Hello Heather,

I teach at a state community college as a lecturer. I am hired per semester and the number of courses I teach per semester depends on enrollment (I usually teach 3-4 courses per semester). I am on unemployment over the summer. Full time faculty are required to teach 9 courses a year.

Does my employment as a lecturer fulfill the public service requirement for the public service loan repayment program? What happens to the periods I am unemployed? Am I then disqualified from the program?

Thank you,
Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth.  For Public Service Loan Forgiveness, borrowers earn forgiveness by making payments.  A borrower has to make the right kind of payments, on the right kind of loans, while working in the right kind of job.  For more about that, start by reading through Public Service Loan Forgiveness in 5 Easy Steps and the other one-pagers on our tools page under Essential Tools for Student Loan Borrowers: http://askheatherjarvis.com/tools.

According to the Department of Education, a “Public service organization” is defined as:
(5) A private organization that—
(i) Provides ... [specific listed services including “legal services funded in whole or in part by a local, State, Federal, or Tribal governments”]; and
(ii) Is not a business organized for profit, a labor union, a partisan political organization, or an organization engaged in religious activities, unless the qualifying activities are unrelated to religious instruction, worship services, or any form of proselytizing.

The PSLF regs are under Student Loan Laws at http://askheatherjarvis.com/tools.  Also, you can make your case for qualification to using the Employment Certification process described here: http://askheatherjarvis.com/blog/3-new-documents-everyone-in-government-and-nonprofit-services-needs-right-n.

Finally, these links may be helpful:
http://askheatherjarvis.com/uploads/images/The Right Kind of Job for PSLF.pdf
http://studentaid.ed.gov/sites/default/files/public-service-loan-forgiveness.pdf
http://studentaid.ed.gov/sites/default/files/public-service-loan-forgiveness-common-questions.pdf

Best,

James Jarvis
Communications Director
Heather Jarvis, Student Loan Expert LLC