Dear Ms. Jarvis,

I’m in a very difficult situation right now. For 8+ years, I never missed a loan payment and very often paid more than I owed. I had 6 loans through American Education Services. Two are paid off, two are now close to default, and two have defaulted. The two that have already defaulted totaled $2500. The two remaining total just over $7,000.

Here’s the tricky part… As of June 2014, I am a resident of Germany. My German husband and I thought it would be much easier for me to find a job, but it proved to be extremely difficult. I finally found what is legally classified as a mini job making 450€ per month (approximately $493). Because of my job, we can now buy groceries without the financial help of my husband’s family. We rent an apartment and own very old cars.We live an extremely frugal life, but cannot afford my loan payments. I know that in some cases, student loans can be erased by way of bankruptcy. I’ve done just a little research and it appears I would likely qualify for such a hardship to get my loans removed if I declared bankruptcy. Since I have zero intention of ever moving back to the U.S. and since the EU has a different credit rating system than the U.S., I am not concerned about a bad credit score.

So what’s better? Allowing them to try and sue me for money I don’t have and possessions I don’t own, or attempting to file for bankruptcy? And if I file, do I have to fly to the U.S. to appear in court?

Thanks so much for your help.

Sheri