologies for not answering your question (I have no idea of the answer) but your query made me wonder why do the BSc (hons)? Much like yourself I qualified via the NVQ route - with the aim of qualifying so I could work as a VN. I'm curious what the purpose of spending more time/money on something which is essentially seen as equivalent in terms of the job you can do. Wouldn't it be more advantageous to spend that time/money on doing the DipAVN instead?

I'm not having a dig - I'm genuinely curious as the BSc (hons) course didn't exist when I trained.

RE: College Fees

Ann McAleer — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 19:44:46 GMT

With the student loan, how much a month do you pay back when you start paying back? Is it a percentage of your wages or off your loan balance? I'm sorry, I am so naive to all this as my boss paid my course fees when I did the NVQ.

RE: College Fees

Nicola Smith — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 19:41:25 GMT

I got a student loan for my top up - they do or did do loans for part time courses - I graduated 2015 so not long ago. There were a few on my course who had student loans. You don't start paying back till the April after you graduate and only when you earn over a certain amount.