Funding for the One Year Course

There is a variety of loans available from different schemes together with grants from several charities.  We are unable to recommend any particular one on our website as they change too frequently, but advice may be given at your interview depending upon your circumstances.  For example, if you are unemployed it has not been unknown for the appropriate authority to pay fees.  Or maybe a parent has been in a certain type of work:  Some professional bodies and trades' unions have educational funds available.  There are also many arts' foundations.  A book called the Educational Grants Directory lists 1,000s of possible sources.  We have even had a few cases where fees have been paid by the probation service!!!  You may also prefer a bank loan or even spread it over a year with a credit card.

Do remember though - some loans or grants may NOT be available unless you are an EU citizen or from certain other European countries and details are available upon request once you have been accepted onto a course.  Note also that you are unlikely to qualify for certain loans if you already have an outstanding student loan.  The following is about Career Development Loans:

‘Professional and Career Development Loans are bank loans that can be used to help pay for work related learning.  You can borrow between £300 and £10,000 to help support the cost of up to two years of learning (or three years if it includes one year’s relevant unpaid practical work).  The Young People’s Learning Agency will pay the interest on the loan while you are learning and for one month afterwards.  The loan can be used to pay course fees or other costs such as travel and living expenses.  You can also use the loan to supplement other forms of support such as grants or bursaries.  Because the Professional and Career Development Loan is a commercial loan product, they should only be considered as an option once all other student funding options have been investigated.  For further information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning or contact Careers Advice on 0800 100 900.  Our learning provider registration number is: 10605.’

So - do please apply for your place on the course now, as we have already started interviewing for next year. I do hope you are able to join us. Not only will you have a good time and learn a great deal but you will also make many new friends which, in films, you will need.

Please feel free to contact me personally with any queries, and you are also welcome to make an informal visit to our studios upon appointment.