Financing Education

[ChristinaM 0]

I know that one can apply for a Pell Grant, and must fill out the FAFSA as ways to finance their college education.

What I'm wondering is if there are any programs which provide scholarships, sponsorships or grants to people who are looking to go into the sphere of education on graduation. In the UK, you get paid to do your PGCE and a "golden handshake" if you go into (and stay in) teaching in a shortage subject. I've had a look on both the state and federal department of education sites and not had any joy, but I don't know if I might be missing something.

Any ideas, or am I being overly optimistic?!

[Fischkoepfin 1]

There are thousands of different scholarships out there, but the problem is finding them. The schools you're planning to apply to should have some lists of possible scholarships under their Financial Aid section or the individual schools.

Maybe this could be a starting point:

http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/

Good luck!

[ktun 0]

I dont think there is the same kind of funding specifically for graduates who want to go into education, unfortunately. I have been trying to look into this too as I was teaching in the UK and would love to do the same here. So far I cant even find out if there is something like a PGCE here? Have you found out anything regarding that? All I've been able to discover so far is that you'll have to do a 4 year BEd?! I hope I've just not found the right information yet. I'm going to write a letter to the state education board and try to find out some more info.

Wishing you the best of luck

Kate

[Fischkoepfin 1]

I dont think there is the same kind of funding specifically for graduates who want to go into education, unfortunately. I have been trying to look into this too as I was teaching in the UK and would love to do the same here. So far I cant even find out if there is something like a PGCE here? Have you found out anything regarding that? All I've been able to discover so far is that you'll have to do a 4 year BEd?! I hope I've just not found the right information yet. I'm going to write a letter to the state education board and try to find out some more info.

Wishing you the best of luck

Kate

If you already hold a degree comparable to a Bachelor then there might be ways to do some graduate coursework and get a Master's degree instead of starting all over from scratch. Best thing to do would be to contact universities in the area you're moving to and see if they're willing to accept you based on your degree . The state education board might also be a good starting point; in some states they're desperate enough to hire people and put them through grad school. Finally there are private schools which have quite different requirements for teachers and which might be recruiting as well.

Good luck.

[ChristinaM 0]

I don't hold a Batchelors, so I'm potentially looking at starting over anyway - which means I can take the education requirement for certification at that time. I do have some UK uni education but I'm not sure what, if anything, would transfer (loooooooong story!).

I'm just trying to find a way to avoid paying for all the credit hours!

[Fischkoepfin 1]

I don't hold a Batchelors, so I'm potentially looking at starting over anyway - which means I can take the education requirement for certification at that time. I do have some UK uni education but I'm not sure what, if anything, would transfer (loooooooong story!).

I'm just trying to find a way to avoid paying for all the credit hours!

Check out the link I posted above and/or go to your local library or the next huge bookstore where they will have books listing scholarship for undergrad education. I'm certain you'll find something. Any school you're applying to will also be able to help you find money to pay for it. If there's nothing else, you can apply for work/study which is available to undergrads everywhere and which allows you to work on campus while studying. You can also get a BA in less than 4 years if you're willing to put a lot of work into it and skip out on the student life.

As to the coursework you've already done, how much credits you'll be able to transfer depends on the school you enroll in. Some unis are good about it, others have weird rules or only allow a certain number to be transfered. Most unis I know have done the evaluation of credits themselves.

[luvaLimey 0]

Well, I know my state will pay for your college if you get a degree in Education. But then you have to work in one of the school districts here for at least 5 years. If you work less than that, you have to pay it all back.

I don't know if your state offers that, though.

[ktun 0]

I dont think there is the same kind of funding specifically for graduates who want to go into education, unfortunately. I have been trying to look into this too as I was teaching in the UK and would love to do the same here. So far I cant even find out if there is something like a PGCE here? Have you found out anything regarding that? All I've been able to discover so far is that you'll have to do a 4 year BEd?! I hope I've just not found the right information yet. I'm going to write a letter to the state education board and try to find out some more info.

Wishing you the best of luck

Kate

If you already hold a degree comparable to a Bachelor then there might be ways to do some graduate coursework and get a Master's degree instead of starting all over from scratch. Best thing to do would be to contact universities in the area you're moving to and see if they're willing to accept you based on your degree . The state education board might also be a good starting point; in some states they're desperate enough to hire people and put them through grad school. Finally there are private schools which have quite different requirements for teachers and which might be recruiting as well.

Good luck.

Thank you for that, I never thought to look at the private schools. I am qualified in the UK, so hopefully the state education board will be able to guide me more as to what exactly I need to do here.

The information is much appreciated

Kate

Well, I know my state will pay for your college if you get a degree in Education. But then you have to work in one of the school districts here for at least 5 years. If you work less than that, you have to pay it all back.

I don't know if your state offers that, though.

Great info!! Thanks!!

[luvaLimey 0]

ok.

Here is a list of loan-forgiveness/scholarship programs designed to help people pay for their schooling if going into the education feild. Hopefully there'll be one in your state:

http://www.aft.org/teachers/jft/loanforgiveness.htm

[ChristinaM 0]

Thanks, that's good info!

[CarolineM 0]

The only thing I've heard of, and that we have in Florida, is if you teach in a low income area in a shortage subject you can have SOME Loan forgiveness...you have to teach in the GHETTO!! and stay there for 5 yeras or something first. and it's not THAT much of a forgiveness