I want to pursue a career in law, medicine, business, policy, etc... How will the two years corps experience prepare me for
graduate school or the private sector?
Regardless of the career path you choose, the insight you gain and skills you develop during your two years as a corps member will help you develop into a strong leader, and will make you part of something significant that you will value for the rest of your life. Each alum has a unique story behind their corps experience and how situations in the classroom have influenced them personally and professionally. Learn more about alumni in business, education, law, medicine/health, public policy, engineering, and math and science.
Given the number of corporations, nonprofits, and graduate schools that actively recruit our corps members, you’ll have more options, not fewer, when you complete your two years with Teach for America. We have a growing number of formal partnerships with many of the nation’s best graduate schools and top employers that affords our corps members and alumni a variety of benefits such as 2 year deferrals and financial incentives.
Our graduate schools partners include 10 of the top 10 law schools (e.g. Harvard, Yale, Stanford), leading medical schools (e.g. University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins), top business schools (e.g. Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, M.I.T.) and many of the nation’s best policy schools (e.g. Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton, Michigan)*. Learn more about our hundreds of graduate school partnerships.
Leading employers also offer benefits including 2 year deferrals, summer internship opportunities and professional coaching. A sampling of employer partners includes Google, General Electric, McKinsey & Company, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley. Learn more about our corporate partnerships with top employers.
In addition, alumni consistently assert that Teach For America was an invaluable career step that taught them skills they never could have learned in another context. Teach For America provides corps members and all alumni with support at every stage in their career development process, regardless of the career path they are pursuing. These services include skills assessments, career specific newsletter, job board with opportunities in all sectors, and resume and interview coaching. Hear alumni discuss their career choices.
* 2008 Best Graduate Schools, U.S. News & World Report 2008.
What do corps members do after they complete their two
years?
Q1. Can I stay in education after my two years?
About 67 percent of Teach For America alumni have remained in the field of education as teachers, principals, policy advisors, and leaders and staff of education reform organizations. Moreover, nearly 38 percent of these alumni still work in their original Teach For America placement communities. For new alumni, in their third year since joining the corps, nearly 75 percent are in education, the vast majority as teachers, while some work in other school-based roles. Furthermore, nearly 250 alumni are principals or school leaders.
Q2. Is it possible for me to work in fields other than education after my two years as a corps member?
Yes, in fact 33 percent of our alumni move outside the field of education. Armed with the experience and insight they gained in the classroom, most of those alumni are still engaged in impacting this issue, with many tackling critical issues in areas including healthcare, housing and economic disparities which heavily burden the school systems in low-
income communities and hinder their ability to deliver a quality education. Others work to channel the resources found in other sectors toward improving conditions and education in low-income communities. Hear the voices of our alumni making changes in fields outside education.
Who we're looking for
College graduates and professionals
Frequently asked questions
Corps and Alumni