Hello,
Had a look through the forum before posting but could not see any relevant info, so here goes:
Briefly: I am currently in nominal registration i.e. 6 month wtriting up period, so have no more income as funding stops when you go into nominal. I did of course budget for this 6 months. In 'normal' times this would have worked out fine but due to the pandemic, I was given a extra 3 month un-funded extension which comes to an end soon-ish. No other extensions are possible.
I recently applied for Universal Credit to tide me over, seeing as although I am writing up I am also job-hunting. But I was turned down for UC because I am a full time student, even though I explained the nominal reg thing to them.
I am looking at applying for JobSeekers Allowance instead, as the UC person advised me to, at the end of our phone conversation. But reading the eligibility rules for JSA, it appears still being a full time student makes me ineligible for JSA too. Despite the nominal registration and zero income situation.
Anyone in a similar situation with any ideas how to support myself? Burning through limited savings at a rate of knots as we speak....I am very lucky I have no more rent to pay, but I do need to eat! Am OK for another few weeks, but after that....?! I am in Scotland.
I live in a rural area so jobs are tricky to come by in non-pandemic times. Will obviously have to commute on public transport to a job, in a main town or city, but I need to actually get a job first. That is the challenge.
If anybody has any useful advice i would be very grateful. Feeling rather stuck. The Phd has been a hard slog, didn't see this trap coming at all:(

A friend of mine was in the same position as you. I think he got the university to provide a form saying that an unfunded extension was technically part time study as he only had 1 hour a week of contact time. I am not sure how universal that work around is but if you it might work.

Many thanks for your helpful response, rewt. I will contact the postgrad office at my uni and request a form or letter which states that. Thank you!

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. Rewt's advice is good, but more specifically you could ask them to explicitly say that you "received funding starting on date x, which ceased on date y", that way it is clearly stating you have no source of income or loan, which may have more effect in terms of convincing them you need the financial support. Good luck.

Also very good advice, Jamie-Wizard, thank you. I will do that. Cheers:)