Centrelink & study?

**~clover~** · May 5th, 2014, 01:22 PM

I'm wanting to enrol in a business admin course online, through SEEK learning. The enrollment fee is over $2000.

Can you still get an exemption through centrelink to do tafe courses? If you can, how does this work?

If not my other option is to consider a Diploma of Practice Management ($7925), which has a lot of admin involved, & apply for VET FEE-HELP, which is set up like HECS. I'll pay it back once I earn over $51 000.

Any advice?

**briggsy's girl** · May 5th, 2014, 03:18 PM

Centrelink won't pay the fees for your course. You might be able to get cheaper fees using pension or health care card (you'd have to doesn't to coordinator for course). You may be eligible for more heavily subsidised child care through centrelink

**~clover~** · May 5th, 2014, 03:32 PM

You used to be able to have enrolment fee's covered by an exemtion for approved courses. I guess they've stopped that?
There's no child care here, so can't apply for JET. I'm only intending to do online part time. No tafe etc near me either to do anything on campus, has to be at home.
I'm leaning more towards the diploma now anyway.

**LimeSlice** · May 5th, 2014, 07:52 PM

Go the FEE HELP option. It will only cover your fees, not any text books or equipment.

**briggsy's girl** · May 5th, 2014, 08:15 PM

C'link haven't covered the cost of courses for at least the past 10 years. There are institutions that will reduce/waive upfront fees for holders of concession cards. it's not something that c'link cover though.

I'd probably personally go the FEE HELP option - there are a lot of courses out there that sound fantastic but cost an arm and a leg, and don't necessarily get you much recognition - some of the certificates, in terms of employability, aren't worth the paper they are written on. Long term, i would think the Diploma would be better in terms of recognition and employability

**~clover~** · May 5th, 2014, 08:23 PM

See, I last did a tafe course back when I was 16/17. I had no idea they didn't do that anymore. When I finally get the kids to bed I'll look into the diploma more.

**briggsy's girl** · May 5th, 2014, 08:30 PM

You may find that tafe waive the fees if you have a concession card. But not all courses do that.

**~clover~** · May 5th, 2014, 09:55 PM

Ok. Well the person I spoke to about it from seek knew nothing, so I'm assuming that's because they don't.
Maybe if I did it through tafe they would? But I didn't see an option for online learning or being in WA through tafe. That's how I ended up getting in touch with seek.

**xXHopeXx** · May 6th, 2014, 08:41 AM

Have you looked up OTEN? I've gone through them a few times, and they're pretty much entirely online, and you email your assignments in through their website, or you can post them in. It's a division of TAFE, so you would be able to get the concessions/exemptions if you get centrelink benefits.
The fee for the courses was $0 for the actual course if it's the first of the year ($50 for every course after that) and a $50 handling fee for materials as they often send out CDs with materials and also paperwork.

I found OTEN awesome! You don't have deadlines for assignments, and you can take everything at your own pace, you can finish a course in 3 weeks or 3 years if you really wanted! (You'd just have to keep paying the necessary fees if it's relevant obviously lol)

Eta - as for the actual exemption, you just tell them when you're extolling, and give them your centrelink details on the enrolment form, they check it all, and if it matches then hey presto it's done

**Em_325** · May 6th, 2014, 10:42 AM

Ok. Well the person I spoke to about it from seek knew nothing, so I'm assuming that's because they don't.
Maybe if I did it through tafe they would? But I didn't see an option for online learning or being in WA through tafe. That's how I ended up getting in touch with seek.

I don't know about your exact course but I'm doing an online business course through TAFE in WA. I'm with Polytechnic West so maybe check them out as they may offer the course you are looking for. Also Seek learning are very expensive. My last qual I did was quoted as $4000 through them and $700 through TAFE

**BlackCat** · May 6th, 2014, 10:50 AM

I looked up OTEN last night for business admin and found it said the following under the fee details for the specific course. So that might take that out of the options for you?

Due to a policy change on 1 July 2013 enrolling students must have a NSW residential address or be employed within NSW to be eligible to access government subsidised training places in TAFE NSW. For full details of this new policy click here.

I also found Government of WA, Department of Training and Workforce Development
which half way down lists a 'course search' which when you type in business admin brings up all your options through TAFE WA of those a couple seem to offer external study and possibilities of reduced fees. You have to do some clicking through to find the info you want though.

HTH and good luck!

**~clover~** · May 6th, 2014, 12:51 PM

Thanks BlackCat. That explains a bit more what I was reading yesterday. I didn't have enough time to sit & go further into it though.

Em_325, will look into that! Thank you

Googling Tafe really only brings up TAFENSW, so I started to wonder if it was even available over here, or if it had another name. I knew it had to be out there somewhere.

I will get some house work done & try have another search in a little while, because I won't have the time again from 2pm today, til around 2pm tomorrow & the person from SEEK is calling back Thursday for my decision.

Everything in WA is just that little bit harder!!

**~clover~** · May 6th, 2014, 01:11 PM

Procrastination at it's best... Just emailed Polytechnic West for info. See how we go

**Em_325** · May 6th, 2014, 02:45 PM

I hope it all works out for you! If you need the names of the other WA TAFES they are all listed here http://http://www.eti.wa.edu.au/your-study-options/study-at-tafe/tafe-institutes

**~clover~** · May 6th, 2014, 03:37 PM

Thanks heaps

**Marley&Me** · May 6th, 2014, 05:51 PM

I jst looked into this because I am also wanting to start a business admin course. I found Ashley Institute, all fees covered, but you have to go to tafe 2 days a week. Also found another place and they will cover costs, but have to pay a $300 enrolment fee. I haven't looked into it further yet cos other things have happened in the meantime. What state are you in?

**~clover~** · May 6th, 2014, 08:20 PM

I'm in WA. I looked more this arvo at tafe WA & there are no institutions outside of Perth.
I'm 2 hours away from bigger places the paed etc visits, but even they don't have a campus! And I'm 4 hours south east of perth, so not an option.

But I can do the cert 4 on a concession. Just $100 deposit. Or I can choose a diploma on the vet fee help. I really just need to make the decision.

Feel free to tell me what you think is best?

**Em_325** · May 6th, 2014, 08:55 PM

It's up to you but if you haven't studied for a while I'd start with the cert IV and go from there. I could have gone straight to Diploma but I decided to start at cert IV level as it's been a while since I studied plus I now have a 5 month old. Also there are TAFES out of Perth. I'm not sure where you are exactly but Google Great Southern Institute of Technology ( it seems none of them are actually called TAFE anymore and are institutes. Good luck with whatever you decide