A person wishing to pursue a course of study under the back to education allowance scheme will have to satisfy a number of conditions such as being a certain age, in receipt of a prescribed social welfare payment for a specified time period, pursuing a full time course of study leading to a recognised qualification in a recognised college and progressing in the level of education held by the client with reference to the National Framework of Qualifications among others.
The back to education allowance is essentially a social welfare replacement income which is paid in lieu of the relevant social welfare payment that qualifies the applicant for participation in the scheme. A person transfers from their primary payment to the back to education allowance.
Due to the nature of the scheme the majority of applications are made in August and September in advance of the commencement of the new academic year. Local offices prioritise these claims to ensure that all applications are processed as quickly as possible and in time for the commencement of the academic year. However, a number of people delay sending in their applications and supporting documentation. In those cases it is not possible to guarantee that a decision will be given before commencement of the relevant course. All possible steps are being taken to ensure that applications are dealt with as speedily as possible.
