Teachers play a key role in educating today’s youth and guiding them towards a bright future. Benefits.gov has information on resources and programs to help teachers in their professional and personal lives.
Professional Resources for Teachers
Did you know there are programs that can help teachers with professional development? The Teachers for Global Classrooms Program can help middle and high school teachers develop skills to help prepare their students for a competitive global economy. Teachers will participate in an online course, attend two symposiums in Washington, D.C. and take a two-to-three-week exchange course in a partnering country.
The English Language Teaching Fellow Program allows eligible teachers to participate in a ten-month fellowship at an international school, to get international experience and increase their cultural knowledge. For those interested in teaching about the Constitution at a secondary school level, the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Program can help eligible educators get a graduate degree on a part-time basis.
Personal Resources for Teachers
The education required to become a teacher can often leave people with loans. The Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program helps teachers that took out federal student loans for their education. It provides up to $17,500 in loan forgiveness for eligible teachers who taught for at least five years in a low-income school. Many state education agencies also offer loan forgiveness programs for residents of their state. You can find out more by contacting your state education agency.
If you are a teacher looking to purchase a home, you may be interested in the Good Neighbor Next Door program. This program gives eligible buyers a 50% discount on the listed price of homes available in a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development revitalization area. Participants in the program must live in the home for three years, and it must be their only residence.