I’m an NQT teaching a Year 1 class. If I teach my specialist subject, design and technology, to other classes in my school will I be entitled to have my student loan paid off?

DT is one of the identified shortage subjects and I presume that you qualified in the summer, and have a permanent or fixed term contract with a maintained school. If so, you are eligible. And, yes, the factsheet states that primary teachers are eligible if they are responsible for teaching that subject to classes or groups other than their own. But, the guidance also says that you would need to be teaching DT for at least half of your normal timetable. This would be unusual. It’s hard to see how the repayment of student loans for teachers of shortage subjects scheme can work for anyone in primary schools, since they are not organised in that way. It’s unlikely that you as a newly qualified teacher will be able to persuade your headteacher to reorganise the way pupils are taught - and I don’t suppose you want to teach DT for half the week! So, it’s all very unfair. You can check out the fine print at http:www.teachernet.gov.ukteachersloans.

I have just started on the graduate teacher programme in modern foreign languages. Are there any grants I can apply for to help support me financially while I qualify? Could you also confirm that I will still be entitled to my golden hello after I have qualified.

The GTP is an employment-based route, so you get paid a salary by your school which, if you’re lucky, the TTA contributes pound;13,000 towards. The recommending body will also get up to pound;4,000 for your training. As far as I know there are no further grants available since you aren’t strictly a student.

You definitely aren’t eligible for the pound;4,000 golden hello; this is restricted to people on the PGCE in shortage subjects. That may seem unfair, but you still get more money since PGCE students only get a pound;6,000 training bursary compared to your pound;13,000-ish salary. However, when you start work as a qualified teacher in a state school you will be eligible to have any loans you took out when you were an undergraduate repaid. Remember that to be eligible you need to get a contract with a maintained school within seven months of being awarded qualified teacher status. The Teaching Information Line (0845 6000 991) can give you more advice about eligibility.

Are you a student or NQT? Email your questions to: susan.young@newsint.co.uk. Sara Bubb’s A Newly Qualified Teacher’s Manual:how to meet the induction standards is published by David Fulton, pound;5