Corporate Partnerships
Why Companies Choose Teach For America
We craft customized, mutually beneficial partnerships that help every child realize his or her full potential, regardless of zip code.
We're Grateful to Partner With:
“It’s been an incredibly rewarding opportunity to work alongside our partners at Teach For America to ensure each participating Care Counts™ school has the tools they need for the best chance at success. Our partnership is so successful because we both have a common goal in mind, all students deserve access to an equitable education.”
Emily Rzeszutko
Senior Analyst Brand Manager, Whirlpool
Read More About Teach For America's Partnerships
Cognizant and Teach For America have announced the winners of the annual Cognizant Innovation in Computer Science Education Awards. Now in its second year, the awards recognize outstanding educators and individuals advocating for and expanding access to PK-12 computer science education across the United States.
Why Join TFA
With Teach For America, you’ll earn a living and live your values every day at work.
4 Reasons People Do Teach For America
1. Build a more just world
1. Build a more just world
Inequity of all kinds can be understood and fought 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 and equity.
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 illiterate. I thought, 'What if we had prior support then that could have prevented this?' I wanted to unlock that door. That's how I came across Teach For America.
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.
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 front of us—it's just humbling and something that I think we have to really take seriously and own the beauty within that responsibility.
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. That is what I wanted to commit my life to, and that’s what I’m lucky to still work for every day.
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 dedicated myself to teaching full time … With its deep resources and intensive training, TFA became the perfect catalyst to support my transition into teaching.
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. My students and the community remind me of the importance of the fight for educational equity every day and inspire me to solve complex and deeply-rooted problems in the education system.
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 basic human right yet this isn’t what persisted across my college campus.
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.
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 need to get in the classroom, I can touch and help the most people –the most students.'
Is Teach For America a Good Idea for You?
Teach For America is for ...
- People who believe deeply in the power and potential of kids facing systemic racism and/or poverty – 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.
Benefits of Teach For America
To end educational inequity, 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:
- Full salary, vacation, and health benefits: These come from your school district and salaries range from around $33K - $68K per year, depending on the region
- Transitional grant: All incoming teachers get a baseline grant to help offset transition and summer training costs
- Other financial incentives: Including, based on eligibility, AmeriCorps Awards of around $6K per year, the Black Educators Promise Grant, regionally-based signing bonuses, and housing partnerships
Our Ignite Fellows work 3-5 hours per week and earn a $1,200 award at the end of each semester.
Career benefits
- Grad school and employer partnerships: Including deferrals, scholarships, fee waivers, internships, and more
- A diverse and supportive network: 60,000+ alumni and staff, working together in pursuit of educational equity
- 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 Leadership for Educational Equity: A nonpartisan nonprofit that supports leaders with classroom experience to engage civically and politically
Raise a Hand if You're Ready to Shake Things Up
More Perspectives on Joining Teach For America
Questions Before You Apply?
Read more about Teach For America's application process or sign up for emails from us.