January to May 2008: What joy! The university has completely forgotten to bill me for this year’s fees. I’ve slipped through the cracks and have basically scored a year without having to pay anything. Yippee! Maybe they liked what I wrote in my assignments so much that they decided to give me my masters for free. Perhaps they are just feeling charitable and know that I really can’t afford it. Whatever the reason I now have lots of money that the bank lent gave me to spend on whatever I deem essential instead.
A new bicycle is needed, a nice flashy one with a shiny loud bell! New York was great – why don’t I go back in June before everyone else discovers how great it is. And how about Berlin, I’ve always wanted to go there. I’d better book that too before all the trains and hotels are full. And of course there is no point going to these places unless I look utterly fabulous, a new wardrobe is essential. ..
June 2008: Dear Mr Conortje, Well done for passing your latest assignment. Our records show that you owe us a wheelbarrow full of money and have not made any payments in a ridiculously long time. Pay up ASAP or we’ll be very mean and scary. Hope you’re having a splendid day, yours greedily, The University.
Now until roughly 2020: I will be eating nothing but supermarket own-brand rice. If I had more than one kidney I’d sell it! Ah well, at least I’ll also be the best dressed pauper in the city and who knows, maybe the bank will just forget to ask for their money back.
Oh dear. But it was a bit optimistic of you to hope that they had forgotten – and worse still they can withhold you degree until you pay! Maybe you’ll have to take some appropriate advertising on your well visited blog. Maybe your University would like to place an ad and you can extol the benefits of the course that you have just completed. Viral marketing is all the rage these days.
Eek, the snappy sound of reality biting….i hate that.
Oh well, it was great while it lasted eh?
I feel your pain. By the time I’m finished with the Open University, I’ll have handed over a scary amount of dosh.
I’m hoping to tutor for them in September and then get a lovely big staff discount on remaining modules! Also claim the tax back if possible (you can in Ireland) and any chance of your employers contributing? (Unless you are doing the course in something completely different because you want to escape…)
textual – hmmm some good ideas there – fancy being my financial advisor
travelling – hehe you know what? It was really really great!!
enda – hmm tax back? Really? How do I go about that one? Does the OU need a tutor in crapology by any chance?
7 years, 2 mortgages, 3 jobs, and 1 brain close to melting later I’ve finally realised you will NEVER get an undeserved penny out of a Dutchman.
Not a one.
Don’t you just love the way they can make you feel it was your fault they didn’t bill you earlier…
it’ll be worth it though, yeah?
my employer paid my fees, which is an incentive not to fail if nothing else. i’d worry that they’d demand a refund.
my brother did this for years. took out school loans, went off to europe, traveled around, and then came back and went to school.
the loans are still catching up with him, years later.
but he doesn’t regret a trip. hope you don’t either.
(i certainly don’t regret your new york trip! i loved reading about it.)
Painful….
Work-related study is tax deductible in Holland above a threshold of (I think) 500EUR. You can claim it in advance by changing your voorlopige teruggaaf for 2008 or wait until you submit your tax return for 2008 and it will be one of your deductibles. You can also claim any travel costs or costs for study materials like books (and even a laptop in some cases) but you need receipts.
I have never been audited mind you. You can also claim it back for previous years if you didn’t already claim it.
Oh dear, a nasty dose of reality. Still, as TH says, did you really expect a bank to forget you owed them a fat wad of dosh? I hear the creak and rustle of severe belt-tightening. And I can see you now behind the supermarket, desperately clawing through the waste bins for something edible to stave off the hunger pangs. No use my suggesting a trip to Venice then.
xbox – wise words – my university crowd are british though – they still managed to make me feel bad that they never sent me any invoices.
rosie – I really hope it will be – it certainly hasn’t been fun
laurie – that makes me feel better – I hope I don’t regret my next NY trip either, not long to go now!
Aidan – I don’t pay tax in this country though so that’s out too
nick – nonsense, I’m always up for a trip away hehe maybe you could be my financial advisor too – the two Nicks. Sorry that wordpress has been mean to you today – don’t know what was going on there.
I know what that feels like – by the time I found out I could register as a part-time student and pay 500 euros less, they changed the system so I could no longer register as a part-time student and had to pay the complete fee. And my registration form for next year has just come in and of course tuition fees have gone up again… What kind of studies are you involved in?
enda, conortje: Tax back? Hmmm… doesn’t that require that you pay tax to begin with?
Conor
Erm, you finished it right? Or was it just the end of term? Either way, good job for doing well at school.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR DEGREE!!!! Well done!
On the money side of things, I’m withcha, I don’t care for much for money, money can’t buy me love, but it buys me food, clothes, and pays my bills so I need it badly myself LOL.
Good luck with the bank, but please don’t hold your breath waiting for the bank to forget. Banks don’t forget…. or forgive…
Gx
Education is overrated and overpriced!
Ask for a refund – that’ll flumux them!
marjolein- Human Resources Development! And believe me it even sounds more exciting than it is hehe
hidh – takes one to know one
gaye – I still have a year left of it (yikes!)
quickroute – you know I just might, on the grounds of being ridiculously boring
Hey, money can’t buy me love . . . . But it can buy me a ticket to the greatest show on Earth at Citizen Bank Park. Go Phightins !!
Ouchie! Definitely pay up though, as Xbox points out, the Dutch are ruthless when it comes to outstanding bills. I had Nuon chasing me here for the first six months I was back, the bastards.
Ouch…what does not kill you makes you stronger…or makes for an interesting blog post… hopefully u will make pots of money when you complete your degree and u will be all paid back bt 2011…
Oh right yeah Ted. Ignore that totally then.
Sorry to hear you’ve been rendered armless and legless. (Sure 60% of the time students are legless all the time anyway
Not sure I would qualify on the probity scale to be someone else’s financial advisor.
good luck, sugar! if it’s any consolation, the banks AND the government here are putting people in default if this miss more than one payment and then garnishing their wages for a percentage of the loan every month! xox
2 kidneys is totally over-rated.
Dear Mr Conortje, Well done for passing your latest assignment. Our records show that you owe us a wheelbarrow full of money and have not made any payments in a ridiculously long time. Pay up ASAP or we’ll be very mean and scary. Hope you’re having a splendid day, yours greedily, The University.
That sounds exactly like my university. You have my sympathy. But hey, at least you’ll be having a lot of fun with all those trips you’ve planned
phanatic – now, that’s something I must admit I’ve never thought about…
catherine – I know, I’ve had many the bad experience already myself
natalie – okay 2011 – I have a deadline – I like it – you can be my advisor too
xbox – thank you Dougal
K8 – I guess it’s all part of the wonderful student experience – I should just really learn to embrace it!
textual – you surely couldn’t be worse than me
savannah – gulp – I’m staying on this side of the water then
flirty – I’m totally with you – one kidney is the new blacK!
lenfercest – and I plan to enjoy every last minute of those holidays – as they surely will be my last mnutes of holiday for a ridiculously long time.