Overseas military is getting paid, but their kids’ teachers aren’t — and they’re worried about making rent

• Teachers on overseas military bases are facing financial strains as a government shutdown persists.
• Military support staff, unlike soldiers, aren’t getting paid, a break from past shutdown norms.
• Teachers said they are worried about falling behind on rent and other bills.

European landlords don’t understand why their American tenants suddenly can’t make rent.

Teachers and other support staff who work on overseas US military bases are facing a tough situation as the government shutdown approaches the longest in history, and their paychecks dry up. While Trump has found a way to temporarily pay American soldiers around the globe, the over 14,000 people who keep military bases running aren’t so lucky.

Five teachers working for the Department of Defense Education Activity on various European bases told Business Insider they’re scrambling to bring translated letters to their landlords explaining that their employer isn’t sending paychecks at the moment, are full of worry about utility bills arriving, and recounting their situations to incredulous locals.

“Our teachers are all still going to school every day. The aides are still going, the substitutes are still going,” Cathy Indresano, the Italy-based president of the Overseas Federation of Teachers, said, adding that many school workers are often also military spouses. “And of course, we’re all working and nobody’s getting paid.”

This government shutdown ripple effect shows just how far-reaching the ramifications of the appropriations lapse are — especially as the Trump administration unilaterally makes calls on who and who shouldn’t be paid. Typically, Congress passes partial spending measures to keep military operations funded. Without that, this time around, the president decided to send paychecks to military and select law enforcement officers — but base support staffers are on their own, just like hundreds of thousands of other federal workers.

DoDEA’s communications operations chief Jessica Tackaberry told BI that DoDEA schools are considered excepted and operating as normal, as the agency “remains committed” to providing education to military-connected students.

“We understand the difficulties this situation may create for our dedicated educators and staff who are working without pay. DoDEA is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to provide guidance and support to employees as needed,” Tackaberry said. “Despite the fiscal uncertainty, students across our global school system continue to receive the same high-quality, rigorous education that prepares them for college, career, and life success.”

The events of this shutdown “left a whole bunch of people by the wayside, including these folks,” Bobby Kogan, the senior director of federal budget policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said.

The workers Business Insider spoke to are in a unique position: They’re stuck in shutdown limbo thousands of miles away from the stalemate in Washington. They described financial hardships, reduced snacks in classrooms, and having to explain to incredulous locals that yes, they are stuck indefinitely working without pay.

“We’re just a small little entity here that people don’t realize it’s still working away,” Indresano said, “and still supporting the military.”

Behind on rent and dealing with culture shock

Desiree has been teaching abroad for around 11 years. She’s never faced a shutdown like this.

Recent past shutdowns were technically partial shutdowns because the Department of Defense was funded ahead of time and carried on with normal operations, or, as in the 2013 shutdown, legislation was passed that meant troops and other DoD workers could be paid in the event of a shutdown.

The news that Desiree and her colleagues would receive no paycheck came abruptly. Her prorated check for the last days worked in September only covered around a third of rent at the apartment she moved into over the summer. Like other DoDEA employees who live off the base, she’s also stopped receiving her rent stipend. That means she’ll likely be late on her first rent payment.

“Money is just — it’s not flowing, except for out,” she said, adding, “In some situations, I don’t have a whole lot of choice. It has to keep going. I mean, we have to buy food. I have to put gas in my car.”

Desiree said that many teachers may have just incurred moving costs ahead of the start of the school year, and might not be on as firm a financial footing. One fairly new DoDEA employee said that’s exacerbated by the weak dollar compared to the euro. It’s made it even harder to save up ahead of the shutdown.

“My bank account’s already in the negative,” the worker said. “For me personally, I won’t be able to make rent next month. I don’t have it.”

Another strain is that some overseas DoDEA workers aren’t allowed to pick up second jobs, a backup plan helping some US-based federal workers stay afloat. Living across the ocean from loved ones adds to the stress, making things “a little tougher,” as Indresano said.

“Not being in the US, we don’t have the luxury of being able to go to a food bank that they would have there — not that we need that at the moment, but you never know. It depends on how long this lasts,” Indresano said.

The government shutdown hits classrooms overseas

Parents and students on overseas military bases recently fought to keep extracurriculars and sports running amid a funding lapse, but in the day-to-day of teaching, the shutdown still looms. One teacher pointed to the classroom snacks they and their colleagues often pay for out of their own pockets.

“There are families that don’t have the food and things like that,” the teacher said. “So teachers are providing snacks. We can’t go buy that for them because we’re not getting paid.”

Desiree said she’s been unable to buy school supplies, something the school usually gets an allowance for. That means that their ceramics classes could go without clay, and the school could run out of paper soon.

James has been teaching overseas for over two decades. He’s weathered multiple shutdowns, but this is the first time his paycheck has been suspended. Having spent a good amount of time in his local community, he sees familiar faces at the coffee shop and grocery store. Some of the locals have heard about the shutdown, or they ask what’s going on.

“There’s a certain amount of surprise as well as sympathy for what we’re going through,” he said. However, he’s observed that his local friends struggle to “wrap their mind around how Congress, meaning both the House and the Senate,” could let the government shut down and workers go without pay.

“It’s very difficult for them to conceptualize how that happens,” he said.