What's my aim?

I'm looking to raise approximately £4000 to cover the remainder of my Masters fees – if I can reach this goal, then this will greatly reduce the financial worry on me and my family, and improve my chances of excelling during my period of study. You can help me with this!

Who am I?

I'm 35, and a full time working mum and wife. I work in Local Government dealing with feedback, and have been in the role for cough 9 years cough, juggling life, work and various other commitments. I've been presented with a fantastic opportunity that I would be a fool to turn down so I'm turning my attentions to trying to make the most of it and getting the most help that I can.

What's the story? Why should you help me?

OK, so what is this Masters? It's in Dispute Resolution, it's run by the Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, and is specifically designed for working professionals and is mainly completed through distance learning. It can be completed anywhere between 2.5 and 7 years. I'm hoping for somewhere in the middle. I've already been offered an unconditional place, which I have accepted.

You can read more about the course here - http://www.qmu.ac.uk/be/docs/MSc%20Dispute%20Resolution%20online.pdf

In a nutshell, the course is designed to look at and improve the interactions between big institutions such as local authorities, banks, Ombudsmen etc, and you - Joe Public. Have you ever complained to the Council and not had a good experience? That's what I'll be studying, and I'll be looking to improve practice as a result. This will benefit those who deal with the local authority I work for, but ultimately I will be seeking to share my learning wider, with colleagues in other local authorities, NHS bodies, and similar moving forwards. We all have a voice with large public bodies, but those public bodies need to know how to hear that voice and learn from it. I hope I will be able to affect change in this area on completion of my Masters.

I did my undergraduate degree in Psychology and whilst I did OK, and it was interesting, it was actually more an exercise in working out how to be an adult, and how to live away from home for the first time. It was fun, and I got a bit of official paper at the end, but I certainly didn't do my best. I didn't reach my potential and I regret that.

Now is different. Now I've grown up (I think!) and I have a job, a family, a life. Now is when I get to make serious choices about my future and this is one of them. How else would I get the opportunity to study a Masters? I honestly don't think I would without this chance. I'm not undertaking this Masters lightly. I've given it a huge amount of thought and decided I simply cannot turn it down. I'm very excited about this new phase in my life and I'm hoping others will get on board with that excitement – not a lot of people are thrilled about complaints, but they are the reason I have a job!

If I can raise the rest of the funds I need to at least cover the fees then I will be supremely happy. Anything more is a bonus and will be carefully planned for, if people are generous to take me over my target amount.

Where will your fantastic donations go?

Firstly I am pleased to say that my employer has already sponsored me for just over 50% of the fees, so I'm already a chunk up.

If I receive the remaining £3000 I'm hoping for then this will go directly on the remainder of the Uni fees. 

The Masters is made up of 8 modules, plus a dissertation. Each module costs £650, and the dissertation costs £1300. My employer has sponsored me for around £4000 already.

If I am lucky enough to receive anything more than the £3000, then I will purchase items like a new PC/laptop, a decent printer, stationary etc that will help me with my studies.

There are possible additional costs, and these are things like flights to campus, if I need to attend for any reason (approx £200 return), staying at a hotel whilst there (premier inn for the week module that is likely based in Edinburgh at the campus would cost in the region of £400, food whilst I'm there (let's say I'll be conservative on costs here!) at maybe £80 for the week.

I will aim to update the campaign once a month wherever possible, with information about the modules I am completing.

Rewards you'll get for being fab and donating

I'm offering something for everyone who helps me out. It won't be big, but you'll get something from me plus my undying gratitude. Check out the rewards on offer!

Updates

OK, you'll want to know how I'm doing, right? I'll be working full time, and studying, and managing a family, but I'll do my very best to update my blog monthly with info about each of the modules I'm studying, the groups I'll be taking part in, any debates, thoughts, and information that will give an insight into how things are going.

You'll find updates here - Helenisstudying.blogspot.com

Help me do this!

Please think about donating something, anything at all however small, towards my fees.

If you can't, that's cool, honestly! I'd just ask you to consider sharing my project with your friends, family, network so I can reach as many people as possible.

Perhaps you could share it on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, by email, telephone, in a chat with a mate, at work, or on your blog.

Please consider sponsoring me somehow/some way so I can make this fantastic opportunity happen.