Searching for the perfect teaching position in New Mexico for the school year?

Teach For America (TFA) could be a great option for you. Whether you’ve taught for several years, you’re making a career change into education, or if you’re just graduating from college, TFA is a unique opportunity to make an impact in students’ lives and serve communities in the state of New Mexico.

Teach For America’s Approach

TFA recruits outstanding leaders from all backgrounds and career sectors to become TFA “corps members.” Corps members commit to teaching for two years, where they are full, salaried employees of local public schools and confront both the challenges and joys of expanding opportunities for kids. Many choose to continue teaching after their two-year TFA commitment ends.

Corps members develop into strong classroom leaders who go beyond traditional expectations to advance students’ academic and personal growth, while helping to strengthen schools. They work in the districts and schools most impacted by educational inequity.

In partnership with the University of New Mexico, local nonprofit organizations, and businesses across the state, corps members receive initial training, ongoing professional development, and access to an unparalleled resource and support network.

TFA has more than 7,000 corps members in 50 regions, reaching more than 400,000 students in 2,500 schools.

While specific regional placement is not guaranteed, 80 percent of TFA's applicants are assigned to their most preferred location. We know that your personal location preferences are important. Read more below about our placement process.  

Corps Member Eligibility

In order to be considered for a position with TFA, you must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 and U.S. citizenship, national/legal resident status, or be a DACA recipient. You are not required to have a background in education.

In addition to these eligibility requirements, we seek people have a deep belief in the potential of every child, a strong record of achievement, and perseverance in the face of challenges, among other key values and experiences. Read more about the characteristics of strong corps members.

Redefine Your Career

Learn more about teaching in New Mexico, and apply to teach as part of the Teach For America corps today.

Apply

Working in New Mexico

As a corps member, you will be required to complete steps to become highly qualified in the subject(s) you’ll teach and work toward full teaching certification during your two-year commitment. Learn more about earning your teaching license and getting hired at a school.

Salary

You’ll receive a salary and benefits from the school district, charter school, or pre-K center where you work. 

You’ll be paid the same as other beginning teachers working for the same employer. Salaries for new teachers typically range from $36,000 to $38,000 in New Mexico, depending on the grade and subject level you teach. 

Benefits

As a full-time TFA teacher, you are entitled to medical benefits through your school or district. Plans and costs vary, depending on where you teach. Read more about salary and benefits.

You may also be eligible for additional financial incentives exclusively available to TFA corps members. Learn more about financial aid, including transitional funding packages.

Master’s Degree Option

As a TFA teacher in New Mexico, you will have the option to pursue a master’s degree. Most corps members seeking a master’s attend the University of New Mexico (UNM), which has campuses around the state. UNM’s program can be completed within two years, although most corps member members take three years to finish. Western New Mexico University also offers a three-year master's program.

To finance tuition, corps members typically use their AmeriCorps Education Awards and partial tuition reimbursement benefits from their district. Learn more about New Mexico’s Certification and Training.

After Two Years

After your two-year commitment with TFA, you may choose to stay in the classroom for additional years of teaching. Some TFA alumni go on to work in school leadership, and many others go on to impact educational equity from another other sector.

We are committed to making sure you have the resources and support you need to lead and continue to work towards change, with a dedicated TFA New Mexico support staff. Learn more about life after the corps.

Our Placement Process

TFA corps members teach in 50 regions. After applying and interviewing for TFA, you’ll have the opportunity to rank the regions where you prefer to teach.

Our placement process is designed to assign you to the region(s) you’re most interested in as best as possible, since we know that landing in a region that matches your priorities is important. A majority of applicants are placed in one of their top regional choices.

After applying, you must select and rank 10 TFA regions where you want to teach, one of which must be a region we’ve designated as “high priority.” Read more about our placement process.

Make an Impact in New Mexico

Teach For America New Mexico serves communities across the state, from the sovereign Navajo Nation in the northwest to the urban areas around Albuquerque and Santa Fe. This geographic scale grants corps members the opportunity to explore the beautiful state and see everything it has to offer. Our partner schools in the state are located mostly in small towns and rural Indigenous communities with populations ranging from 200 to 20,000. 

As a founding region of our Native Alliance Initiative, TFA New Mexico is also deeply engaged in the effort to ensure culturally responsive teaching techniques. As a corps member, you can help prepare students to be leaders for their Sovereign Nations and communities, while growing personally as an educator and changemaker.

Apply Today

Make an impact on students. Apply to be a corps member with Teach For America today.

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