When can I study and receive earnings-related daily allowance?
You can use earnings-related daily allowance for studies in certain cases. If you study part-time, it will not prevent the payment of daily allowance. You can also participate in labour policy training provided by the TE Office or seek support for independent studies.
Part-time student
If the TE Office considers that you are not studying full-time, they can issue a statement stating that your studies are part time. In that case, your studies will not prevent the payment of daily allowance.
You may even be able to complete extensive studies that are considered part-time if it would be possible to work regular hours or be an entrepreneur while studying. In this case, studying is not an obstacle to taking on a full-time job.
Short-term studies
Jobseekers aged 25 and over can study for a short time without losing their unemployment allowance. Short-term studies mean that your studies last six months at the most.
Short-term studies can be full-time or part-time. The important thing is that you can complete all elements of your studies in six months at the most. This means that the idea is not to support new studies leading to a degree, but to enable you to do conversion training or complete your unfinished studies. You can only do short-term studies once during one maximum payment period. Every time you meet the employment condition, you get a new chance to do short-term studies.
The TE Office will not assess your individual educational needs specifically, or assess whether your studies are appropriate. This means that, in practice, you are free to choose what you want to study. However, you must notify the TE Office before you start studying, so that the TE Office can make an appropriate statement for the unemployment fund.
Note!
While you are doing your short-term studies, you must apply for and be ready to accept full-time work, and you must participate in employment-promoting services if the TE Office offers them to you.
We will not pay an increase in your daily allowance or compensation for expenses during your short-term studies, as we would if you participated in employment-promoting services.
Labour policy training
Labour policy training is an employment-promoting service. During this training, we can pay you daily allowance and compensation for expenses. The amount of compensation for expenses is normally €9 per day. We can pay increased compensation for expenses at €18, for example, if you participate in labour policy training outside your working area.
You can look for suitable labour policy training in the TE Office. You can subscribe to a newsletter on new training opportunities in the TE Office online service. You will then receive the information directly to your e-mail. You can also use the service to apply for training that interests you.
The TE Office selects the students for training. To be selected, you must have a training need verified by the TE Office. It is a good idea to discuss your training wishes at the TE Office beforehand.
If you are selected for labour policy training, you need to attend the course regularly and progress in your studies according to the training or study plan. If you do not make progress in your studies, the TE Office may decide to stop your training. Studying will reduce the maximum payment period of your earnings-related daily allowance in the normal manner. This means that we may stop paying you a daily allowance before the end of the support period granted to you for studying.
DID YOU KNOW?
When you participate in an employment-promoting service, you may receive daily allowance even if you would otherwise not be eligible for the allowance because of a suspension period or waiting period. Also, if you fail to apply for a place to study in the joint application procedure, you can still receive daily allowance when you participate in the training.
Independent studying
If you cannot find suitable labour policy training in the TE Office, you can apply for earnings-related daily allowance to support independent studying. If the TE Office considers that independent studying is the most appropriate way to improve your professional skills and opportunities for finding or keeping a job, we can pay a daily allowance even if you study full time.
If you wish to receive support for independent studying, you must agree on the matter with the TE Office before you start studying and your studies must be full time.
We can support your studies for two years. However, studying will reduce the maximum payment period of your earnings-related daily allowance in the normal manner. This means that we may stop paying you a daily allowance before the end of the support period granted to you for studying.
When you complete independent studies, we apply the Unemployment Security Act in an exceptional manner. This means that your maximum payment period will not start over, and the amount of your daily allowance will not be reviewed, even if you fulfil the working condition again.
To receive continuing support, you must make adequate progress in your studies according to the study plan. The TE Office will monitor your progress. If you do not make adequate progress or do not report your progress as agreed, we will stop your support for studying from the date when you stopped making adequate progress. That may mean that you must pay back the daily allowances already paid to you. So you must remember to inform the TE Office immediately if there is a risk that you may fall behind in your studies.