A student allowance saved Tony's bacon

Tony is 18 and wants to fulfill his childhood dream and become a vet. He lives in a small rural town and will have to move to Palmerston North to study.

He's worked out how much he'll have to pay in fees to get qualified and it isn't looking pretty. Living costs are next on the list and just as frightening. None of Tony's mates from school are heading to Palmy so, while it'll cost about the same as flatting, he's decided to live in a hall of residence for his first year. Tony figures this should make it easier to get settled and meet people. Of course, it'll also be sweet not having to cook or go grocery shopping!

With a roof over his head and his social life sorted, he thinks about his income, or lack of it, and checks out the StudyLink website. Tony's stoked to find that he qualifies for a student allowance, which means he won't have to borrow as much for his living costs. This is a relief as five years of fees will be bad enough!

Because entry into the professional stage of the Vet degree is based on academic performance in the first semester, Tony isn't keen to get a part-time job. He suspects that even if he does get in, the workload will make it pretty hard to work during the academic year all the way through his degree. He has, however, been able to line up work over the holidays as a fruit-picker back home. It won't make him a fortune but will stop him taking on any more debt.