2. OBJECTIVES
Provide resources so you can
decide the next steps and continue
on the path to your dream job/life.
Walk through systems you will need
to access after you exit AmeriCorps.
Equip you with powerful information
to make the most of your post-
AmeriCorps life.
Prepare you for stages of transition
and re-entry.
3. YOUR TERM IS ALMOST DONE… HOW DO
YOU FEEL???
Proud, accomplished, satisfied
Apathetic, disconnected, fatigued
Nervous, excited, eager
Angry, frustrated, cynical
Confused, fearful, isolated
4. Chances are you feel more aware
of social issues in the community
and school where you served
You may now or sometime soon
feel a sense of loss
5. REFLECT
Can you identify what, specifically
has made you feel this way?
What motivated you to join
AmeriCorps?
What have been TWO standout
accomplishments as an
AmeriCorps member?
6. WHAT’S NEXT?
Re-enrollment in AmeriCorps or other service
Continuing in Higher Education
Employment
Other:_____________
Do nothing/Chill
7. WHERE TO GO???
Stay in the service community (Oakland/San
Lorenzo)
Go home (if away)
Go elsewhere, somewhere new
Other:__________
8. PREPARE TO LEAVE
Catalog your accomplishments/Build a Portfolio
Position Description
Data on your accomplishments
Surveys
Curriculum, programs you created
Leave a map for next year’s members (binder)
Guides for systems you created for continuation, where
stuff is; helpful hints
Make time to say goodbye
Co-workers, fellow
members, volunteers, youth, community
members, friends, etc.
9. LEAVING RIGHT
Before you pack your “desk”
Final administrative issues: exit
interview, forms, timesheets, Daily Activity Logs, etc.
Clarify you’ve signed everything and have all documents in
order.
All documents must be received in order to exit satisfactorily.
Forwarding address, exchange of contact info
Ask for a reference or two!
10. DEALING WITH LEAVING
Prepare to describe your experience
Prepare for a variety of responses
Journal, converse, express
Recreate, catch up, enjoy yourself
Continue to volunteer
When you’re ready:
Research, apply, interview
Remember: Change is Inevitable!
11. RE-ENROLLING IN AMERICORPS
Available if you have served less than four terms of
service (any length)
Same Program
If you’ve had a positive experience
If you feel there is still more opportunity to grow in this area or
you would like to be instrumental in the program growing
Different Program
AmeriCorps State/National
AmeriCorps VISTA
AmeriCorps NCCC (if you are 18-24)
Senior Corps (55+)
12. RE-ENROLL TO RECEIVE MORE COLLEGE $
The maximum Education Award is equal to
the Maximum Pell Grant limit:
Full-time $5,550 (2013)
13. RE-ENROLLING… SORT OF…
Peace Corps
www.peacecorps.gov
Teach for America
www.teachforamerica.org
Extended Volunteer Experiences
www.handsonbayarea.org
14. EDUCATION
Finish your Undergrad Program
Enroll in Grad School (MA, MS, PhD)
Take classes of interest here and there
Seneca Center
Community Colleges
Berkeley Extensions
Professional Organizations
15. SEGAL EDUCATION AWARD
To access your award, you must:
Successfully complete your AmeriCorps term
Program Director must exit you from the system
You must access the “My AmeriCorps Portal”
16.
17. ACCESSING YOUR EDUCATION AWARD
1. In your home page, under “My Education Award” click
on the “Create Education Award Payment Request”
link to bring up the screen to request the payment.
2. Follow the instructions and complete the form.
3. Select the purpose of the payment (loan or current
educational expenses), the amount of the
payment, and identify the holder of your student loan.
4. Click “submit”, a notice will be sent electronically to
your educational or loan institution.
5. A record of your request will appear in your account
home page.
18. NEXT STEPS…
1. The school or loan holder will complete their
portion of the form and return it electronically to
the Corporation.
2. They will fill in the amount for which you are
eligible if the request is for current educational
expenses or they will provide the payoff amount
and loan type if the request is for a student loan.
3. When the payment has been made, your account
will reflect the deduction.
19. SEGAL EDUCATION AWARD
Going Back to School:
You can use the ed. Award at any Title
IV school as defined by the U.S. Dept.
of Education
Includes many technical/vocational programs
http://www.finaid.org/fafsa/tiv.phtml (run
search by state)
20. SEGAL EDUCATION AWARD
Paying back your loans:
Must be qualified!
Lender should be able to tell you if your loan is
covered by these statutes
Usual suspects include: Perkins, Stafford, William
D. Ford, & Federal consolidation loans
Be careful before you consolidate your loans to a
private company
Pay out the value of your ed. Award first!
22. TRUE OR FALSE
As soon as you finish your term of service, you can
receive your education award.
FALSE.
To become eligible to receive your education
award, you must complete all of your program’s
requirements in addition to your service hours or
term. Your Program Director has to exit you from
the system with the designation of “successfully
completed”.
24. TRUE OR FALSE
Members can choose to take a cash payment
rather than the education award.
True AND False.
VISTA members can decide between a $5,550
education award and a $1,500 cash stipend as their
post-service benefit.
AmeriCorps State and National members (YOU!)
can select only the education award option.
26. TRUE OR FALSE
If you use your credit card to pay for school, you
can use your education award to pay your credit
card bill.
FALSE
You can use your education award to make
payments to qualified schools or loan agencies
holding your qualified federal loans.
27. MORE ON THAT…
The TRUST makes education award payments only
to loan holders or Title IV schools, NOT you.
But what if I don’t have to pay tuition?
The Ed. Award covers the “cost of attendance”
Room and Board, books, supplies, fees
In some cases, schools will have purchasing
agreements for computers and will have the students
buy through those companies. In other cases, students
may be able to bring in receipts for purchases made
and get reimbursed.
28. Work with your financial aid office so
you don’t have to pay out of pocket or
to assure that you will get reimbursed.
29.
30. TRUE OR FALSE
You can use your education award to attend
schools overseas.
TRUE
You are eligible to use your education award at any
school listed by the U.S. Dept. of Education as Title
IV. Many overseas schools are Title IV.
If a school doesn’t accept your Ed. Award, you can
often apply for a Stafford or other Fed award and
then repay that with your Ed. Award.
ALWAYS ASK!!!
32. HOW MANY YEARS?
How many Years do you have to use your
education award?
SEVEN.
You have 7 years from the date of completion of
service to use your Ed. Award. Under certain
circumstances, you may receive an extension. You
must apply in writing. To learn more about this, call
the National Service Trust at 1-888-507-5962.
Circumstances may include: more AmeriCorps
terms, Peace Corps, military, illness, etc.
34. YES OR NO?
Do you have to use your Education Award all at
once?
NO.
You can draw from your education award account
at the National Service Trust in increments. Over
several semesters or institutions. You can also use
part for tuition and/or and part to pay off student
loans.
36. TRUE OR FALSE?
The education award is considered taxable income.
TRUE.
The Ed. Award counts as taxable income for the tax
years in which you use more than $600.
BUT!!!!
Most states have a law which waives the state tax
for AmeriCorps Education Awards
You must use the Ed. Award at a public state school, not
private. i.e. a UC, Cal State Univ., etc.
37. MATCH!
Many schools match the Education Award
% of award value, class credit, application fee, scholarships, etc.
An incomprehensive list:
http://www.nationalservice.gov/for_organizations/highered/ed_aw
ard_match.asp
Current California Schools that participate:
Antioch University Santa Barbara
California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)
Mills College
Monterey Institute of International Studies
Notre Dame de Namur
Pacifica Graduate Institute
Union Institute & University – Los Angeles and Sacramento
University of the Pacific
38. DISCLAIMER!
The best use of the Education Award is extremely
variant depending on:
Your particular situation
Your lender
The financial aid office at your school
And everyone’s knowledge of AmeriCorps’ Education
Awards
There is NO magic bullet!
Don’t give up if you encounter barriers. You have
earned this award.
39. EDUCATION AWARD & FINANCIAL AID
Get the most buying power!
ALWAYS: Fill out the FAFSA’s additional financial
information section and report your AmeriCorps Ed.
Award amount.
Your Ed. Award will not count against your financial
aid need.
TIP! Save the award and accept the school’s
financial aid offer. May lose larger scholarships and
grants if you frontload Ed. Award.
Learn about Financial Aid: www.finaid.org
Meet with a Fin. Aid counselor, tell them you have an
award, but don’t want to use it if it will cause you to lose
financial aid.
40. LOAN: FORBEARANCE
If you obtained forbearance on loans while in
service and successfully complete your term…
The TRUST will pay accrued interest
All interest (for full time)
A portion (for part time)
Subject to taxes…
Does not deduct from your Education Award.
41. LOAN: FORBEARANCE
You should:
First be exited from the system
When you see your term end & award appear in “My
AmeriCorps”
Request a statement from your lender that shows the
total accrued interest during your postponement period
(with beginning and end dates).
Have the statement sent to the Trust
Get a copy sent to you for your records.
42. LOAN: ADVANCE VS. PRINCIPAL
Advance (automatic)
The Ed. Award pays out as multiple
monthly bills (pays INTEREST before
principal)
You don’t pay any loan bills during this
period… but they will return.
May be for you if:
You hate paying your bills
You know you may not be able to pay for a
while
43. ADVANCE VS. PRINCIPAL (CONT.)
Principal (must request to your
lender in writing)
The Ed. Award goes directly to the full
amount borrowed before interest
You continue to pay your bills at a lower
rate
May be for you if:
You want your loan paid off sooner
You can pay your monthly bills now
You want to pay less over the lifetime of
your loan.
45. LOAN: INCOME BASED REPAYMENT
What is IBR?
A relatively new student loan repayment plan
Uses a sliding scale to determine how much you can
afford to pay on your federal loan(s).
If you earn below 150% of the poverty level for your
family size, your required loan payment will be $0.
If you earn more, your loan payment will be capped at
15% of what you earned above that amount.
Except for the highest earners, it usually works out to
less than 10% of your total income.
http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/12poverty.shtml
46. LOAN: INCOME BASED REPAYMENT
What about Interest?
In some situations, your IBR payment may not
cover the interest on your loans.
If so, the Gov’t will pay that interest on your
Subsidized Stafford Loans for the first 3 years.
After 3 years, the interest will be added to the total
amount you owe.
Your debt will grow, but anything you still owe after
25 years of qualifying payment will be forgiven.
http://ibrinfo.org
47. LOAN: PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS
Obama Administration initiative
If you work in a qualifying public
service position, it will forgive
remaining debt after 10 years of
eligible employment and qualifying
loan payments.
http://studentaid.ed.gov/
48. WHO QUALIFIES FOR PSLF?
People with federal student loans who work in a
wide range of “public service” jobs, including jobs in
government and nonprofit, 501(c)(3) orgs
Must be employed FULL-TIME
OR serving in a full-time AmeriCorps, Peace
Corps, or T4A Position
Must make regular payments on student loans–120
payments while serving in public service.
More info:
http://www.finaid.org/loans/publicservice.phtml
50. LEVERAGING YOUR SERVICE
Objective: strategize how to best construct and
represent your service experience on a
resume, letter of intent, or verbal interview.
This is an intro method, and creating a polished
product for yourself will take quite a bit more time…
51. LEVERAGING YOUR SERVICE
Start with your position description
Make a list of everything you can think of that you
created, enhanced, accomplished or learned.
Think about:
For whom? How often? With what result? To ensure what?
Why? How?
Think in numbers and time
Recruited 120 community volunteers for 2 National Service
Day events…
52. LEVERAGING YOUR SERVICE
Make your bullet points
Use action verbs:
Evaluated, developed, facilitated, supervised, administer
ed, initiated, generated, achieved….
Make a big, general list and save in a document or
within your general resume.
Pick and choose the most important/applicable for a
specific resume for the position(s) for which you are
applying.
54. LEVERAGING YOUR SERVICE
Also consider the training you received:
CPR / First Aid
Diversity & Cross-cultural Communications
Conflict Resolution
COST
Family Engagement
Curriculum Development
Other:_________________
Again, pick the most relevant for your tailored
resume.
55. LEVERAGING YOUR SERVICE
Written or spoken narrative
For interviews, letters of intent, etc.
Identify your biggest achievement, most meaningful,
most challenging (assign them all)
In 500 words or less, describe each bullet point and why
you assigned it as such.
For interviews, write it all down and then edit to 2-3
minutes of speech. Practice.
57. STAYING ENGAGED
Take advantage of:
Career Center
Free Tax Preparation
Bank of America Free Checking
You should also:
Contact your elected officials and encourage them to
support AmeriCorps and eliminate the federal tax on the
education award.
Hinweis der Redaktion
Press F5 or enter presentation mode to view the poll\r\nIn an emergency during your presentation, if the poll isn't showing, navigate to this link in your web browser:\r\nhttp://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LTI5NTUyODg1OQIf you like, you can use this slide as a template for your own voting slides. You might use a slide like this if you feel your audience would benefit from the picture showing a text message on a phone.
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