[Maths-Education] Teacher Loans (Info for PGCE tutors)

Thu, 11 Apr 2002 20:00:59 +0100

Your PGCE students may be interested in this.

Dave

Sent to all PGCE students

Latest info at the website below suggests that if you are eligible you can
take up a post on 1 July 2002.

Website address at end of email. Text below. Note the qualifying subjects -
so it unfortunately does not apply to all of you.

Dave

Repayment of Student Loans for Teachers of Shortage Subjects
The White Paper Schools: Achieving Success confirmed plans to legislate to
allow the Government to pay off, over time, the student loans of newly
qualified teachers in shortage subjects from September 2002. The proposed
scheme will initially operate as a pilot for entrants to teaching in
academic years 2002/03, 2003/04 and 2004/05.

Here we set out some basic details of the proposed scheme.

These proposals are still being worked up in detail and are subject to
consultation and the passage of the necessary legislation. The details are
therefore subject to change. Since setting out the original proposals for
eligibility criteria we have changed some of the proposals - please read
this page carefully as some of the criteria have changed.

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We are proposing that the following two groups should be eligible for the
pilot, provided they meet all of the criteria set out in the relevant
section below.

Teachers in schools
a) Must be employed in a teaching post in a maintained school, a
non-maintained special school, a City Technology College, a City College for
the Technology of the Arts or a City Academy in England or Wales.

b) Must begin employment in that post between 1 July 2002 and 30 June 2005.

c) Must be employed wholly or mainly to teach one or more of the specified
shortage subjects as set out in note 1.

Primary school teachers will only be eligible for the scheme if they are
employed as a specialist in one or more of the shortage subjects - i.e. if
they are responsible for teaching that subject to classes or groups other
than their own.

d) Must be employed to work in the school on a permanent or a fixed term
contract for a minimum period of one term (or equivalent). Must be a
contract of services only and can be either full-time or part-time.

Supply teachers may be eligible if they have a fixed term contract of at
least one term and that contract is directly with the school or LEA.
However, we propose that teachers employed through teacher supply agencies
should not be eligible.

e) Must have obtained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) after 1st February
2002. All routes to QTS will be included  - i.e. PGCE, BEd and employment
based routes.

Teachers in schools will become eligible for the scheme only when they have
obtained QTS, so participants in the Graduate Teaching or Registered
Teaching Programmes will not be eligible whilst training.

f) Must go straight into a teaching post (as at a above) after qualifying,
and in any event, no later than seven months after obtaining QTS (but see
exception for maternity at note 2 below).

g) Must have an outstanding loan debt as set out in note 5 below.

Further Education Teachers
h) Must be employed in a teaching post in a Further Education (FE) sector
institution or a special learning needs establishment in receipt of funding
from either the Learning and Skills Council for England (LSC) or the
National Council for Education and Training for Wales (National Council -
ELWa), or an FE teaching post in a Higher Education Institution (HEI)
providing further education, in England or Wales.

i) Must begin employment in that post between 1 July 2002 and 30 June 2005.

j) Must be employed wholly or mainly to teach one or more of the specified
shortage subjects as outlined in note 1 below.

k) Must be employed to work in the college or institution on a permanent or
a fixed term contract for a minimum period of one term (or equivalent). Must
be a contract of services only and can be either full-time or part-time.

Agency teachers may be eligible if they have a fixed term contract of at
least one term and that contract is directly with the college or employing
establishment. However, we propose that teachers employed by agencies and
working at colleges or other establishments should not be eligible.

l) Must not have taught previously in any of the institutions at (h) above
or schools or equivalent institutions in the EEA,

and

Must have obtained since 1 February 2002, or be working towards, the
appropriate FE teaching qualification in accordance with the Further
Education Teachers Qualifications (England) Regulations 2001 (see note 3
below).

m) Must, where a teaching qualification has been obtained, go straight into
a teaching post (as at h) above) no later than seven months after qualifying
(but see exception for maternity at note 2 below)

n) Must have an outstanding loan debt as set out in note 5 below.

If you meet these criteria it is likely that the full amount of your
outstanding student loan(s) will be repaid, if you work full-time and remain
in an eligible teaching post in line with the amount of time that the pilot
scheme requires. This will be up to 10 years for full-time teachers with
income contingent loans or around 5-7 years for those with mortgage style
loans (see note 5 below). Part-time teachers will receive a pro-rata
benefit. Supply teachers may be eligible if they have a fixed term contract
of at least one term and that contract is directly with the school, college
or LEA. Teachers employed through teacher supply agencies will not be
eligible.

Where can I get further information?
Other details of the scheme are still being finalised and will be made
available here in due course. If, in the meantime, you have any questions,
please telephone the Teaching Information Line on 0845 6000 991 (or the
Welsh Teaching Information Line for Welsh Speakers on 0845 6000 992).

Notes:
1.  We propose that the specified shortage subjects are:

Construction
Design and technology
Engineering
English (including drama)
Information and communications technology
Maths
Modern languages (including Welsh)
Science
2. Where a teacher is unable to begin employment within the 7 month period
at paragraphs f) or m) for maternity reasons, the 7 months will be extended
by one year. In the final year of the pilot, this would mean that teachers
who qualified for this extension could take up post after 30 June 2005.

3. FE teacher qualification requirements in Wales are being considered by
the National Assembly for Wales. Details of how these will impact on/help
set eligibility requirements for this scheme for teachers teaching in Wales
will be made available in due course.

4. If you are in doubt as to whether your home was considered to be in
England or Wales when you took out your loan(s), you should call the Student
Loans Company on 0870 24 222 11, quoting your loan account number.

5. Types of loan covered by the scheme:

Income-contingent loans

Income contingent loans are available to students starting HE courses in
1998 and subsequently. Repayment of income-contingent loans starts once a
borrower's gross income reaches Ł10,000 per annum. Repayment is made at the
rate of 9% of marginal income over Ł10,000pa. For example, a borrower with
an income of Ł19,000pa would repay 9% of Ł9,000 i.e. Ł810 pa or Ł67.50 per
month. Repayments for the vast majority of borrowers of IC loans are made
through the tax system i.e. deductions by employers direct from a borrower's
salary for those who are within the PAYE system, or repayment to the Inland
Revenue for those who are outside PAYE (eg those within self-assessment).
Borrowers who are outside the UK tax system altogether make payments
directly to the Student Loans Company.

Income-contingent loans include hardship loans and loans from the SLC to
part-time students.

Mortgage Style Loans (also known as fixed term loans)

Mortgage style loans were available from 1990 to students on higher
education courses beginning prior to September 1998. Repayment of a mortgage
style loan starts once the borrower's income reaches 85% of national average
earnings (currently c Ł19,728). The loans are paid back in monthly
instalments over 5 years (or 7 years for those with 5 or more loans).
Repayments are made by direct debit from graduates directly to the Student
Loans Company. There is no Inland Revenue or employer involvement in the
repayment.

If you are not sure which kind of loan you have, you should call the Student
Loans Company on 0870 24 222 11 (quoting your loan account number) once any
other questions you have about the scheme have been answered.

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachersloans

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Dave Miller
Department of Education
Keele University
Keele
Staffordshire
ST5 5BG

Tel:    +44 (0) 1782 583124
Fax:   +44 (0) 1782 583555
Email: eda19@educ.keele.ac.uk
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