We look for exceptional leaders who have a track record of achievement (whether in school, work, or extracurricular activities). We also seek individuals who have the potential to achieve based on the skills and strengths that we’ve determined over time lead to success in our classrooms. Specifically, we look for evidence of:
Lastly, we seek evidence that applicants operate with professionalism and integrity, and meet basic writing standards.
Leaders come in many forms with varied past experiences, so there is no one profile of an ideal applicant. There are many ways to demonstrate these qualities, and we view applicants holistically and evaluate their fit with our criteria within the contexts of their particular activities, jobs, and interest areas.
Because the challenges corps members face in making a significant impact on their students' academic achievement are immense, Teach For America is selective. It is crucial to the success of our mission that we select corps members who have the most potential to succeed in this endeavor.
Although our program is selective, applicants do not compete against other applicants for a fixed number of positions — we evaluate applicants against the selection criteria listed above and every applicant who meets our criteria is accepted.
Read about our applicant prerequisites and admissions policies
Read more about our corps members and what it takes to succeed in the
classroom
Who we're looking for
College graduates and professionals
Corps and Alumni