Salary and health benefits |
Moving expenses |
Help paying student loans |
Safety |
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As your son or daughter considers joining Teach For America, there are probably a host of questions that you have around their compensation, their quality of life and other basics such as moving expenses and servicing their student loans. This section will provide answers to these questions.
While beginning teacher salaries vary by district, corps members generally find that they can live comfortably regardless of their placement site. Corps members teaching in urban sites typically have higher salaries, starting at $28,000 and reaching a high of $44,000. Corps members in rural sites, who make between $25,000 and $33,000, tend to have more discretionary income because the cost of living is disproportionately lower in these sites. Beginning teachers with advanced degrees often earn higher salaries, so applicants with a Master's and/or a PhD can expect salaries that, in some cases, exceed these ranges.
Learn more about the grants and loans corps members can receive, as well as details about corps member salaries
Teach For America covers most major expenses during the summer institute, including room and board. Room and board is also covered for one to two weeks during regional inductions. Beyond this, in an effort to ensure that qualified candidates of all economic situations are able to join our corps, we offer need-based transitional grants and no-interest loans to help corps members make it to their first paychecks. Packages range from $1,000 to $6,000 based on an applicant's demonstrated need and the cost of living in the assigned region.
Applications for transitional grants and loans are made available online to applicants who are invited to interview day, and applying for transitional funding has absolutely no bearing on admissions decisions. Grants and loans are awarded at the beginning of the summer institute and may be used to reimburse travel costs to the summer institute and regional inductions. Applicants can also use transitional awards to pay for personal and moving expenses (e.g., deposits on apartments) and necessary coursework, testing, and district processing fees.
Teach For America is currently a member of AmeriCorps, the national service network. Through this relationship, our corps members who have not served previously as AmeriCorps members are eligible to receive loan forbearance and interest payment on qualified student loans during their two years of service. Additionally, those 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), which may be used toward future educational expenses or to repay qualified student loans.
Corps members teaching during the 2006-07 school year are currently receiving these benefits as part of a three-year grant. Next year, Teach For America must apply for a new AmeriCorps grant. Therefore, while we are hopeful that 2007 corps members will receive AmeriCorps benefits during their two-year commitments, Teach For America cannot guarantee these benefits given the nature of the AmeriCorps competitive grant process and the dependence on Congressional funding cycles. Additionally, depending on the federal and state grant processes, some corps members might receive lesser AmeriCorps benefits based on availability of awards. Teach For America anticipates receiving final confirmation on education awards for next year in spring 2007. For further details on AmeriCorps benefits, visit the AmeriCorps website at www.americorps.org.
Corps member personal safety is important to Teach For America. Given our commitment to schools and communities in low-income areas – which themselves sometimes face challenges around the safety of teachers, students and community members – we have an obligation to support our corps members when they experience personal safety challenges. While no individual in any profession, including teaching, is exempt from concerns about personal safety, generally, anxieties about the dangers in low-income communities are not reflective of our corps members' actual experiences in the schools and neighborhoods in which they teach. The majority of corps members feel safe in their schools and communities, as evidenced by more than 90 percent of corps members surveyed reporting that they feel safe in their classrooms and school buildings.*
Teach For America assumes responsibility for problem-solving with corps members as thought partners and providing whatever classroom resources, if any, that might be helpful. In certain instances, we will advocate on behalf of our corps members with school or district leadership, if we think our advocacy can result in a good outcome that improves the safety of the corps member and is otherwise appropriate. We know that no amount of preparation can absolutely guarantee an individual's safety; however, we also address and discuss issues of personal safety during regional orientations. In addition, Teach For America has an organization-wide protocol for addressing personal safety incidents that may arise within a region. This protocol outlines the necessary communication, party involvement, and recommended steps for resolution based upon the situation.
Corps members are ultimately responsible for making decisions about their personal safety. As is the case with professional development generally, corps members need to be proactive in connecting with Teach For America staff when they are experiencing personal safety issues. Individual corps members must decide for themselves what they feel most comfortable with when it comes to their personal safety.
Click on the video player below to watch parents of corps members and alumni talk about their son or daughter's safety.
* Survey of over 1,400 current corps members conducted in April 2007 by Policy Studies Associates, an independent research firm based in Washington D.C.
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