Teaching is considered as one of the most important professions in the world. Teachers are just as important as scientists, doctors, and engineers, if not even more important. However, many teachers cannot rely on their salaries alone, like people of some other professions. This is where teaching loans come in. Teachers’ loans are one of the best ways in which teachers are supported financially in the United States and other parts of the world.
In this article, we would discuss exactly what a loan for teachers is and some of the other questions that most teachers have about teachers’ loans.
What does Teachers Loan Mean?
Teachers’ loans are described as any form of financial aid offered to teachers by financial institutions for a specified period. There are several kinds of loans offered to teachers depending on the school level and income range.
Teachers that can receive teaching loans include teachers in:
- Grade School
- Middle School
- High School
- College
The above list of loans for teachers does not include all the types of teachers who are eligible to receive a teaching loan. You can contact the financial institution which you intend to apply for a loan from to know the full range of teachers that they cater to.
Several factors determine if a teacher is eligible to receive a loan. Some of them include credit score, income range, and other credit-related information.
There are some other factors, like immigration status, disability, and more, that might make the process of receiving a loan different or tasking for some teachers. However, in the end, there is always a form of teaching loan available for most teachers.
Types of Loans for Teachers
Teachers’ loans are designed to support teachers and allow them to afford some of the items or standard of living that their salary might not allow. There are several types of loans you can apply for as a teacher.
Here are some of the loans available to teachers:
- Car loan: A car loan can be granted to teachers who need a car. This loan can sometimes be a personal loan repurposed to buying a car or can specifically be an auto loan.
- Teacher relocation loan: This is a common loan for many teachers as they require some form of financial assistance when relocating for a new job. A teacher’s relocation loan can include the cost of transportation, moving, renovation, and more.
- Educational employee mortgage loan: This is a type of loan that is aimed specifically at helping educators (mainly, teachers) purchase a home. The companies that offer these kinds of loans are used to working with educators and therefore understand the needs of teachers.
- Grants for teachers: While grants are not exactly personal loans for teachers, they allow teachers to do something beneficial for their class by funding certain projects. Some of them include technology grants, soft sciences grants, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) grants, and more.
- Teacher certification: This is another loan that allows teachers to pay for an advanced certification program offered by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.
Home Loans for Teachers with Bad Credit
It is very hard to even nearly impossible in some cases to purchase a house on a teacher’s salary alone. This is why there are several loans available to help teachers buy their homes. However, it becomes tricky when a teacher has to apply for a mortgage loan with bad credit.
Thankfully, some mortgage lenders provide home loans for teachers with bad credit. Some of them include Good Neighbors Next Door, Home for Heroes, and HUD’s Teachers Next Door.
Teacher Next Door is probably one of the best ones out there. HUD’s Teacher Next Door is a program that pairs you as an educator with federal, state, and local home loan programs for teachers.
According to Teacher Next Door’s website, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) now allows loan approvals for teachers with FICO credit scores as low as 500. However, it is important to note that for teachers with a FICO credit score between 500 and 580, the are three differences from the typical FHA loan.
The differences are:
- Down Payment: According to FHA requirements, all teachers with scores below 580 will need to put a minimum of 10% down payment. Some other loan programs have been known to request down payments as low as 0 to 3.5%.
- Hand-Underwriting: Apart from the initial down payment required by the FHA for teachers with FICO credit scores below 580, there is also a process known as hand-underwriting. This is a manual application process required to be completed by a teacher requesting a home loan and has a bad credit score. The point of the application is to explain the hardship that caused the low credit score in the first place.
- Compensation factors: These are factors that offset the bad credit score of a teacher. During the underwriting process, such factors like long and stable employment history, excellent rental history, high income, and high cash reserves will be considered. Also, a teacher with a low debt to income ratio will have a higher chance of procuring a home loan.
The good thing is that Teacher Next Door accepts all types of loan applications regardless of a teacher’s credit score. They will perform the task of getting the loan approved.
Also, it might be better for a teacher with a low credit score to improve it before applying for a home loan for teachers. The Teacher Next Door Fresh Start Program can help with raising your credit score.