Also, many of the high demand areas include teaching in urban districts for several years in order to get the loan forgiveness. I believe that option exists for regular education teachers, not just special education teachers.

As the previous poster stated, I wouldn’t let fear of the loans stop you from being a teacher. You’ll have loans no matter what you major in, and you can make a decent living as a teacher. It’s not the highest paying field, but there are plenty of other fields with salaries as low as teachers, and if you eventually get your master’s degree, you’ll also make more money. Yes, you can get your master’s degree while you still have student loans from undergraduate. Also, graduate degrees usually cost about $12,000 – 15,000 total, which is far less than many undergraduate degrees. Since you usually only take one class a semester (assuming you’re working), it also makes it easier to save up and pay for each class.

One thing I would recommend is NOT to get your master’s degree until you have a full time teaching job. I think you’ll get more out of the graduate classes if you have some experience, and more importantly, it’ll be easier to get hired. That could be different in your area, but in my area, and many others, having your master’s degree can make it difficult to get hired, because they don’t want to hire someone that they have to pay more to right from the start. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true in Michigan anyway. The market is so saturated here that they can easily hire someone without a master’s. They know that most teachers end up getting their master’s eventually anyway, but that’s still how it is. I also heard the same thing from a teacher I had in New Jersey.

Good luck. One other piece of advice – try to double major in something that will make you more marketable, if you can. For instance, assuming your first major is elementary or secondary education, your 2nd major could be special education, or another subject area that you can teach, like math, english, history, or some sort of science. My 2nd major was psychology, and it didn’t prove to be as useful as I thought it would be. Sure, maybe I have a little more insight into the kids, but you can get that from experience and reading some books. There aren’t any elementary or middle schools looking for psychology teachers, but there are plenty of middle schools looking for math and science teachers, and it makes me wish I had double majored in math instead.

There should be a section that lists hundreds of scholarships for many types of situations. Most don’t get awarded to students because nobody knows to apply for them.

Most colleges have scholarship opportunities for students majoring in education.

Also, check for teaching possibilities in places considered to be at a low socio-economic level. All of the areas at those levels, where I am from offer higher pay and tuition repayment options for teachers that move there.

Extreme option: Graduate with your degree and join the military. While in the military, you do not have to repay your student loans. So you can pay them without the interest. That will save much money right there (literally thousands of dollars).

Then when you receive an Honorable Discharge, your loans are paid and you can use the G.I. Bill for going to graduate school and getting your Masters.

Or, get your masters while you are in the military. Some of my friends did this and the government paid for their degree, gave them their regular paycheck and they didn’t have to step foot on any military base, or wear a uniform the whole time. When they were done, they finished out their contract and left the military.

You have many options.

GOOD LUCK to You.

If you are interested in pursuing a critical shortage area, which for elementary teaching would be special education, then many states will forgive loans as long as you agree to teach in that state for a certain amount of time.

Do a lot of research, look for scholarships and grants. If you really want to be a teacher, don’t let the cost of the college education deter you. It is a WONDERFUL career, if it is your calling.

And you won’t get rich from teaching, but the pay is okay. It doesn’t compare to other professions, but you can expect about $30,000 a year, at least. You can look into the school districts you think you might want to teach in. They usually have their current pay scale on their websites and that will give you an idea of how much you can expect to make.

Oh yeah, if it’s feasible, consider living with your parents for your first few years teaching. It will take some financial burden off you and allow you to pay down your loans.

Good luck!

Also look at your State Dept. of Ed. and your District for advice. Some states hire ‘interns’, who are college students, to teach (with pay) while completing their teaching coursework. The District gets a young, energetic teacher immediately and the teacher gets paid while going to college.

Teaching is a great occupation- and the money doesn’t match the value of what you get out of it. And for what you do for the kids of America.

Good Luck

Look at getting a teaching assistanceship or graduate assistanceship.