Fao Buenochico, Education Query

[piggynose]

Hi Chris, this is a bit of long one, but i´ll try to not drag it out.
I am seriously thinking about doing an Access Module course( this is aimed at mature students, wanting to enter university) I´m sure you knew this.
But it seems this can only be done in the UK, and not outside the UK. Anyway as i am currently living in Spain, I will have to go to the uk to do the course. After looking at the Open University website, it seems that its not that straightforward as i hoped. The course starts this October and lasts for 6 months. My worry is the palaver attached to the course, eg am i eligible for a discount or will i have to pay in full, and if i am more than likely to be staying in Airbnb accommodation will i have to pay council tax? Also there are different fees depending where you are going to study, eg England is more expensive than Scotland.
thanks in advance.

[AuntPollyGrey]

Well I can answer that if you are staying in an air B&B you will not be liable for Council Tax. Why will you need to live in the UK to do an online University course? have you no-one in the UK whose address you can use for registration?

[piggynose]

Hi APG, I asked the OU recruitment team if it was at all possible to do this course in Spain, they were adamant that it has to be done in the UK only.

[Buenchico]

Eek! The OU's website seems less than user-friendly for some things (especially when I've needed first to tell it that I'm in Spain and then later that I'm in England). However I agree that it seems that you can only take an access module while you're actually resident in the UK. What worries me though is that you might be required to provide a UK address when you register for the course, rather than simply when you start it. I think that you'll need to enquire about that at [email protected] .

It's not clear to me either what the requirement to be "registered on a qualification" (in order to study for free) actually means. Does it, I wonder, mean that you have to sign up to a 'full' OU course (to be taken after you've completed the access module) before you can be accepted onto the relevant module? (Again, I think that you'll need to email the OU about that if you're not already sure of the answer).

With regard to AirBnB though, any property that's available to let for 140 days or more in a calendar year is subject to business rates, so the property owner should pay such rates (rather than any occupier having to pay Council Tax). There's no limit upon how long you can stay in an AirBnB property except in any part of Greater London, where there's a 90-day limit.

[calmck]

My sister did an online OU course here in Portugal in late 2007 to 2010. Some exams she had to go to the embassy in Lisbon to take and also had to attend something in student accommodation in the UK. It did cost her more than it would if she was in the UK

[JimF]

"Well I can answer that"

Really? Wow! That's amazing! The OP clearly thinks that Chris is the only person on the entire site who can answer it!

[piggynose]

Sorry if i've got your back up jimf and to other abers. That wasnt my objective.

[JimF]

I find it extremely disrespectful when I see a post like this. It really does come across as if you think Chris (or whoever) is the only person on the site clever enough to Google the answer for you, since that's all he ever does.

[Peter Pedant]

blimey what a batch
good luck piggy
I did numba theory and fluid dynamics at the open uni 1985
and had a great time

[piggynose]

Ive apologised, but why do you feel the need to insult chris?

[tamborine]

OU courses allocate a local administrator who meets approx 4xpa & most work & contact is online after. There are discounts for OAPs. I did IT in 1998, making web sites. Maybe use a UK address to enlist & meet adminstrator then return to Spain for online work. Admin get paid for students so wont want to lose your income.

[THECORBYLOON]

You mean that CHRIS doesn't know loads of stuff but uses (gulp) Google???? Shock, horror....

I've never been put off from helping, just because a post is addressed to an named person.

[piggynose]

JimF, I would appreciate your help on this matter. If i end up doing the course in the uk, we might be neighbours because ive pencilled in Glasgow as my chosen place to stay.

[bednobs]

chris may well google stuff, but at least he doesn't just shove a link in but investigates the sources too.

[piggynose]

Too true bednobs. Its a shame that a certain person is keeping me in suspense.

[THECORBYLOON]

What's the name of the course you want to do?

[piggynose]

Thecorbyloon : Arts & Languages.