If you're looking to pursue a new direction in your career and want to be a powerful force in the lives of others, consider joining Teach For America.
Disparities in educational opportunities limit the life choices of the 13 million children growing up in poverty today, impacting their earning potential, voter participation, civic engagement, and community involvement. By committing two years to teach in a low-income community and applying the skills you've developed in your graduate studies and/or professional career, you can help change this.
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Eligibility | |
Who we look for | |
Financial Support | |
Alumni profiles | |
Career resources |
Yes. A candidate’s age has no bearing on admissions decisions. Each year, college graduates who have spent time working, attending graduate school, or participating in other post-graduate activities comprise approximately 15 percent of the corps. In addition to recruiting graduating seniors on college campuses, we actively recruit college graduates currently working in both public and private sectors, as well as those currently enrolled in graduate programs.
Of course, all applicants should evaluate their personal flexibility and comfort with Teach For America. Specifically, our training includes an intensive five-week summer program on a college campus with dormitory-style living arrangements, and an accepted corps member's regional assignment may involve relocation.
To learn more, please visit the Teach For America FAQs.
We seek individuals of all backgrounds and career interests who have demonstrated high levels of past achievement in academics, extracurricular activities, and/or work. We are looking for individuals who have the potential to excel as teachers in low-income communities based on the skills and strengths that we’ve determined leads to success in our classrooms.
Learn more about who we're looking for
Learn more about our commitment to diversity
We look for evidence of these qualities in the online application, the phone interview, and the in-person interview. Because individuals who have what it takes to excel as teachers and to exert broader societal influence come in many forms and from a wide variety of backgrounds with many past experiences, we do not look for a narrow profile of experience, such as particular academic majors or specific leadership positions.
To learn more, please visit the Teach For America FAQs.
Teach For America is committed to making teaching a viable option for everyone, regardless of their financial situation.
Salaries and health benefits
Corps members are employees of the school districts for which they work, and as such, typically receive the same salaries and health benefits as other beginning teachers. Salaries range from $27,000 to $47,000, depending on the placement region. Individuals with a masters degree, J.D., M.B.A., and/or Ph.D. may receive higher salaries than individuals without graduate degrees.
Transitional expenses and no-interest loans
Together with Visa, our National Corporate Partner, Teach For America offers no-interest loans and transitional grants ranging from $1,000 to $6,000 to help cover relocation and start-up expenses. Packages are based on demonstrated need and cost of living in the corps member’s assigned region. Teach For America also covers major expenses during the summer institute (e.g., housing, food).
AmeriCorps education awards*
Teach For America is currently a member of AmeriCorps, the national service network. Through this relationship, our corps members who have not previously received AmeriCorps awards receive an education award of $4,725 at the end of each year of service (a total of $9,450 over the two years). Corps members are also eligible for loan forbearance and interest payments on student loans.
Scholarship Opportunities
Many of our graduate school partners, including top-ranked programs in education, public policy, business, law, medicine, the sciences, and engineering, award scholarships to Teach For America alumni.
*While Teach For America is currently a member of AmeriCorps, we cannot guarantee these benefits for the 2009 corps given the nature of the AmeriCorps competitive grant process and the dependence on Congressional funding cycles. Teach For America anticipates receiving final confirmation on education awards for next year in spring 2009.
Learn more about our financial support
Today there are more than 14,000 Teach For America alumni working in business, education, law, medicine, policy, and other sectors. Alumni who joined the corps after completing their graduate degrees or as working professionals tell us that teaching in a low-income area was a defining experience for them which allowed them to do something truly meaningful while giving them the insight and conviction needed to continue to effect change throughout their careers. In addition, through their experiences in the corps, our alumni build networks of colleagues, friends, students, and students’ families, which become ongoing sources of personal and professional support.
Meet some of our alumni who joined Teach For America as graduate students or working professionals.
Business
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Kermit Cook (St. Louis Corps '03) Dartmouth College, B.A. engineering sciences • Stanford University, M.B.A. Pre-Corps Profession: Business Analyst, McKinsey & Company Post-Corps Profession: Associate, KKR Capstone |
| Read what he has to say |
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Morris Liao (Mississippi Delta Corps '03) Northwestern University, B.A. math and economics • Northwestern University, M.B.A. Pre-Corps Profession: Analyst, Citigroup Post-Corps Profession: Senior Strategic Planning Analyst, Dick's Sporting Goods |
| Read what he has to say |
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Education
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John Fisher (Phoenix Corps '04) Marquette University, B.S. electrical engineering • Arizona State University, M.Ed. Pre-Corps Profession: Electrical Engineer, Sargent & Lundy, LLC. Post-Corps Profession: School Administrator, Arizona Cardinals Preparatory Academy |
| Read what he has to say |
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Marya Murray Diaz (New York City Corps '04) Georgetown University, B.A. international studies • Georgetown University, M.A. international studies • Lehman College, M.A. education Pre-Corps Profession: Outreach Coordinator and Research Associate, the Center for Economic and Policy Research Post-Corps Profession: School Operations Manager, KIPP: Infinity Charter School |
| Read what she has to say |
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Christine Janes(New York City Corps '04) University of Maryland, College Park, B.A. hearing and speech sciences • Fordham University, M.S.T. Pre-Corps Profession: Peace Corps Volunteer, Audiologist in Jordan Post-Corps Profession: 1st Grade Teacher, P.S./M.S. 3 |
| Read what she has to say |
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Korbin Johnson (Southern Louisiana Corps '01) University of New Mexico, B.A.broadcast journalism Pre-Corps Profession: Team Supervisor, General Motors Post-Corps Profession: KIPP Fisher Fellow, New Orleans |
| Read what he has to say |
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Technology
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Luis Alonso (Greater New Orleans Corps '02) Carnegie Mellon University, B.S. computer science Pre-Corps Profession: Engineer at technology start-up Post-Corps Profession: Software Engineer, Google |
| Read what he has to say |
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As a Teach For America alumnus, you will have access to a rich set of resources to help you chart your course, both personally and professionally.
Graduate school partnerships: More than 100 graduate schools, including top-ranked programs in business, law, medicine, education, public policy, the sciences and engineering, seek out our alumni. Benefits include two-year deferrals and scholarships.
Corporate partnerships: Teach For America alumni are recruited by hundreds of organizations. More than 20 leading employers, including Accenture, Deloitte, GE, Google, JPMorgan, McKinsey & Company, and Wachovia, offer special benefits specifically for Teach For America corps members, such as two-year deferrals, internships, and career mentoring.
Regional alumni affairs teams: Corps members and alumni are supported by regional staff members who work to connect them with career and civic opportunities and provide opportunities to network with fellow alumni and engage with Teach For America.
Who we're looking for
Corps and Alumni
