My first question is why did you fail to validate? I thought students, or any ATCO for that matter, who failed to validate would be given another shot on a different sector or a different unit. Did the people at Swanwick give you detailed reasons for your failure because that could be highly significant.
I guess you need MER to hold a full licence? It may be difficult finding an Area job as you failed at Swanwick but hope you find something. Presumably you do not have an Aerodrome or Approach Rating? It would be easier to find work with those, although I suspect that potential employers would want a full licence rather than a Student one.