Hi all,

I'm not sure if it is ok to start this thread as I have the same moan on my Blog But only had a few responses ( new to this)

Anyhow here is the moan. 

I'm part of a student body currently coming to the end of 2nd year BSc (Hons) Social Work programme was interested if any other students are as frustrated as us . After our 3 month placement a lot of students were extremely financially out of pocket, due to having to pay travel expenses (bus fares, parking, tolls and mileage costs) to solely fulfill the expectations of their role for example, home visits to service users and attending training courses. Our concern is that we have a 6 month placement in year 3 and feel some agencies who offer students placements are not contributing towards the travel costs incurred whilst carrying out their duties.We also have no input to where we go on placement so it is pot luck whether we are given support or not.It would be interesting to know if other students are experiences the same issues as we are.

I've never heard of that! The GSCC bursary includes £500 per year towards travel to and from your placement. All of the students on my course can claim their travel expenses incurred doing work within the placement during the day from the placement themselves. That's all of the students, those in statutory, voluntary and independent agencies so I find that strange that your area is so different?!

Unfortunately for me, housing benefit doesn't accept that the bursary includes £500 towards travel and sees it as income so they deduct that from my HB so it pays my rent instead .. nuff said

I have just finished my placement, within the voluntary sector and was lucky enough to be able to claim back my travel expenses, which wasn't much as I have a student oyster card!!!  but nevertheless very useful!! 

We are asked to fill in a form for placements but have no input where we finally go.  On two of my placements, I had to take trains and buses and all in all spent 3 hours a day travelling to and from placements!  Yep not ideal but my downfall for not having taken my driving test all them years ago!!  specially as it was soooo much cheaper!

Hello I had the same experience. It took me an hour to get to placement and an hour back. I was at a statutory placement in Children and Young People's Service and wasnt paid for anything. I did plenty of visits and training courses too. I did get a work mobile though

Where was your placement? 

Hi,

I have just recieved a letter from the NHS bursary people stating that they are reviewing the situation with regards to the £500 as they are aware that this is unfair to many students, unfortunately any changes will not come into effect until sep 2009 by which time I, like you, will have qualified. I think it is unfortunate timing on our part as I know the year above us were able to claim their travel expenses back from the GSCC.

My placement organisation didn't offer to pay my travel expenses and as I a voluntary organisation which I know were struggling for money I didn't feel it right to ask. I'm just hoping my next placement will not be too far away!!

Hi Lisa,

The new set up you quoted is nothing to do with placement travel while in placement. At the moment the £500 is a set amount given to all students towards the travel costs of their travel between their home and their placement each day (not travel incurred while at work/placement). The reason that they say this is unfair is that when people apply to uni they apply to uni on the basis that they know how far they will need to travel each day between where they live and where they will study, whereas you could be placed in placement miles away. For some people they could be offered a placement near where they live so the £500 contribution in the bursary means they are quids in, whereas others could be placed miles away and £500 nowhere near covers it. So the new variable payment will mean payments are made in accordance to how much travel you actually have to do.

This thread was all about travel made in placement work hours and who pays for that. So a different issue entirely. In my area the placement will pay for all travel costs incurred by students who are working for them (after all if this work were carried out by a 'real' employee they would be paying wouldn't they) but it seems other employers don't. Seems totally unfair to me.

Hi BBHG,

I am aware that the thread was regarding travel expenses occurred whilst on placement but as the previous two replies had mentioned expenses getting to and from placement I thought they might find the information regarding the review of the £500 interesting! 

Hi Lisa

I agree with you as alot of the students on our course had to travel in an excess of 120 miles per day just to get to and from placement where others could walk. Very unfair.

As part of a student body we are intrested in all aspects of placemets. I also think it is unfair we are the first year to suffer the full fees

A couple of years ago the GSCC changed it so that you had to claim your travel expenses after your placement.  That was obviously frustrating because you had to pay it yourself initially, but it was fair in terms of the fact that everyone got back what they had paid out.

In my placements I had one which I had to get two buses to, and then also go out to visit service users, which often involved another bus, and my second one was quite close to my house, and I paid for a year's bus pass which was a lot cheaper than paying every day, plus it lasted me twice as long as my placement was.

Something does need to be done about the travel expenses, some people at my uni had to pay to go to the Isle of Wight every day for their placement, which cost them ridiculous amounts of money.  One year there were delays with bursery payments as well, so everyone had to pay that for weeks before they even got any money from the GSCC for that year.