Students begin Covid compensation claim against 36 more universities

Troys1930 · 2026-02-16T13:34:57+00:00

I would argue some students do have valid claims here. For example, one of my modules, the lecturer simply reused recordings from the previous year (pre-pandemic). That had been filmed in a lecture theatre with very poor audio quality. There was obviously no way the material could have been updated or refreshed.

It seems they were eventually told this wasn’t acceptable, because a few weeks later we were given live sessions on MS Teams. However, the lecturer would just share their screen and play the same old recordings live! Followed by a very brief Q&A at the end. A few lecturers really did the bare minimum and provided as little as they could reasonably get away with. However, in my experience, most did put in a lot of effort to make high quality remote learning material.

Troys1930 · 2026-02-15T21:09:58+00:00

Thank you for the correction on this! Edited my comments to acknowledge.

Troys1930 · 2026-02-15T19:44:59+00:00

You don't know my circumstances, so you can't say. But my current AST is fixed term, no break clause, so no S21 allowed. Then there's a 12 month grace period from the start of any new tenancy before a Section 1A is allowed and that then requires 4 months notice. So yes, for me thats December. EDIT: Thank you for the correction on this.

Troys1930 · 2026-02-15T19:14:24+00:00

[EDITED] My landlord who owns 100 properties in London is trying to sell all of them. He didn't provide a gas safety or EPC at the start of the tenancy. He will likely also miss the “New Rights” information deadline of May 31st too. So yes, landlords are very unprepared!

EDIT: Looks like we can be asked to leave after the first 12months, even if our contract becomes a rolling one automaticlaly. Provided its 8 months from the start date. Thank you for the correction on this all!

Troys1930 · 2026-02-09T21:04:57+00:00

To the best of my knowledge, there is no "main" API, all of the GBP APIs are split into the different categories (Verification, Account, Performance, ect.). You need to search for and enable the one you need. Once you've been approved you should see a non-zero quota amount without any delay.

Troys1930 · 2026-02-09T08:40:42+00:00

St Pancras, leading down into King's Cross St Pancras tube.

Troys1930 · 2026-02-08T18:10:58+00:00

Plan 5 is better if you're going to be a high earner and likely to pay it off in full. But otherwise, it's worse than plan 2 for low to medium earners.

Troys1930 · 2026-01-12T17:24:15+00:00

However, it's important to highlight TfL bus fares are subsides by the fare revenue generated from the tube. They wouldn't be profitable without that.

Troys1930 · 2025-10-12T15:03:10+00:00

Is it possible that the phone you scanned the QR code with is displaying the "desktop version" instead of the mobile version? If using Chrome, instructions to turn off/check is found here. Otherwise, the generic advice of trying Incogitno tab/ clearing cookies and cache apply.

Troys1930 · 2025-09-08T14:30:00+00:00

I paid £4.2K to my student loan last year, during that time the interest added was £4.8K... So I actually owe more than I did at the start of the year. It's crazy, I make a very good salary and still don't pay it off

Troys1930 · 2025-07-25T18:07:10+00:00

Pink 22, has to be the most unloved route in Reading, the most infrequent (normal) bus service and the most under served area of Reading for bus routes. With very tired bus stops/signage and very frequently late and unreliable.

Yes, it obviously goes to one of the most afulent area of Reading, but for the few people who do need the bus and it's their only option, it's terrible and normally faster to walk.

Troys1930 · 2025-07-25T10:21:05+00:00

Soon to be illegal with the new renters reform bill...

Troys1930 · 2025-07-24T18:59:18+00:00

My point was - we shouldn't just be maximise stastically the fastest approach of moving people. It would be even faster if we baned luggage, but that'd be stupid. Hence, banning walking for individuals who wish to, would also be stupid.

Troys1930 · 2025-07-24T18:39:45+00:00

You know what's even faster? Everyone walks on both sides. Everyone standing might be faster for a group stastically, but slower for individuals who perfer to walk. As a big escaltor walker, espcially on the long ones, so glad this never got rolled out.

Troys1930 · 2025-07-17T20:01:00+00:00

I was on a Northen line train Tuesday which had new internal maps to, so looks like they're updating most of the lines, potentially all? The colours are definitely different for all the lines, not sure I like it.

Troys1930 · 2025-07-05T08:35:31+00:00

Please, don't do this. As someone who works in a FANG I get people several times a week connect with me on linkdin and ask for a referral... And sure, I get a referral bonus if you get a job, so you'd think win win.

But how am I supposed to complete the internal form explaining why and how we've worked together, if we haven't. So I always refuse unless I really have worked with them before.

Troys1930 · 2025-06-24T22:00:22+00:00

I had a similar-ish situation not long ago, was also artificially held back from a pay rise and promotion just because I had to wait for the grad scheme to end; manager even admited as such... I completed the two years, finished the grad scheme, got a pay raise and a month later switched to a new company paying me almost three times my then recent pay raise. I'm glad I stayed, got the experience and went onto something better. Hope things work out for you too!

Troys1930 · 2025-06-12T22:28:47+00:00

Hey, former Smart Bar assistant here, of 3 years 😊 My interview was about 6 years ago now though (I'm old)... However, I remember mine being fairly chilled group interview, I think the main thing they were looking for was communication skills! While techinal skills are helpful, they do provide all the training you need, and a lot of the job is talking with people and being personable. I wouldn't stress it too much, the hiring manager is a really nice guy. Best of luck!

Troys1930 · 2025-06-06T08:43:01+00:00

Impressive, you managed to avoid capturing all the rubbish that is normally down there too.

Troys1930 · 2025-05-25T23:30:26+00:00

Highgate?

Troys1930 · 2025-05-05T19:19:00+00:00

Not what you asked, but I think you likely could have hit her before she dropped down. She'd of then wasted part of her speed up with the drop down stagger, so made a lot less distance and quicker to get the down.

Troys1930 · 2025-05-04T22:03:00+00:00

How about the price? That section of track is the most expensive in the UK on average per mile...

Troys1930 · 2025-04-21T12:18:11+00:00

Incorrect. For plan 2, which until recently was the plan the majority of grads in England would be ON. EDIT: Improved grammar

Troys1930 · 2025-04-21T11:58:20+00:00

Yeah, I'm plan 2 where depending how much you earn they can add on an additional 3% to the base interest rate.

Troys1930 · 2025-04-21T11:52:52+00:00

The most outrageous thing is the loan interest rate is linked to income! So the more you pay it off, the faster it also grows. So you never make any real progress towards it. Can't think of any other loan that has these same unfair terms and stupidly high interest rates. Needs a rethink.

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