How to Still Qualify For PSLF After Leaving Teaching

If student loans are the monkey on your back, there's hope!

Taking out student loans was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.

Moving abroad by myself, publishing deeply personal essays in national publications, even childbirth—none of it was as terrifying as taking out $50k of loans to pay for my Masters in Education. I felt like I was signing a deal with devil, and in a lot of ways, I was.

The only thing that made taking out student loans not seem like the stupidest decision in the world was Public Service Loan Forgiveness: the fact that, after making 120 qualifying payments, my loans would be GONE (in theory, at least).

My situation is far from unique: Over 60% of American public school teachers have student loan debt, holding an average debt of $58,700. Between the capitalized interest and the fact that Teacher Loan Forgiveness is basically a scam, PSLF is most educators’ only hope for ever paying off these loans.

So what happens if you leave teaching before you hit your 120 qualifying payments?

Student loans feel like the mountain I will never get out from under.

The specter of student loans is one of the main reasons I considered staying in the classroom, even when I knew it wasn’t the right thing for me or my family. Although public, my loans currently accrue almost $700 of interest per month; in five years of payments, I’ve only paid $97 of principal (I wrote an Op-Ed for the LA Times about this in 2021). Student loans feel like the mountain I will never get out from under.

So, what’s a transitioning teacher to do?

The first thing to know is that when it comes to repayment, there are options. (They might not be the ones you want, but hey.) If you absolutely can’t pay right now, you can file for a deferment or forbearance. Deferments are pauses that accrue no interest and thus have a super narrow set of qualifying circumstances—cancer treatments, military service, or unemployment (meaning you were fired or laid off; resigning doesn’t qualify). A forbearance is easier to get, though it’s important to note you’ll still be accruing interest during your payment pause. If you’re pretty sure you’ll be transitioning to another full-time PSLF-qualifying job, a forbearance could be a good option.

If you’re absolutely certain you won’t be returning to the public service sector, it could be worth filing for Teacher Loan Forgiveness. To receive TLF, you had to have worked in a Title I school for five years. For most folks, TLF will forgive $5k, while math, science or SPED teachers can receive $17,500. Just remember, any time used toward TLF CANNOT be used for PSLF. I can’t stress this enough: if you use Teacher Loan Forgiveness, the clock restarts on your Public Service Loan Forgiveness; basically, you lose those five years of service for a measly $5k.

If you plan to keep going for PSLF, you’ll need to get another full-time position at a government agency or nonprofit. And you’ll want to get really well-versed in the ever-changing rules for PSLF.

If you use Teacher Loan Forgiveness, the clock restarts on your Public Service Loan Forgiveness; basically, you lose those five years of service for a measley $5k.

My biggest recommendation: if you’re not in the PSLF Program Support group on Facebook, join now. Like, rejoin Facebook just for this group. It is *the best* and most accurate information you’ll receive—way better than anything your loan provider or Google will tell you, and cheaper than a consultant or financial advisor. With nearly 200,000 members, you can get a lot of great information from the group. And I absolutely love seeing all the celebratory loan forgiveness posts in my feed! It’s good vibes.

Once you join, definitely scroll around, read the rules, and search for any questions before you post them. The admins are absolute saints and they do. not. play. (Maybe they’re former teachers.) There are so many loan consultants, services, and scams out there, and the admins do a brilliant job of keeping all that off the page. But that also means they are strict about what you can post, when comments get turned off, and how you can interact on the page. Bless them.

To still qualify for PSLF, you’ll also need a job (duh). The position needs to be with a qualifying employer (check here!), and you’ll need to work full-time—at least 30 hours per week (cue a laugh heartily from all the teachers).

Here are some good PSLF-qualifying jobs for transitioning teachers:

Some good PSLF-qualifying jobs for transitioning teachers are higher education administration; federal, state, or local govenments; and nonprofits.

• Higher education administration

  • The role of placement coordinator is an especially good fit for former teachers—they place student-teachers with mentors!

  • For strong writers, communications roles can also be great

  • Many of these jobs are now remote or hybrid

  • Even private universities can count for PSLF, as long as they’re not-for-profit

  • HigherEdJobs is a helpful site for job postings

• Federal government

  • The job series 1750 (Instructional Systems Specialist) can be a good fit for former teachers

  • Apparently, there’s a super active Subreddit that’s really helpful for navigating the application process

  • Check the aptly named USAjobs for job postings

• Other government jobs

  • County Health & Human Services

  • State and county government agencies (some folks recommend this site can help)

  • Department of Developmental Services/Early Intervention Services (Regional Centers)

• Nonprofits

  • You’ll want to check that the nonprofit qualifies for PSLF using this tool

  • I’ve heard reports that many nonprofits have paused hiring right now

  • A couple folks raved about working for Goodwill and YMCA

And hey, it can’t hurt to visualize/manifest/burn offerings/pin voodoo dolls of Betsy DeVos. I’ve actually added a screenshot of someone’s forgiveness account home page to my vision board, because, well, why not?

Any other student loan tips or PSLF-qualifying job ideas? Share them in the comments!