Paying Off Uk Student Loan

[grggry]

Hi everyone,

I have a question aimed at expats from the UK.

I am moving to Buenos Aires in September and I am seeking unemployment. Ideally I will be employed by a company who will sponsor me for a work visa, but I realise there is a large possibility that I will be in Argentina on a tourist visa and earning cash-in-hand from English classes, etc.

I don't really have a problem with this. The only issue for me is student loan payment. If I'm not earning 'officially' and cannot prove my income, I will be put on the emergency rate which I understand is around £250 a month. I won't be able to afford this.

What do other people do in this situation? Is there a way round it? This is the only thing tying me to the UK in anyway and preventing me from just going ahead and arriving in Argentina without confirmed employment.

Hope someone can help!

- G

 

[jp]

They won't have any mechanism to charge you the emergency rate though. How long are you planning on being here for? If you're not going to be here for long, tell them you're going travelling and they'll put a note on your file. If you're planning on living here for a few years, tell them you'll send them details of your income once you manage to open a bank account, and they'll put a note on your file.

They put a note on my file 7 years ago, that I was going to send them details of my income once I managed to open a bank account. Haven't heard from them since. I wouldn't worry. Your loan will be waiting for you when you go home.

 

[grggry]

Hmm, I'm wondering if because you graduated a while before me the rules are different. If all goes well, I'm hoping to stay for at least a couple of years.

I was working then went back to university to do a masters so I'm not paying right now, but will have to in around April. I was living in Spain when I was working and I was told that they will not/cannot take payments from foreign bank accounts, which was tricky because obviously my salary went into my Spanish bank account. So they do have my bank details. One time I missed a payment because one month they didn't take it out for some reason and I started receiving daily letters to my UK and Spanish addresses threatening legal action, which continued long after their initial mistake. So I feel like from my own experience it's not easy to just ignore them.

According to their website, if you say you're going travelling you have to prove you have funds to support yourself, and as I have basically no savings I imagine showing them an empty bank account would raise a few questions about how I was supporting myself!

I'm sure there's a way around it, I'm just not sure what it is!

 

[sesamosinsal]

I am moving to Buenos Aires in September and I am seeking unemployment.

Unemployment? Easy!

 

[grggry]

Hahaha oh dear! I've just handed in a thesis and my brain is frazzled :lol:

 

[ghost]

Why would you come to Argentina to make money?

 

[grggry]

Why would you come to Argentina to make money?

I'm not coming to Argentina to make money

 

[ghost]

I'm not coming to Argentina to make money

You were just talking about salary negotiations in another thread and debt obligations in this thread. Two things related to money. I guess you must be coming for love and Tango.

 

[grggry]

You were just talking about salary negotiations in another thread and debt obligations in this thread. Two things related to money. I guess you must be coming for love and Tango.

And as I very clearly stated in the other thread, my aim is not to make money. I expect to be paid an amount that is normal by Argentine standards, that is a different matter entirely and is not unreasonable.

Either way, my motivations for coming to Argentina have nothing to do with this thread

 

[nkotb]

I can't help you, but I'm curious how student loans work in the UK. Do you have to pay back a percentage of your income? What if you're unemployed?