Auditioning for 2022 entry

[mrs_lovett]

Hi all, My dd has been offered a place on the GSA foundation. We thought she might be eligible for a bursary as their eligibility criteria were not listed on the website, but now we have a form, we've found she's not. I'm a single parent and just don't have the money! I think some have managed to get housing benefit for foundations in the past, has anyone been successful in getting it for GSA foundation? She has a funded Conti place but really wants to go to GSA. Also, anyone have an opinion as to which course is better for her? GSA is her absolute dream school but she is a pretty strong dancer ( Advanced 2 ballet, Advanced 1 tap), has a good trained voice but she absolutely loves the acting through song side the most. MTDreams thanks for your offer of answering questions, I will send you a PM as I think we'll have quite a few!!

Thank you very much!

[lawn]

Hi all, My dd has been offered a place on the GSA foundation. We thought she might be eligible for a bursary as their eligibility criteria were not listed on the website, but now we have a form, we've found she's not. I'm a single parent and just don't have the money! I think some have managed to get housing benefit for foundations in the past, has anyone been successful in getting it for GSA foundation? She has a funded Conti place but really wants to go to GSA. Also, anyone have an opinion as to which course is better for her? GSA is her absolute dream school but she is a pretty strong dancer ( Advanced 2 ballet, Advanced 1 tap), has a good trained voice but she absolutely loves the acting through song side the most. MTDreams thanks for your offer of answering questions, I will send you a PM as I think we'll have quite a few!!

Thank you very much!

Hi, last year GSA offered 4 full scholarships for foundation each under a different category. We know someone who got one. A quick look tells me they've changed it for this year, so if you've already discovered that you're not eligible there's unlikely to be any help. HB used to an option a few years ago but once Universal Credit came in that was it and that option disappeared.

Personally I'd say take the Italia Conti foundation instead, it's funded via student loans and will give her money to live on as well as pay her tuition costs. She can try for GSA degree next year. There's no guarantee that going on their foundation would lead to a 3 yr degree offer next year.

[islandofsodor]

My daughter has just managed to get Housing Benefit via Universal Credit for a non accredited postgraduate course but it’s not easy.

To be eligible you have to fulfil the Claimant Commitment. This means either committing to seeking work for 35 hours per week and taking a job if offered (not possible for a student) or by already having a job where you are earning the sane amount as minimum wage x 35 hours. This is what my daughter does.

Minimum wage for a 19 year old is £6.83 per hour so you need to earn £239.05 per week. My daughters theatre usher job pays £10.05 per hour so she manages to earn that on 24 hours per week. (6 shifts per week). It’s not easy though and she gets very tired.

[mrs_lovett]

My daughter has just managed to get Housing Benefit via Universal Credit for a non accredited postgraduate course but it’s not easy.

To be eligible you have to fulfil the Claimant Commitment. This means either committing to seeking work for 35 hours per week and taking a job if offered (not possible for a student) or by already having a job where you are earning the sane amount as minimum wage x 35 hours. This is what my daughter does.

Minimum wage for a 19 year old is £6.83 per hour so you need to earn £239.05 per week. My daughters theatre usher job pays £10.05 per hour so she manages to earn that on 24 hours per week. (6 shifts per week). It’s not easy though and she gets very tired.

Thank you, that sounds really hard work, well done to your dd for sticking it out. I just don't know if my dd could manage that, or whether it would be worth it. I'm just trying to work out if the GSA course is better than Contis, she feels she'd be happier there but probably not if she's working constantly!

[lawn]

My daughter has just managed to get Housing Benefit via Universal Credit for a non accredited postgraduate course but it’s not easy.

To be eligible you have to fulfil the Claimant Commitment. This means either committing to seeking work for 35 hours per week and taking a job if offered (not possible for a student) or by already having a job where you are earning the sane amount as minimum wage x 35 hours. This is what my daughter does.

Minimum wage for a 19 year old is £6.83 per hour so you need to earn £239.05 per week. My daughters theatre usher job pays £10.05 per hour so she manages to earn that on 24 hours per week. (6 shifts per week). It’s not easy though and she gets very tired.

That's interesting to know, thank you.

Does your daughter have to have a contract with work for her 24 hours to prove she'd meet the criteria each week or can she have a contract for less so long as she works at least the time required to be eligible (if this makes sense)

[MTDreams]

Hi all, My dd has been offered a place on the GSA foundation. We thought she might be eligible for a bursary as their eligibility criteria were not listed on the website, but now we have a form, we've found she's not. I'm a single parent and just don't have the money! I think some have managed to get housing benefit for foundations in the past, has anyone been successful in getting it for GSA foundation? She has a funded Conti place but really wants to go to GSA. Also, anyone have an opinion as to which course is better for her? GSA is her absolute dream school but she is a pretty strong dancer ( Advanced 2 ballet, Advanced 1 tap), has a good trained voice but she absolutely loves the acting through song side the most. MTDreams thanks for your offer of answering questions, I will send you a PM as I think we'll have quite a few!!

Thank you very much!

Thats absolutely amazing, well done to your DD! I will have a look at my messages now.

[islandofsodor]

She’s 0 hours.

She has to have a meeting with a work coach every so often (which she schedules for her day not in college) but as long as she is consistently working the minimum it’s fine. She earth slightly less last week but that was because she was off sick a couple of days and that was ok.

If she was consistently not working enough hours they’d have her on a work skills course.

This only works until her 21st birthday. At 21 minimum wage increases so she’d be expected to earn more.

[mrs_lovett]

Hi all, My dd has been offered a place on the GSA foundation. We thought she might be eligible for a bursary as their eligibility criteria were not listed on the website, but now we have a form, we've found she's not. I'm a single parent and just don't have the money! I think some have managed to get housing benefit for foundations in the past, has anyone been successful in getting it for GSA foundation? She has a funded Conti place but really wants to go to GSA. Also, anyone have an opinion as to which course is better for her? GSA is her absolute dream school but she is a pretty strong dancer ( Advanced 2 ballet, Advanced 1 tap), has a good trained voice but she absolutely loves the acting through song side the most. MTDreams thanks for your offer of answering questions, I will send you a PM as I think we'll have quite a few!!

Thank you very much!

Hi, last year GSA offered 4 full scholarships for foundation each under a different category. We know someone who got one. A quick look tells me they've changed it for this year, so if you've already discovered that you're not eligible there's unlikely to be any help. HB used to an option a few years ago but once Universal Credit came in that was it and that option disappeared.

Personally I'd say take the Italia Conti foundation instead, it's funded via student loans and will give her money to live on as well as pay her tuition costs. She can try for GSA degree next year. There's no guarantee that going on their foundation would lead to a 3 yr degree offer next year.

Thanks Lawn we are weighing it all up and applying to trust funds as I type! Either are great options so I'm sure she will be fine either way.

[Confusingtimes]

Hello,
I’m a first time poster but have been following the training and auditioning threads for sometime. They have been invaluable to us on my DDs audition journey so far this year, so first of all many, many thanks to all the posters on here-we would have been lost without all the advice and information we have picked up from you all.
So now my DD has reached decision time and we are looking to collect as many opinions as possible.
She has received a number of offers but her final decision is between a degree at London Studio Centre-where she has been offered an exceptional talent scholarship, or the 1 year foundation at GSA. Obviously these are very different options for her. She is good dancer, and is slightly stronger at dance than singing, but has had very little acting experience. GSA has been the dream, so to get offered the foundation was amazing, but equally the LSC opportunity seems fantastic too and we’re not sure it makes sense to pass up a good degree offer for a foundation with no guaranteed outcome. Any advice/thoughts on either course/school/progression opportunities etc would be much appreciated.
Many Thanks

[MTDreams]

Hello,
I’m a first time poster but have been following the training and auditioning threads for sometime. They have been invaluable to us on my DDs audition journey so far this year, so first of all many, many thanks to all the posters on here-we would have been lost without all the advice and information we have picked up from you all.
So now my DD has reached decision time and we are looking to collect as many opinions as possible.
She has received a number of offers but her final decision is between a degree at London Studio Centre-where she has been offered an exceptional talent scholarship, or the 1 year foundation at GSA. Obviously these are very different options for her. She is good dancer, and is slightly stronger at dance than singing, but has had very little acting experience. GSA has been the dream, so to get offered the foundation was amazing, but equally the LSC opportunity seems fantastic too and we’re not sure it makes sense to pass up a good degree offer for a foundation with no guaranteed outcome. Any advice/thoughts on either course/school/progression opportunities etc would be much appreciated.
Many Thanks

Hello, congrats to your DD. I will PM you as have a DD that did the GSA foundation.

[Confusingtimes]

Hello,
I’m a first time poster but have been following the training and auditioning threads for sometime. They have been invaluable to us on my DDs audition journey so far this year, so first of all many, many thanks to all the posters on here-we would have been lost without all the advice and information we have picked up from you all.
So now my DD has reached decision time and we are looking to collect as many opinions as possible.
She has received a number of offers but her final decision is between a degree at London Studio Centre-where she has been offered an exceptional talent scholarship, or the 1 year foundation at GSA. Obviously these are very different options for her. She is good dancer, and is slightly stronger at dance than singing, but has had very little acting experience. GSA has been the dream, so to get offered the foundation was amazing, but equally the LSC opportunity seems fantastic too and we’re not sure it makes sense to pass up a good degree offer for a foundation with no guaranteed outcome. Any advice/thoughts on either course/school/progression opportunities etc would be much appreciated.
Many Thanks

Hello, congrats to your DD. I will PM you as have a DD that did the GSA foundation.

Many thanks MTDreams-much appreciated-i’ll keep an eye out for your PM

[Elle’smom]

@LizzyBee DD and a friend both got through to the Conti recalls. The friend had had knee surgery so could not dance at recall ( she had been able to do self tapes) Conti told her there was no point coming.
DD got her place at Conti she has had two years at MT sixth form she is set 1/4 for tap and 2/4 for all other dance styles. So definitely not the full dance package, but she felt they were looking for trainability. She is a very strong actor and singer. She also has the fresh faced look that Conti is known for.
Her friend is a stronger singer and got Actor Singer at Trinity Laban.

Thanks @Elle'smom - do you mean your DD had 2 years dance training at 6th form before getting in to Conti? It's good that she was successful, does she feel her acting and singing was what got her a place?

Yes she is just completing MT sixth form. If you had asked me yesterday morning I would have said yes she thought it was acting and singing.
However we had final parents evening and it would seem DD is very trainable in dance. So I think she got into to Conti as a true triple threat.

[Charlie255]

Hello,
I’m a first time poster but have been following the training and auditioning threads for sometime. They have been invaluable to us on my DDs audition journey so far this year, so first of all many, many thanks to all the posters on here-we would have been lost without all the advice and information we have picked up from you all.
So now my DD has reached decision time and we are looking to collect as many opinions as possible.
She has received a number of offers but her final decision is between a degree at London Studio Centre-where she has been offered an exceptional talent scholarship, or the 1 year foundation at GSA. Obviously these are very different options for her. She is good dancer, and is slightly stronger at dance than singing, but has had very little acting experience. GSA has been the dream, so to get offered the foundation was amazing, but equally the LSC opportunity seems fantastic too and we’re not sure it makes sense to pass up a good degree offer for a foundation with no guaranteed outcome. Any advice/thoughts on either course/school/progression opportunities etc would be much appreciated.
Many Thanks

Hello, congrats to your DD. I will PM you as have a DD that did the GSA foundation.

Hi MTDreams, I’d be really interested to know your thoughts about the GSA foundation year too if you don’t mind? Sorry for being cheeky jumping in on this post!!

[MTDreams]

Hello,
I’m a first time poster but have been following the training and auditioning threads for sometime. They have been invaluable to us on my DDs audition journey so far this year, so first of all many, many thanks to all the posters on here-we would have been lost without all the advice and information we have picked up from you all.
So now my DD has reached decision time and we are looking to collect as many opinions as possible.
She has received a number of offers but her final decision is between a degree at London Studio Centre-where she has been offered an exceptional talent scholarship, or the 1 year foundation at GSA. Obviously these are very different options for her. She is good dancer, and is slightly stronger at dance than singing, but has had very little acting experience. GSA has been the dream, so to get offered the foundation was amazing, but equally the LSC opportunity seems fantastic too and we’re not sure it makes sense to pass up a good degree offer for a foundation with no guaranteed outcome. Any advice/thoughts on either course/school/progression opportunities etc would be much appreciated.
Many Thanks

Hello, congrats to your DD. I will PM you as have a DD that did the GSA foundation.

Hi MTDreams, I’d be really interested to know your thoughts about the GSA foundation year too if you don’t mind? Sorry for being cheeky jumping in on this post!!

No probs, PM me with some questions or I can just message you with a run down of what I think

[Charlie255]

Hello, congrats to your DD. I will PM you as have a DD that did the GSA foundation.

Hi MTDreams, I’d be really interested to know your thoughts about the GSA foundation year too if you don’t mind? Sorry for being cheeky jumping in on this post!!

No probs, PM me with some questions or I can just message you with a run down of what I think

Please can you PM me a run down? Thank you!!