As a corps member, you’ll receive the same salary and benefits as other first-year teachers in your school or district, plus additional financial support from Teach For America.
What Salary Do TFA Corps Members Receive?
Corps members are full-time employees of, and paid by, our partner school districts and charter networks. First-year TFA teachers make between $32,000 and $72,000 per school year from their paycheck. In addition, Teach For America provides transitional financial support to help them start strong.
Financial Support From TFA
In addition to the salary earned from your placement school, TFA offers additional financial support for corps members, based on region and eligibility. Together, these supports help reduce the out-of-pocket costs of joining the corps. The financial incentives offered by TFA include:
Teach For America provides all incoming corps members with a baseline stipend of $3,000-$6,500 (amount varies by region). This helps corps members with living expenses during summer training, which is unpaid. During the transition to the classroom, it can help bridge the gap before corps members receive their first paycheck. This stipend is automatically disbursed before summer training begins—no application required.
Incoming corps members with additional financial need may receive need-based financial support to supplement their baseline stipend, further reducing the cost of transitioning into the corps. This includes:
- Need-based grants and interest-free loans are available by application to all corps members.
- An automatic $3,000 grant is available for Pell Grant recipients and for individuals from low-income backgrounds who are not receiving federal student aid. Eligible applicants must have graduated on or after July 1, 2023.
Still have questions? Get an overview of need-based support.
A Look at TFA Salaries by Region
Corps members' salaries are determined by the school district or charter network they teach in.
You can find information on specific regions' salaries and compare salary ranges for TFA teachers, average rent, and any available signing bonus and stipends using the Compare Regions tool.
What Benefits Do TFA Corps Members Receive?
Corps members receive the same standard benefits package as other teachers in their school district or charter network, plus many additional benefits that are unique to Teach For America.
As a corps member, you’re eligible for full health benefits offered by your school district or public charter network.
TFA corps members receive the same vacation and paid holidays as other beginning teachers working for the same employer. Yes, that includes summers off!
Retirement benefits for corps members are offered by the school district or public charter network for which you work.
Corps members may be eligible for help managing student loan debt with a variety of loan forgiveness programs specifically designed for teachers. While joining Teach For America does not mean your student loans are automatically forgiven, help may be available through a variety of federal loan forgiveness programs.
Teach For America is currently an AmeriCorps partner. If AmeriCorps benefits are available, corps members may qualify for support such as federal student loan forbearance, interest accrual payments, or an education award that can be applied toward eligible loans or future education costs. AmeriCorps benefits are not guaranteed, as they depend on federal funding and program approval. We will keep corps members updated as more information becomes available. Read more about our partnership with AmeriCorps.
Individual Teach For America regions and employers we partner with may also have additional financial benefits and support such as affordable housing or per-district signing bonuses.
This is an Image/Media Right Hero
You can have a video or an image displaying in this hero. The background can be white, navy or gray,
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est
This is a Heading 2
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras quis faucibus sem, sagittis iaculis ex. Suspendisse mattis molestie congue. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Sed mollis ornare lacus ac imperdiet. In tincidunt enim quis sem ullamcorper dignissim. Cras id dolor risus. Nulla elit velit, aliquam sagittis viverra quis, tincidunt eget mauris. Nam eleifend ac odio quis sagittis.
Here's a heading
Here's a heading
“When my senior year of college came around, I knew I wanted to help others, but it wasn’t until I spoke to my Teach For America recruiter that I finally decided how I would do so. TFA’s mission deeply resonated with me and reminded me of my former teachers, some of whom were from TFA who, thanks to their constant encouragement, helped me get to and through college. I wanted to be able to push my students to reach their full potential in STEM the same way that my former TFA teachers did for me.”
- José Castillo, RGV Corps Member 2020
Here's a heading
Here's a heading
If you have some media that you want to feature alongside a description, you can do that with this module. You reference a YouTube, SoundCloud or Vimeo file, and the background color of this module can be gray, white or navy.
Here's an Optional Heading
There's some content that can go before the accordion and this is where it will appear.
Here's some content that goes inside the accordion. It can be formatted pretty much however, because this is a wysiwyg editor.
- Bullet
- Another bullet
Here's some more content, which is sadly not as exciting as the previous bulleted content.
There's some other content which can go after the accordion, and it goes here.
“If you are smart, passionate, and gritty; if you rise to challenges and get back up after getting kicked--if you love kids and believe that the world can be different because we make it different, then TFA is the right place for you.”
Andrew McRae
Houston Corps (Today: CEO, Breakthrough Public Schools)
“Here's a quote from someone who said some things. You can optionally add an image next to this quote, if you have a headshot.”
Optional Carousel Title
Here's a description for the content below, which is also optional.
Heading
Heading
Here's a description for the image with some text. You can add CTAs into the Carousel, if you want.
Heading
Heading
Here's a description with some text.
3 Reasons to Teach in Alabama
1. Rich in history
The story of Alabama is one of triumph and beauty. Living in Alabama affords the opportunity to explore the state’s hiking trails, rivers, beaches, and campsites when you have free time. This vibrant state is rich in culture and community and it’s affordable.
It boasts one of the lowest average monthly rents of all our regions, with corps members paying about $400-$800 per month. Experience more financial freedom with a salary range comparable to some of our larger urban locations. First year teacher salaries range from $43,358 - $57,664 per year.
2. Advanced education
There are many options for you to grow professionally in the education field. Depending on the grade level you teach you may need or want to get a Master’s degree. Additionally, Alabama makes certification a little easier by making it available to you both in-person and online. Which ever path you choose, you can use your AmeriCorps award to help cover the costs.
3. Extra help
To incentivize more teachers to come to Alabama, corps members will receive an Alabama background check, up to 2 Praxis test attempts, and 1 study book—all free of charge.
Our Impact
Informed and inspired by their students, TFA alumni remain life-long advocates of making sure all kids get the education they need to succeed. Many choose to continue teaching. Many others enter fields that shape the opportunities available to children, like law, healthcare, and policy-making.
Today, 58% of TFA alumni work full-time in education. Among our alumni, there are:
-
1410
school leaders
-
1000
school systems leaders
-
1400
policy, advocacy and organizing leaders
Informed and inspired by their students, TFA alumni remain life-long advocates of making sure all kids get the education they need to succeed. Many choose to continue teaching. Many others enter fields that shape the opportunities available to children, like law, healthcare, and policy-making.
Today, 58% of TFA alumni work full-time in education. Among our alumni, there are:
-
1410
school leaders
-
1000
school systems leaders
-
1400
policy, advocacy and organizing leaders
Submitting a Strong Resume for Your TFA Application
Since your resume is such a critical part of your application, we encourage all applicants to review our tips on how to make your resume the best it can be.
Your Journey With TFA
Title Here
We find bold, curious, grounded leaders (that’s you). You bring resilience, drive, and a belief in every kid.
You lead a classroom
You show up for your students—and yourself—in ways that will stretch and shape you, while helping them reach their goals.
You step up
You have the clarity, skills, and network to back your next move—whether that’s still in the classroom or wherever you’re meant to lead next.
We help you grow
This job isn’t easy, but you’re not in it alone. With coaching, community, and training, your leadership gets stronger every day.
You zoom out
You start seeing the bigger systems at play and gain a deeper understanding of what lasting change requires.
Whether you’re exploring options or fired up and ready to go, we have a way for you to get started.
Your Journey With TFA
Title Here
We find bold, curious, grounded leaders (that’s you). You bring resilience, drive, and a belief in every kid.
You lead a classroom
You show up for your students—and yourself—in ways that will stretch and shape you, while helping them reach their goals.
You step up
You have the clarity, skills, and network to back your next move—whether that’s still in the classroom or wherever you’re meant to lead next.
We help you grow
This job isn’t easy, but you’re not in it alone. With coaching, community, and training, your leadership gets stronger every day.
You zoom out
You start seeing the bigger systems at play and gain a deeper understanding of what lasting change requires.
Whether you’re exploring options or fired up and ready to go, we have a way for you to get started.
Who We Are
Teach For America is a national network of leaders working to expand access to opportunity for students—starting in the classroom. We often think about the teachers who changed our lives–but here, it’s not just the students’ lives who are transformed, it’s all of ours.
2024-2025 School Year
4,000
corps members teaching nearly 300,000 students
2,200
Ignite fellows teaching 4,800 students
66,500
Alumni
Who We Are
Teach For America is a national network of leaders working to expand access to opportunity for students—starting in the classroom. We often think about the teachers who changed our lives–but here, it’s not just the students’ lives who are transformed, it’s all of ours.
2024-2025 School Year
4,000 corps members teaching nearly 300,000 students
2,200 Ignite fellows teaching 4,800 students
66,500
Alumni
We find bold, curious, grounded leaders (that’s you)
You bring resilience, drive, and a belief in every kid.
You level up with others
This job isn’t easy, but you’re not in it alone. With coaching, community, and training, your leadership gets stronger every day.
You lead a classroom
You show up for your students—and yourself—in ways that will stretch and shape you, while helping them reach their goals.
You lead a classroom
You show up for your students—and yourself—in ways that will stretch and shape you, while helping them reach their goals.
You zoom out
You start seeing the bigger systems at play and gain a deeper understanding of what lasting change requires.
While you wait for your admissions decision, check out this preview of what to expect from the offer process. It may look different from other roles you've interviewed for, and you'll have support from our team at every step!
Your Offer Details: Two Key Emails
First Email
You'll receive confirmation of your acceptance from the admissions team. You will be prompted to log into the Applicant Center to review the details of your offer.
Second Email
You’ll be welcomed to your assigned region. This email will include:
- A link to the portal to review your offer details
- A link to your Regional Offer Guide, which covers:
- Onboarding steps & timeline
- Certification process
- Getting hired at a placement school
- Pre-Service training overview
- Finances
- A link to schedule a 1:1 meeting with a staff member
- Information about a Virtual Call for your region
Logging Into the Applicant Center
Once you log in, you’ll complete a brief survey to help us better support you. After that, you’ll have access to all your offer details, including:
Regional Placement
The community where you'll teach.
Subject Assignment
What you'll be teaching.
School Placement Process
How we help you get hired at a partner school.
Compensation Range
Salary expectations based on your region.
Transitional Support Stipend
What financial help you can expect.
Training Overview
What to expect during pre-service training.
Offer Deadline
When you need to accept or decline your offer.
Accepting Your Offer
You have 10 days after getting an offer to make a decision. After that, the process to formally accept your offer will take about 10-15 minutes. You’ll need to provide:
Personal Information
Social Security number, emergency contacts, etc.
Decision Insights
Key factors in your decision, identity details.
Policy Acknowledgement
Review and acceptance of TFA policies.
Commitment to the Corps
Your pledge to join the TFA mission.
Optional Support
Need-based financial support (if applicable).
After accepting, you’ll receive further instructions on next steps.
Need Help Making Your Decision?
Need Help Making Your Decision?
Your career choices shape you. We want to make sure you have all the resources you need to make the decision that's right for you. You can:
- Talk to a staff member for personalized guidance.
- Attend the virtual Exploring Your Offer Call for deeper insights.
- Connect with a current corps member or alumni to hear their experiences.
Important Next Steps After Accepting
Once you accept your offer, you'll need to take additional steps to be hired by one of our partner schools, including participating in interviews and completing state certification requirements.
Your school will be your official employer, and they will provide your salary and benefits package. Don't worry—TFA will be there to help throughout the entire process.
Build Your AI Toolkit
66% of employers say they wouldn’t hire an entry level person without an AI skillset. Don’t let that be you. Ready to take the next step in your AI learning?
