How do I obtain a Pre-Service verification letter?
Connect with your regional team to obtain a letter that details the work you completed during your time at Pre-Service. You can email your region directly via their regional page.
Where and when is Pre-Service training held?
You can learn more about the schedule and location of Pre-Service training on the Summer Training Schedule page.
What does Pre-Service training include?
During the summer, all corps members engage with our Pre-Service experience. The aim of this period of time is to develop corps members as teacher leaders and we focus our training on 4 domains: rigorous instruction, classroom learning environment, relationships, and learning.
Will my regional selections in my application affect my chance of being admitted?
Your regional and placement community selection(s) have no bearing on your admissions decision.
Will I get to select the region where I will teach?
You will get to tell us where you are interested in teaching as a part of your initial application. After you've been invited to interview, you will have the opportunity to revisit your regions of interest by finalizing your placement community selection(s).
As you consider where you would like to teach, you should consider the factors most important to you in a community, compare cost of living, most likely subject placements, master's degree options, etc. to determine which placement community(ies) may be a good fit for you.
When do I find out what and where I’ll teach?
You will have the opportunity to research and submit your region(s) of interest in your initial application, and you will have an opportunity to revisit these selection(s) after you're invited to interview.
At this time, you will also indicate your preferences for the classroom subjects you want to teach.
Depending on your application timeline, you'll receive your placement community and subject assignment about two weeks after finalizing your placement community selections.
Then, you'll have about two weeks to consider and accept your offer.
What am I qualified to teach?
It's very difficult to predict in advance what you will be qualified to teach in a given placement community. Your eligibility to teach a certain subject or grade level is partly dependent on the specific requirements of a state, school district, and university partner. Unfortunately, these requirements are quite complex and change often, so we do not have a requirements list available for applicants.
Where do corps members teach?
Corps members teach in one of Teach For America's regional placement communities. Learn more about where corps members teach.
What if I am already certified to teach?
The application and training process for certified teachers is the same for non-certified applicants.
If you’re admitted to the corps and are already certified to teach the subject in the state where you’re assigned, you won’t need to retake any certification exams that you’ve already passed. However, you’ll most likely need to submit a copy of your score reports.
Are all corps members certified at the end of their two-year commitments?
Teach For America is not specifically a certification or graduate education program. However, depending on your region, you may earn your certification after teaching for two years.
In most regions, you will be required to work towards certification while teaching by paying for and completing coursework and exams.
In other regions, you may not be required to become fully certified, but to continue teaching for two years, you will be required to complete and pay for some coursework or to attend professional development programs.