Even though she could have gone to college at 18, Andrea stayed in Stoke and got married to a local lad… More than 10 years later, she was a divorced single mum, working in a call centre, and fed up with her life. She hadn't really considered going back in to education, but a colleague at the call centre where she worked persuaded her she should think about becoming a mature student. After putting it off with a load of excuses, when Andrea did finally talk to Staffordshire University, they welcomed her with open arms and she enrolled to study an English degree. Andrea also discovered she was better off while she was at college than when she had been working full time - thanks to grants, loans, bursaries, help with child care, and part-time work. 3 years later Andrea finished her course with a first - and won the Andrew Poynton Memorial Prize for outstanding achievment from Staffordshire University. Andrea has now moved on to teacher training, and is looking forward to her new career! Andrea's Story
 Ìý >
Audio and Video links on this page require Realplayer
|
If someone had asked me five years ago if I was looking forward to the rest of my life, I would have thought they were making fun of me. However, I recently gained a first class honours degree in English and in September I start a teacher training course at Manchester Metropolitan University. Some days I have to pinch myself because I think the last three years have all been a dream. If anyone suffered from being stuck in a rut, it was me. I always got good academic results at school, but a desperate desire to earn money coupled with a series of bad life choices meant I spent twelve dissatisfied years working in local factories before I eventually took my redundancy in 2001. I hoped that a new career in the service sector would be more fulfilling than working on an assembly line. However, I quickly realized that an office environment suited my personality even less than a factory and I was simultaneously dealing with the reality of life as a lone parent following a divorce. All I could foresee for the future was endless monotony and financial hardship. Then I met a man who provided the catalyst for me to alter the course of my life. My work colleague Danny had taken voluntary redundancy to pursue a degree at Staffordshire University. As Danny discussed his experiences as a mature student, he systematically undermined all my excuses for not returning to study. He managed to convince me that I was neither too old nor too thick and that there would be financial help available so that I could pay my bills. I eventually concluded that what I really feared was failure, the chance that I might not have the ability to complete the course, but looking at my life, I thought ‘I really have nothing to lose and everything to gain’. From the prospectus Danny brought for me, I made a phone call to Staffs University and arranged a meeting. They confirmed that my qualifications were more than adequate and allayed many of my fears. I enrolled in September of 2003 and loved university life immediately. The course was hard work but very satisfying and I have say that I would do the course for enjoyment even if I did not gain a qualification from it. I have met such a variety of people at Staffs 99 percent of whom have been lovely and I have many lasting friendships. Staffs is like a second home to me and I feel terribly sad about leaving. Getting a first was more than I could have dreamed of and then being awarded the Andrew Poynton prize for outstanding achievement in English was a massive honour. I wish I had done it ten years ago and if I had realised how much help there is available I would have done. The problem is the funding for return to study is not given enough publicity. As a mature student I qualified to have my fees paid, get a student loan, parent learning allowance, free school meals for my son, help with childcare cost, prescriptions. Additionally having a brilliant boss and working for a company offering flexible working hours meant I managed to work part-time throughout my course. In fact during my university years, I was far better off than I was before. I now make it my mission to publicise how much help there is available so others can get out of their own ruts and go for their dreams. I truly believe there is no such word as can’t and I am looking forward to teaching ordinary kids and spreading the message, especially to working-class kids like I was that they could be whatever they want to be. I am living proof that although this is still not an equal society, if you want something bad enough and are prepared to work for it you can do it. | 
