Salary and Benefits
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 $33,000 and $68,000 per school year from their paycheck. TFA offers additional financial support on top of that paycheck with a value of approximately $14,000 - $30,000 over two years, depending on eligibility.
Financial Support From TFA
In addition to the salary earned from your placement school, TFA offers additional financial support for corps members with a value of $14,000 - $30,000 over two years, based on region and eligibility. The financial supports offered by TFA include:
Teach For America offers Transitional Support Stipends for all incoming corps members. They help corps members bridge the gap in their transition to the classroom before they receive their first paycheck.
- Baseline Regional Stipends are designed to help corps members cover two months of housing along with initial test registration costs. The Baseline Regional Stipend ranges in amount depending on region.
- All Pell Grant recipients and EAD holders also qualify for an additional Pell/EAD Stipend of $3,000 on top of their Baseline Regional Stipend, regardless of placement region.
Incoming corps members with additional financial need may apply for Need-Based Transitional Support to supplement their Transitional Support Stipends. These packages of grants and no-interest loans are based on demonstrated need, regional cost of living, and Transitional Support Stipend amount. All need-based applicants will be offered an interest-free loan; applicants with the highest need may also be offered a grant. Incoming corps members can apply through the applicant center. Get an overview of need-based support.
All Pell Grant recipients and EAD holders also qualify for an additional Pell/EAD Stipend of $3,000 on top of their Baseline Regional Stipend, regardless of placement region.
Corps members who join AmeriCorps may be eligible for additional funding to help pay off student loans or put toward certification costs. The AmeriCorps award is distributed after each year of membership. The current AmeriCorps award is $7,395. Read more about our partnership with AmeriCorps.
A Look at TFA Salaries by Region
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 details such as first and second-year salary ranges for TFA teachers, average rent, and any available signing bonus and stipends using this tool.
What Benefits Do TFA Corps Members Receive?
There are plenty of benefits of being a Teach For America corps member. As you launch a purpose-driven career that weaves together your passion, purpose, and professional pursuits as a teacher, you’ll earn a sustainable living while living your values, every day at work.
What’s more, TFA teacher corps members receive financial benefits such as:
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.
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. Read more about some of these loan forgiveness programs.
Individual regional placement communities and employers may also have additional financial benefits and support such as affordable housing partnerships, or per-district signing bonuses.
More Resources, More Support, More Opportunities
Check out these financial and benefit-related resources to help ground you in how teaching can launch a viable, rewarding, and sustainable career path with Teach For America.
Make it Make Cents is a financial literary zine for teachers, whether they are corps members or not. It contains helpful tips, articles, and features about making your money work as an educator.
Get Insider Tips on Financial Benefits for New Corps Members including placement community-specific signing bonuses, insights into states where we work with low- or no-income taxes—and more!
5 Things to Know About TFA Transitional Grants is a helpful read to gain deeper insight into grants and interest-free loans that can help corps members make the transition into the classroom.
Read What Teachers Use to Make Smart Money Moves for how Teach For America partners help corps members save, spend, and make sense of finances.