Medical student, no way to pay rent or bills
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Hi, I'm Hannah, a final year medical student struggling to finance the excessive expenses I'm facing this Summer, between finishing medical school and starting as an FY1 doctor. I hoped and prayed that it would never come to this, but I no longer see an alternative.
In our final year of medical school, students become eligible for the NHS bursary. I naively looked forward to this as a younger medical student, as I thought it meant I finally got a break from adding to the loans I would have to pay back after I graduated. I had no idea that what they call a bursary is actually a financial death sentence for students whose family's struggle to afford the current final year expenses. It's also because of the NHS bursary that final year medical students are no longer eligible for full SFE maintenance loans.
In third and fourth year, I finally was granted the enhanced loan that I sorely needed, and was able to cut back on my jobs and enjoy a couple of years enjoying student life (well, as normal as it could be during a pandemic). That all changed when I realised the NHS bursary replaced the SFE loans.
I receive just £3979 a year from NHS bursary, and £1975 a year from SFE, totalling £5954.
For comparison, Save The Student state the average monthly cost of just being a student (note: not a medical student, where our expenses are much higher) in the UK is £810, or £9720 annually.
My student rent and bills alone come to £6152. So even before day to day expenses, placement expenses, etc., I'm already significantly overdrawn. That being said, between what support my mum (a widowed nurse) can provide, my £3k overdraft, and my own savings that I have built up over the years, I have somehow managed to make ends meet this academic year.
My biggest problem however is how to survive in the months between university and my job. My student house contract ends in June, meaning I needed to find somewhere which overlaps as I'm unable to go back to my family home. I was fortunate enough to find a flat significantly within my budget for FY1, but that unfortunately means I need to start paying rent and bills 3 months before I get my first paycheque. Here is a breakdown of my expenses BEFORE my first paycheque comes in:
Deposit: £660
3 months' rent: £1725
Removals service: quotes range from £500-750
Bills: £187.89
Council tax: £258.60
Contents insurance (required in my contract): £8.60
Total: approximately £3400
That doesn't include groceries, fuel for my car, internet, water, etc.
I have no idea how I'm supposed to find this money. I have lived in my overdraft since I first started at university, never getting beyond £300 of the maximum (i.e. I have always been at least -£2.7k in my overdraft). I have also already maxed out my savings this year just paying my normal expenses.
To try and avoid having to create this fundraiser, I have started a small Etsy business, picked up work shifts wherever I can, and posted fliers around the neighbourhood. I have also reached out to charities, applied for loans, entered online competitions, and am planning a few car-boot sales.
Some people will know, as I am vocal about my struggles in the past, but I battled depression for 14 years. I lost my childhood and adolescence to mental health. When the pandemic hit I started prioritising my mental health. I didn't want to resign myself to a life with depression anymore, so I worked day in and day out to see the positive in life. In January 2022, after 6.5 years on the antidepressants, I finally came off them. I remember waking up and feeling happy, something I then realised I hadn't ever really experienced. But now, with these overwhelming expenses, I am terrified that this won't last. The only thing I have ever known is that I want to be a doctor, and that I'd make a fantastic doctor, but looking at the Summer I have ahead of me, I am scared that my depression will ruin this all again.
I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to read this. I know we are all struggling financially at the moment, so if anything, I am just happy that there is finally awareness that the NHS bursary is insufficient. I hope that something changes quickly for future final year medical students, as the stress and anxiety I, and so many others, face is not sustainable. I also look forward to being able to pay the generosity and kindness others have shown to me forwards. Thank you again for reading and for any help you are able to offer.
In our final year of medical school, students become eligible for the NHS bursary. I naively looked forward to this as a younger medical student, as I thought it meant I finally got a break from adding to the loans I would have to pay back after I graduated. I had no idea that what they call a bursary is actually a financial death sentence for students whose family's struggle to afford the current final year expenses. It's also because of the NHS bursary that final year medical students are no longer eligible for full SFE maintenance loans.
In third and fourth year, I finally was granted the enhanced loan that I sorely needed, and was able to cut back on my jobs and enjoy a couple of years enjoying student life (well, as normal as it could be during a pandemic). That all changed when I realised the NHS bursary replaced the SFE loans.
I receive just £3979 a year from NHS bursary, and £1975 a year from SFE, totalling £5954.
For comparison, Save The Student state the average monthly cost of just being a student (note: not a medical student, where our expenses are much higher) in the UK is £810, or £9720 annually.
My student rent and bills alone come to £6152. So even before day to day expenses, placement expenses, etc., I'm already significantly overdrawn. That being said, between what support my mum (a widowed nurse) can provide, my £3k overdraft, and my own savings that I have built up over the years, I have somehow managed to make ends meet this academic year.
My biggest problem however is how to survive in the months between university and my job. My student house contract ends in June, meaning I needed to find somewhere which overlaps as I'm unable to go back to my family home. I was fortunate enough to find a flat significantly within my budget for FY1, but that unfortunately means I need to start paying rent and bills 3 months before I get my first paycheque. Here is a breakdown of my expenses BEFORE my first paycheque comes in:
Deposit: £660
3 months' rent: £1725
Removals service: quotes range from £500-750
Bills: £187.89
Council tax: £258.60
Contents insurance (required in my contract): £8.60
Total: approximately £3400
That doesn't include groceries, fuel for my car, internet, water, etc.
I have no idea how I'm supposed to find this money. I have lived in my overdraft since I first started at university, never getting beyond £300 of the maximum (i.e. I have always been at least -£2.7k in my overdraft). I have also already maxed out my savings this year just paying my normal expenses.
To try and avoid having to create this fundraiser, I have started a small Etsy business, picked up work shifts wherever I can, and posted fliers around the neighbourhood. I have also reached out to charities, applied for loans, entered online competitions, and am planning a few car-boot sales.
Some people will know, as I am vocal about my struggles in the past, but I battled depression for 14 years. I lost my childhood and adolescence to mental health. When the pandemic hit I started prioritising my mental health. I didn't want to resign myself to a life with depression anymore, so I worked day in and day out to see the positive in life. In January 2022, after 6.5 years on the antidepressants, I finally came off them. I remember waking up and feeling happy, something I then realised I hadn't ever really experienced. But now, with these overwhelming expenses, I am terrified that this won't last. The only thing I have ever known is that I want to be a doctor, and that I'd make a fantastic doctor, but looking at the Summer I have ahead of me, I am scared that my depression will ruin this all again.
I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to read this. I know we are all struggling financially at the moment, so if anything, I am just happy that there is finally awareness that the NHS bursary is insufficient. I hope that something changes quickly for future final year medical students, as the stress and anxiety I, and so many others, face is not sustainable. I also look forward to being able to pay the generosity and kindness others have shown to me forwards. Thank you again for reading and for any help you are able to offer.
Organizer
Hannah M
Organizer
