Why Join TFA

People join Teach For America to have an impact with young people right away and build the foundation of a meaningful life and career. Our members find community, build transformative relationships, develop collective leadership, and gain skills that transfer to high-impact careers of all kinds.

With Teach For America, you’ll earn a living and live your values every day at work.
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Reasons to Join Compensation and Benefits Is This For You?

4 Reasons People Do Teach For America

1. Build a more just world

1. Build a more just world

Many of the biggest challenges in the world today can be understood and addressed from the very same place where possibility lives: a classroom. This is more than a job, it’s a creative pursuit of justice alongside the people who hold a vision for a better future – kids.
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2. Find connection and belonging

2. Find connection and belonging

In the corps, you’ll find your people. You’ll connect with your corps cohort through shared values and experiences. You’ll fall in love with your classroom and school community. And you’ll join a fierce network of collaborators in TFA’s alumni community. These relationships run deep and last a lifetime.

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3. Grow as a systems thinker and leader

3. Grow as a systems thinker and leader

Your training, day-to-day impact, and ongoing development will advance your leadership and systems thinking in ways that you can apply to many facets of your life. Learn to foster impactful communities as you build coalitions of support around your students and their dreams.
Learn about developing your skills and leadership Navigate to Learn about developing your skills and leadership
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4. Open new career opportunities

4. Open new career opportunities

Accelerate your career with more relevant learning and development than any other job out there. Transfer your earned skills to any career path. And get lifelong access to exclusive opportunities and connections.
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Why I Joined Teach For America

I joined TFA to initiate a spark for a child … Each of us has an innate gift or talent or skill set, that when sparked uncovers our natural drive and desire. Uncovering that potential is the true purpose of education.

Crystal, Metro Atlanta Corps

I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do after graduating and I knew that I was really passionate about animal welfare advocacy and LGBTQ advocacy and that the one thing that was connecting my two passions was using education to try and create change.

Lex, Greater Philadelphia Corps

I couldn’t be more motivated and inspired to give back to mi gente, as I will be teaching students who are like me, who undergo daily struggles the way I did. I want to inspire these students and become a role model for them. I was limited in all ways possible and if I did it, so can you.

Carla, Los Angeles Corps

I’ve always been passionate about children, about education, and also .. I’m a nerd, I love school and so I found a way, through TFA, to kind of marry my love of schooling and education in my own subject areas with my concern for justice.

Jennifer, Connecticut Corps

Originally, I wanted to be an attorney. I thought this was how I could dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. But after I interned at the prosecutor’s office in Maryland and at the Southern Center for Human Rights while in college, I noticed there were so many clients who were functionally illiter

Kelly, Houston Corps

I joined Teach For America because I want students to know that growing up in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities is not something to be ashamed of or a liability. Growing up in such communities–as in my case–can be the driving force for their personal, academic, and professional success.

Yanley, Metro Atlanta Corps

To me, teaching is the most innovative profession there is. We talk so much about the Silicon Valley and the hub of innovation that it inspires but I truly think the opportunity educators have to step into a classroom and create our own Silicon Valley ecosystem is possible. The future is right in fr

Mathieu, Hawai'i Corps

I've always loved children. They're closest to the core of humanity and what it means to love. We lose so much of that when we become grown-ups … if we can just figure out how to lead with the unstoppable hearts that we're born with, the world will be a much better place. 

Berol, Baltimore Corps

I left behind my successful tech career because I realized that I gained more joy, meaning, and fulfillment from my volunteer role as an after-school teacher. I also recognized that, while my middle school students showed significant growth in my class, I could nurture many more students if I dedica

Eileen, Bay Area Corps

I moved to the U.S. from Beijing when I was 14 years old. As a first-generation immigrant and an educator, I could relate to the cultural, language and social barriers that my students also face. 

Ella, Dallas-Fort Worth Corps

I was inspired to join the corps after recognizing the inequities in education when volunteering to teach financial literacy to local middle schools in Los Angeles during my undergraduate career. Even during this short time volunteering, I understood that access to a great education had to be a basi

Daniel, Bay Area Corps

After separating from the military I found that continued service and mission-oriented work motivated me. Teach For America's mission inspired me and continues to inspire me.

Brett, Phoenix Corps

My friend whom I consider a brother was sentenced to 35 years in prison when I was 15 and he was 16. That’s what led me to become an educator. I read the data of how many people were in prison in Dallas… the zip code I lived in was at the top of the list. I thought of my friends and was like, ‘I nee

Taylor, Dallas-Fort Worth Corps

Is Teach For America a Good Idea for You?

Teach For America is for ...

  • People who understand that the kids facing the biggest obstacles will shape the brightest future. 
  • Entrepreneurs who refuse to accept the conditions of today as ordinary and who believe young people can lead the way to extraordinary change. 
  • Creators who bring their full selves to the classroom, using their individual experiences, talents, and passions to inspire and innovate. 
  • Collaborators looking to lock arms and work together with others from diverse perspectives and backgrounds toward a common vision. 
  • Learners who seek opportunities to expand their minds from people and experiences, and who take every success and failure as a lesson from which to grow. 

Teaching is the most challenging, rewarding, and important job in the world.

Teach For America teachers pour their heart into their students and get returns beyond measure.
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Benefits of Teach For America

To achieve an excellent education for all kids, we need people working together, toward change, from every sector that affects kids’ lives. We also need people who are in this for the long haul. That’s why we’re committed to making Teach For America a sustainable job choice with real benefits and a real ability to build a fulfilling career.

Financial Benefits

Corps members are full-time teachers hired by a local school or district and are certified to teach while in the corps. For salary and compensation, they receive:

  • Salary ($32K - $72K depending on the region)
  • Health insurance
  • Retirement benefits
  • Stipend for summer training living expenses ($3K - $6.5K)
  • Need-based grants and loans
  • Access to grad school scholarships

Our Ignite Fellows work 3-5 hours per week and earn an award of up to $1,200 at the end of each semester.

Career Benefits

  • ​Grad school and employer partnerships: Including deferrals, scholarships, fee waivers, internships, and more
  • A supportive network: 70,000+ alumni, corps members, fellows and staff, working together in pursuit of an excellent education for all kids
  • A career and networking website: Exclusively for our network, which includes a job board and the opportunity to connect directly with hiring managers
  • Skill-building and fellowship opportunities: Intended to accelerate impact in school leadership, social entrepreneurship, elected leadership, and more
  • Membership in LEE: A nonpartisan nonprofit that supports leaders with classroom experience to engage civically and politically

More Perspectives on Joining Teach For America

Why I Joined Teach For America as a Professional

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Questions Before You Apply?

Read more about Teach For America's application process. 
Application Guide
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Wendy Ayala-Davila

Wendy Ayala-Davila
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Jasmine Alexander

Jasmine Alexander
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Kathleen Dillon

Kathleen Dillon
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Jayzle-May Daley

Jayzle-May Daley
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