You are here:

Study

  • Study

Caring and studying

Although it may feel that your whole world revolves around caring, many carers find that having an activity - such as study - that's separate to their caring role is important. This is because it can give you a sense of identity and boosts their confidence. Whether it is a short evening course or a degree, it can be of real value to carers.

If you would like to take up learning again but are not sure where to start, you could begin by thinking about:

  • whether you want to develop an existing interest or skill or learn a new one,
  • where you want to do your course, e.g. at an adult education centre or college, or whether you want to do distance learning or e-learning,
  • how much time you want to spend learning,
  • the level of the course you want to do, and
  • what can you gain through learning.

The purpose of learning can be to have time to yourself, or it can be a step toward something else, such as volunteering or paid work.

Watch the video below to see how one carer combines caring and learning.

Practical issues

You might find study a great way to build in some time for yourself away from your caring responsibilities. When you have a carer’s assessment it must consider whether you want to take up any learning opportunities. Make sure that you say that you want to do some study when you have a carer’s assessment or a review. If you do this, the local authority will then have a duty to consider how it might help you to do this.

Funding study

As a carer on a low income, the cost of doing a training course or study may put you off. But there are many ways of getting financial help with studying. Sometimes you can even study for free.

Practical support

Before taking up a training course as a carer, you may also need to arrange for alternative care for the person you are looking after in order for you to study. You may wish to make arrangements through family or friends. However, you should also contact the social services department at the local authority of the person you are looking after to see what help they can offer.

You may need to ask for a carer’s assessment of your needs (or a review) and an assessment of the needs of the person you are looking after, so that the local authority can properly work out what help would work best for you and the person you are looking after.

It is also worth contacting carer’s organisations and voluntary groups in your area to see what help, advice and support they can provide to allow you to study.

Effect on benefits

Studying may affect your entitlement to benefits. See the section on carers' benefits to see what the effect might be.

Support from the place of learning

It may be a good idea to discuss your caring responsibilities with the college, institute, university or any other place where you study. They may be able to help you combine learning and caring more effectively. This might be through simple measures such as letting you leave your mobile phone on during classes so that you can take calls from the person you are looking after if they need you. Or it might be that they can arrange for you to study from home on occasions.

If you talk with them they may be able to suggest a range of practical ways of solving any challenges that arise.

Caring and learning

Barbara is a full-time carer for her autistic children. Watch how she keeps an outside interest by studying with the Open University.

Ratings

How helpful is this page?

Average rating

Based on 37 ratings

All ratings

Add your rating

Comments

1 Comments

Our rules

Comments are personal views. Any information they give has not been checked and may not be accurate.

cazzie58 said on 27 August 2024

what they don't tell you is that you lose your carers allowance if you study but not if you work, this needs SORTING OUT!!!

Report this content as offensive or unsuitable

Last reviewed: 13/01/2025

Next review due: 13/01/2025

Call Carers Direct on 0808 802 0202

Free, confidential information and advice for carers.

Lines are open 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday, 11am to 4pm at weekends. Calls are free from UK landlines and mobiles or you can request a free call back.

You can also ask for a call back in one of more than 170 languages including ربي, বাংলা, 中文, Français, ગુજરાતી, Polski, Português, ਪੰਜਾਬੀ, Soomaali, Español, Türkçe and .اردو.

You can talk to an adviser live online or send a query by email.

Find out more about the Carers Direct helpline.

Services near you

Find addresses, phone number and websites for services for carers near you.

NHS Choices links

External links

Carers community

Most recent post

forum comment

  • Re: Started c25k today!
    Hi Baz, You've accidentally posted in the carers community rather than the Couch to 5k forum ...

  • Link to Directgov – public services all in one place
  • The Information Standard - Certified member