Client engaged in study

A full-time student cannot get Jobseeker Support other than when they are eligible for Jobseeker Support Student Hardship between the end of one academic year of a programme of study and the start of the next year of that programme.

If MSD is unsure whether a student is full-time or not, they can ask the student to provide verification from their education provider.

Jobseeker Support should be stopped from the:

• day the client commences full-time study if they are not going to get Student Allowance or Student Loan living costs or
• Monday of the week the client commences full-time study if they are going to get Student Allowance or Student Loan living costs (these payments are paid for the full week)

For more information see:

• Client intends to study full time

When a client commences part-time study and the hours that they study are outside normal working hours, it is accepted that the client is available for full-time work.

If the part-time study is 8 hours or more each week, you must be satisfied that reasonable job search activity is taking place.

When considering the time available for job search you should take into consideration the client's study timetable and whether enough blocks or periods of time are available for job search activity.

To help you decide if a part-time student can get Jobseeker Support see:

• Decision guidelines - part-time students