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Transform Education Through Teach For

With TFA, you can teach in an underserved community while you earn your teaching license and prepare for a transformative career in education.

What Is Teach For America?

Teach For America (TFA) works in partnership with 350 urban and rural communities across the country to expand educational opportunity for children.

Founded in 1990, TFA is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. TFA recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding leaders. Corps members make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools—and become lifelong leaders in the effort to end educational inequity.

Today, TFA has more than 64,000 alumni and corps members working in over 9,000 schools nationwide, on a mission to transform education and create a more equitable system for students.

Top photo credit: Sally Ryan

Teach For America in North Carolina

In North Carolina, TFA has nearly 2,000 corps members and alumni, teaching and leading in all sectors. From classrooms to school districts to state houses, TFA members are reimagining education, so that one day every child will have an equal opportunity to learn, lead and create a future filled with possibility.

As a North Carolina corps member, you'll either teach in TFA's Charlotte-Piedmont Triad region or Eastern North Carolina region . The Charlotte-Piedmont Triad region places corps members in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Guilford County Schools. In Eastern North Carolina, corps members teach in one of 12 placement counties (see map).

Why Teach For America?

Through TFA, you can get your teacher licensure and earn a salary and benefits. TFA offers high-quality preparation, mentorship and a nationwide network of leaders in education.

TFA is a non-traditional pathway into the classroom, which means you don't need to have a teaching license when you start. TFA welcomes candidates from all backgrounds.

Once you get your North Carolina placement, you'll pursue full teacher licensure through a TFA partner institution. In North Carolina TFA has a partnerships with East Carolina University and Western Governors University. Each program  is uniquely designed to meet TFA corps members' needs.

Salary and Benefits

TFA corps members are not volunteers. You'll earn a salary and benefits through your school district, and you'll receive the same pay rate as any other beginning teacher in your region.

TFA also has opportunities for housing assistance, scholarships and other financial aid, to help you pay for moving, licensure and other costs of living. Check out TFA's financial aid page to learn more.

Education award

As part of the AmeriCorps national service network, most TFA corps members are also eligible for an AmeriCorps education award after each successful year of teaching. The specific award amount varies, but it is usually between $5,300 and $6,100.

You can use your education award to pay for qualified student loans and educational expenses like tuition. You can also use this award to pay for your teacher licensure.

TFA believes that teaching is the greatest act of leadership. The program puts energy, attention and resources into developing and supporting TFA teachers.

Throughout your two-year commitment, you'll have access to a personal leadership coach and high-quality professional development opportunities that are specifically designed for TFA corps members.

TFA corps members work and lead alongside students, families and communities to expand educational opportunities.

When you join TFA, you have access to a community of 64,000 corps members and alumni nationwide—a network of support that will challenge, guide and push you to create a more equitable education for all students.

Summer Training Model

Before you enter the classroom, you will complete TFA's Summer Training Model. This is your chance to get intensive, hands-on instructional support and coaching before you start teaching.

The Summer Training Model is an essential component of your experience, and sets TFA apart from other programs. Generally, TFA's summer training focuses on the following areas:

• Foundations of Teaching: You will build knowledge, skills, and mindsets to plan and deliver effective lessons, build relationships with students and create a productive learning environment. This experience is intended to help you build fundamental knowledge, not mastery.
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness: This part of the training will help you develop your approach to culturally relevant teaching, alongside peers who are also committed to doing this critical self-reflection. During these sessions, you will lay the groundwork for your ongoing development as a leader working toward systems change.
• Leadership: You will also explore TFA's "Theory of Leadership." You'll learn how your role as an educator will help you build skills and experiences to change the systems that contribute to educational inequity.

How do I apply to Teach For America?

TFA's application process includes both an online application and an interview, plus a few other logistical steps.

TFA's corps members include leaders like you from hundreds of universities, representing dozens of college majors and countless backgrounds. TFA maintains a selective admissions process and strives to learn about your unique talents, achievements and experiences.

A group of selectors reviews each online application to see if it meets the criteria for an interview.

To be considered for admission to TFA, you must have:

• A bachelor's degree
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 (most candidates have 3.5 or higher)
• U.S. citizenship, national/legal resident status, or be a DACA recipient

Application steps

To apply, you'll need to submit an application at www.teachforamerica.org.

In your application, TFA will ask you to:

• Upload a resume
• Provide your school history and transcript details
• Discuss your interest in joining TFA and your leadership experience
• Select your interview time preference

Deadlines

TFA has five separate application windows, which means you can select the deadline that best matches your needs. The full application process takes approximately eight weeks.

To see each deadline window, please visit the TFA website .

Interview steps

The interview is a distinctive part of the TFA application process. If you're invited to an interview, it will include three major components:

• A 5-minute sample lesson (where you'll prepare and teach a short lesson, with your interviewer acting as your student)
• A case activity (where you'll reflect on a scenario and write a proposal on how you would handle it as a teacher)
• A personal one-on-one interview

You'll also need to provide two references and upload an official transcript.

When will I hear back?

TFA will notify you of your admissions decision about two weeks after your interview.

How does placement work?

As a corps member, you'll have an opportunity to request your preferred placement area.

After your TFA interview, you will rank the regions where you would prefer to teach. Corps members teach in TFA regions across the country, each with a unique opportunity for impact.

TFA knows it's very important to land in a region that matches your priorities. The program team assigns corps members to the region they're most interested in as often as possible.

If you are interested in teaching in North Carolina, TFA will work to place you in either of the two NC regions. When you're admitted, TFA will include your regional and subject area placements within your admission decision.

Photo credit: Chris Smith

What are people saying?

"My students and the connection to Teach For America keep me in Greensboro. I feel like I am part of something so much bigger than my own classroom and that I am working towards a goal that matters, with an inspirational team that challenges me to be better."

— Kalle Davis, 2014 North Carolina Piedmont Triad Corps Member

Learn more

Ready to learn more about TFA? The TFA website has everything you need to explore possibilities and start your journey.

Photo credit: Saskia Khan

Explore TFA

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Source: https://northcarolina.teach.org/teach-for-america

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