Illinois Federation of Teachers
A Union of Professionals
MEMBER BENEFITS
Your union provides you with support at your workplace, but it also offers you and your family money savings on high-quality consumer benefits and services. IFT and AFT have developed programs that offer a broad variety of cost-saving options. In addition, check with your local union; many locals have negotiated discounts or benefits from merchants or service providers in your community.
LOAN FORGIVENESS
Minority Teacher of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship
If you plan to teach at a nonprofit Illinois public school with no less than 30 percent of the students are minorities and you are a minority, you may qualify for the MTI program.
Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program
If you are a teacher or an academically talented student pursuing a career in special education as a teacher in Illinois, you may be eligible for the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver Program.
Perkins Loan Forgiveness
You may be eligible to have all or a portion of your Federal Perkins Loan canceled (based on your employment or volunteer service) or discharged (under certain conditions).
Stafford Loan Forgiveness Program
The Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program can help you get your federal student loans forgiven for your service as a teacher.
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program
A TEACH Grant can help you pay for college if you plan to become a teacher in a high-need field in a low-income area.
LEGAL & FINANCIAL
AIG Retirement Services
AIG can assist you in planning for a secure retirement.
United Buying and Finance Service is a referral service that has negotiated special discounts with Realtors, Mortgage Lenders, Auto Dealers, Retailers, Service Providers, Insurance and Retirement Accounts. This means you can take advantage of special savings on buying, selling, financing and refinancing homes, automobiles, appliances, and other name brand merchandise.
With United Credit Union, you will enjoy access to the most complete list of financial products and services as well as benefits offered only to United Credit Union Members.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The Illinois Federation of Teachers supports the continuing education of high school seniors by awarding two scholarships annually.
UNION PLUS
Union Privilege is a nonprofit founded by the AFL-CIO to provide excellent consumer Union Plus benefit programs exclusively to union members (current and retired) and their families.
Benefits include:
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Home
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Travel & fun
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Auto
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Insurance
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Health
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Education
AFT+
As an IFT member, you are entitled to the benefits offered by the AFT member benefits program, AFT +.
Benefits include:
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Travel
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Education & learning opportunities
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Finance & legal
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Staying healthy
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Discounts & shopping
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Insurance
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Mortgage & home services
Validate your AFT Membership Card to obtain full access to the AFT+ member benefits programs. To request a new membership card, send an e-mail to membership@aft.org.
IFT's constitution contains the fundamental principles which govern the operation of our organization.
As the IFT grows, the need for qualified professionals to join our ranks as staff also grows.
As a member, you are part of your local union, the IFT with over 100,000 members, AFT comprised of more than 1.4 million members, and the 10 million strong AFL-CIO.
IFT is committed to building power and engaging in social and economic issues. There are multiple ways to get involved in this important work.
Through the IFT, AFT, and Union Plus, members have access to free and low-cost professional development and union leadership opportunities and PSRP-specific trainings and conferences, occupational liability insurance, scholarship programs, crisis counseling, consumer savings programs, and much, much more.