If you’ve been invited to an interview with Teach For America, you’ll need to complete a “Recommenders List.” This requires you to submit the contact information for two recommenders.

Your recommenders will receive a unique web link, via email, from TFA’s Admissions team. They will be asked to complete an online recommendation form.

Tips For Selecting Your Recommenders

• Your two recommenders should be people who can speak to different aspects of what you’ve done or accomplished. 
• Ideally, each recommender will have supervised your work or have been in a position of authority to guide or evaluate your work within the past 3-5 years.
• If you’re a student, choose recommenders from different areas of your college experience. 
  • The first recommender could be from an academic setting (professor, thesis advisor, independent research advisor, academic advisor), and the second could be from a job or extracurricular activity (coach, advisor, formal supervisor, head of program, department leader).
• If you’re a professional
  • Your recommenders should be people who have observed you in an academic, work (paid or volunteer), or leadership setting and can speak to your unique skills, mindset, and accomplishments.
  • Ideally, each recommender will have supervised your work or have been in a position of authority to guide or evaluate your work within the past 3-5 years.
  • A current or former manager is a great option, but if this is not possible you can also consider former professors, mentors, or supervisors on projects you’ve been a part of.
  • For your second recommender, you can select a previous manager from the same organization, or a manager from another organization.
• If you work in a school, we suggest asking a principal or assistant principal who is familiar with your work to be one of your two recommenders.
• Recommenders should be comfortable filling out the online recommendation form because we don’t accept traditional letters of recommendation.
• Friends, family members, family friends, and colleagues/peers are not advised to be listed as recommenders.

Looking for additional tips on your Teach For America application? Visit Application and Interview Tips.