Unemployment Benefits when you are a student?

BrookeeLou_RN · Mar 11, 2011

To the best of my knowledge..you CAN NOT attend school at all while unemployed.. I tried it once attending part time online and it would not fly.. Might depend on your state though so check it out.. I know makes no sense but has to do with availabilty of ANY possible job.

stefanyjoy · Mar 11, 2011

I will be interested to read the responses to this.... it's ridiculous to be disqualified from unemployment just because you are in nursing school. When the big nursing shortage of 2015 (god willing) or whatever hits are they seriously going to be like, "duuurrr... where are all deh nurses?!"

Boog'sCRRN246, RN · Mar 11, 2011

If you are legitimately let go from your job due to lack of funding, hours, whatever, you are eligible to collect unemployment (as long as the termination is not your fault). I collected unemployment during my last semester of school b/c I was let go due to lack of hours at my previous employer. If you can find a part-time job, you can collect partial unemployment as well, as I did that also when my hours were cut to part-time before I was let go. The person managing my case was fully aware that I was attending school. As long as you are able and available to work if work is offered, you should have no problems. Simply being a nursing student doesn't automatically disqualify you for unemployment.

Whispera, MSN, RN · Mar 11, 2011

My son is in nursing school and was on unemployment until it ran out. One doesn't cancel the possibility of the other. Requirements for reporting job search are a bit different if you're in school than if you're not. Also, there are grants you can get from the people who give you unemployment, to go to nursing school, at least in Indiana.

You can't get unemployment if you quit. You can only get it if you are let go due to no fault of your own.

caliotter3 · Mar 11, 2011

When I was in nursing school I also worked full time. When I applied for unemployment benefits, I was denied them because I was in school. They refused to hear that I could work at night even though the job I based my unemployment claim on was a night shift job.

Kel3 · Mar 11, 2011

I'm in Georgia and have been collecting unemployment since May of 2009...obviously my time is just about up. Rather than certifying that I am actively seeking a job each week, I have to take a "Blue Form" in every Friday confirming that I attended school that week. The last Friday of each month, I have to get a professor to also sign my Blue Form. The amount is the same as for anyone else. The mortgage department that I worked in was (of course) shut down...those of us who chose to return to school have gotten the same benefits as those who searched for another position.

Since unemployment insurance is a federal program, I would think it would be the same for all states, but that's nothing more than a guess. I certainly wish you luck--I know first-hand that losing your job seriously sucks.

BrookeeLou_RN · Mar 11, 2011

As I said I was denied in both FL and TN.. but not just nursing school.. any education not offered by unemployment! Now if you can convince them to let nursing school be on accepted list this would work out great....

Why do you think unemployment numbers are so inaccurate????

LuckyinKY · Mar 11, 2011

I am not quitting, it is just that there is no money left to fund my research work and my boss is facing personal issues requiring him to downsize his research obligations. I am working until they can no longer pay me which is likely in June. My boss is devastated at having to let me go and keeps mentioning hiring me again in the future. I reminded him that my pay as an RN is alot higher then as a lab tech.

In the meantime, I applying for every nurse tech, unit clerk and lab job I can find. I am just skeptical that I will find a full time job that will mesh with my school schedule as well as my current job.

LuckyinKY · Mar 11, 2011

I think the current unemployment system is ridiculous in the way that it discourages people form taking part time or lower paying job or attending school. If anything the government should encourage unemployed to attend school and improve their chances for finding a job.

oldskoolchop · Mar 11, 2011

It all depends on the state that you live in. Unemployment is funded by state and varies. You need to make contact with your unemployment office and get some information from them. I worked construction for 12 years before going back to school and claimed unemployment from several different states and the terms and conditions have always been different. As for the unavailability to work issue, If you are working at a job on a shift that allows you to goto school, you will be looking for another job with the same hours and shifts. So if you are unavailable during school hours should not effect you because that is not the job you had before. It is the same as being forced to work day shifts to stay home at night with children, they then can not expect you to then look for a job that works graveyards. You are supposed to be available to work the same hours and shifts that you were working at the previous job, if that makes since. But again in varies from state to state and my advice would be to talk to a service worker at the unemployment office, because what they did for one does not mean they will do for the other, all cases are treated as individual cases (time and money and etc..) and all we can do here is speculate, they can give you definite answers.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Mar 11, 2011

check with your state's workforce department (unemployment office). I worked on my thesis while collecting unemployment for 1-2 months.