financial support

The bureaucratic process for claiming financial support from the Open university is unnecessarily difficult. You need a copy of your birth certificate, a photocopy for an official copy isn't good enough for them, and the photocopy must be signed and "certified" by people in certain professions, apparently a list drawn up by the Department of Business Environment and Regulatory Reform or whatever they call themselves these days. A nurse, for example, isn't good enough. Nor is a sergeant in the armed forces. Neither are dentists adequate. On the other hand doctors, police, probation officers, these are. Of course I don't know any of them. Doctors are for the infirm, which I'm not. I've never been to prison so not prison officers or probation officers. Don't know what a "permanent civil servant" is. Wouldn't know where to look for a commisioned officer of her majesties armed forces. Can't afford to speak to a lawyer. Narrowed it down to local government officials and police. Man at the desk at the local rent/council tax office wouldn't do it. Asked his boss for permission, apparently not allowed. Police refused to do it too. Had to recruit someone who nearly counts and hope they don't notice. Then I had to get the jobcentre bods to certify the form, which I won't go into. Now I've just got to hope the OU process it all in time.