Graduate school |
Fellowships |
Finance and management consulting |
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| Education |
Policy/politics |
Pre-med |
Engineering/math/science |
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Click on the video player below to watch parents of corps members and alumni talk about their son or daughter's career options.
Because Teach For America believes fundamental change will require commitment and leadership from all sectors, we seek to support our alumni in pursuing leadership roles in their careers of choice. Whether pursuing a graduate degree from a top business or law school, a position in management consulting or finance, a Rhodes Scholarship or Fulbright Grant, or a Broad Fellowship as a route toward school superintendencies, alumni find help from Teach For America's Career and Leadership Center (CLC). The CLC works to support corps members and alumni through the entire career development process to help them achieve their personal and professional goals.
Our CLC works with a variety of organizations, government entities, and corporations to connect alumni with professional and civic opportunities. Regardless of which career track our corps members want to pursue, we are committed to helping them navigate the process successfully. In addition to standard career services such as resume workshops, resume collection and distribution to employers, regional career fairs and alumni networking events, Teach For America has developed a special set of relationships that offers alumni unique support and guidance.
A growing number of graduate programs including top-ranked business, education, public policy, law, medical, math, science and engineering, and social work schools offer benefits for corps members and alumni, including two-year deferrals and special scholarships and awards. Schools include Stanford, Duke and Baylor Schools of Medicine, Harvard and Yale Law Schools, Columbia Teacher's College and Harvard School of Education, University of Michigan and Stanford Business Schools, MIT Graduate Program in Chemistry and Syracuse's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Policy. For a complete list, go to www.teachforamerica.org/grad.
Teach For America alumni are consistently awarded a variety of highly sought after honors including Rhodes Scholarships, National Science Foundation Grants, National Teacher of the Year, American Bar Association's Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, Fulbright Grants, and White House Fellowships. CLC provides guidance for all corps members and alumni who are interested in pursuing any of the above.
Top employers value the leadership skills and experience that distinguish Teach For America corps members. Therefore, many aggressively recruit directly out of our alumni pool just as they recruit from colleges. Many provide special benefits and services to alumni, including deferrals, internships and professional mentoring – as well as resume and interview workshops and dedicated application deadlines and interview days, affording Teach For America alumni more visibility. Following is a sample list of employer partnerships: Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group, The Bridgespan Group, The Capital Group, Goldman Sachs, Google, JPMorgan, McKinsey & Company, Monitor Group, Morgan Stanley and Wachovia. Read more about securing a career in business.
The School Leadership Initiative seeks to accelerate the path to principalship for qualified alumni by fostering structured relationships with district, charter, and graduate school partners on both the national and regional levels. These partnerships offer ready access to teacher-leader, school management, and professional development opportunities for alumni looking to build school leadership skills. Partners include Lighthouse Academies, New Leaders for New Schools, Building Excellent Schools, Edison Schools, Columbia Teachers College, and Harvard Graduate School of Education among others. Read more about securing a career in education.
If a corps member is interested in pursuing a career in policy or politics, Teach For America is well connected with thought leaders and policy influencers in a variety of sectors. Whether hoping to secure an internship on the hill or pursue a masters in public policy or law, CLC can provide the resources to help corps members reach their goals. Read more about securing a career in policy.
The journey to becoming a physician is clearly a long one, and while it may seem risky to take 2 years before medical school to join Teach For America, our many alumni in medicine tell us that the experience was immensely fulfilling. They tell us that they grew through the intense personal challenge and gained a unique perspective on the effects that medicine and public health have on students' lives and families. Moreover, a growing number of medical schools including Stanford, University of Pennsylvania and Washington University offer two-year deferrals among other benefits to students who were admitted to the program and choose to join the corps. Read more about securing a career in medicine.
Many alumni in math and science fields tell us that spending two years teaching rather than going straight to graduate school, industry, or other sector was well worth it; that the experience helped them get more out of graduate school, influenced their perspectives and gave them added credibility. Read more about securing a career in engineering, math, and science.
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