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Teach for America Interview Questions & Reviews
Getting the Interview 298 Interviews
Interview Experience 269 Ratings
Teacher at Teach for America
No Offer – Interviewed in Amherst, MA Dec 2012 – Reviewed Apr 2, 2013
Interview Details – Online application, phone interview, group interview. Lots of waiting.
Interview Question – Same interview questions on phone and in person (1-1) interview. Thought this was very strange because the phone interviewer takes notes the whole time. Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
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Corps Member at Teach for America
No Offer – Interviewed in Princeton, NJ Dec 2012 – Reviewed Mar 25, 2013
Interview Details – The interview process is intense - there are phone interviews, writing samples, and a day long group interview in which you teach to other for five minutes. They want to see that you are organized, passionate, and talented at teaching. During the teaching interview, its important to cold call on people.
Interview Question – What do you do if you want to take your class on a field trip, but the principle is reluctant to agree? Answer Question
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Corps Member at Teach for America
No Offer – Interviewed in Mar 2013 – Reviewed Mar 24, 2013
Interview Details – I completed the application, online activity and phone interview
Interview Question – What do you do to stay organized Answer Question
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Teacher at Teach for America
Accepted Offer – Interviewed in Washington, DC Feb 2013 – Reviewed Mar 22, 2013
Interview Details – Being well practiced for the mock lesson is so important. Many of the people in my group did not finish on time and were cut off with out completing their objectives.
Interview Question – What's the hardest class you've ever taken and why? Answer Question
Negotiation Details – There is no negotiation with TFA, you either take it or you don't. And the specific salary is not pinpointed until after acceptance.
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Teacher at Teach for America
Declined Offer – Interviewed in Salt Lake City, UT Feb 2013 – Reviewed Mar 20, 2013
Interview Details – The application process was very extensive and took about 2 months, including the final interview. They required an essay stating why you were interested and completion of an online activity that discussed educational inequality articles. The phone interview was comfortable and took around 30 minutes. The final interview included teaching a 5 minute lesson, a group activity, and then a one on one interview. The one on one interview was very comfortable and discussed, in detail, information from your application and some related experiences.
Interview Question – For what reason, if any, would you not be able to complete your full 2 year commitment? Answer Question
Reason for Declining – I was unaware that we would not be receiving more details within the region that we are placed. I was placed in a very widespread region, not my highly preferred region, that covers 2 states. They are unable to tell me where exactly within the region I would teach and what salary I would receive. Since I have a family, husband is a full time student and would need to transfer, I cannot accept a job offer with that much uncertainty.
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Teacher at Teach for America
Accepted Offer – Reviewed Mar 16, 2013
Interview Details – The interview process is long and involved. Overall, there is nothing that is too difficult. The first part is a very simple online application, which involves submitting a resume and letter of intent. After that, there is a phone interview and you are required to fill out additional online forms. Next, there is a full day interview where you teach a sample lesson, discuss a topic in a group, and then have a one on one interview.
Interview Question – They asked me about different types of challenges I have faced - personal, academic etc. Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
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Teacher at Teach for America
No Offer – Interviewed in San Francisco, CA Nov 2011 – Reviewed Mar 14, 2013
Interview Details – The process was clearly defined and handled rather promptly. I had a phone interview and then progressed to an in-person interview. The in-person interview consisted of a mini-lesson, a group discussion, and a one-on-one interview. They worked hard to be personable and put us all at ease. The group discussion felt a little forced was a relatively minor part of the process, whereas the one-on-one interview appeared to be the most important part of the day.
Interview Question – The mini-lesson itself was difficult to devise, as it was a challenge to incorporate a full lesson within such a short time period. Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
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Corps Member at Teach for America
No Offer – Interviewed in Mar 2013 – Reviewed Mar 12, 2013
Interview Details – Applied online and received an email to be invited for a phone interview which lasted less than 20 minutes and had generic questions about TFA and mission. I think I did fine on the interview but I guess I’ll just wait and see till the 20th if I’ve been invited for the final interview. My interviewer was very polite and friendly and overall the process has been pleasant.
Interview Question – Why do you want to teach rather than some other medium to help children? Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
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Corps Member at Teach for America
No Offer – Interviewed in New York, NY Feb 2013 – Reviewed Mar 6, 2013
Interview Details –
1. Complete an online essay and write information about yourself.
2. The next phase is a phone interview, which was a lot behavioral interview questions -- Did you ever miss a deadline? What did you do in leadership roles etc.
3. The final interview involves a five minute presentation which goes by really quickly. There is then a group interview where they give your group a problem to solve and then there is a 1 on 1 interview.
Interview Question – How do you stay organized? Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
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No
Problem with this interview?
Teacher at Teach for America
Declined Offer – Interviewed in Dec 2012 – Reviewed Mar 4, 2013
Interview Details – Submitted a long and detailed online application, which included references, transcripts, answers to questions, work and educational history and personal questions. I was then put straight through to the final interview. (Sometimes there is a phone interview after submission of the online application). The final interview is all day long. First you are to present a 5 minute lesson plan on a topic of your choice. It is really anything you want to teach, at any grade level. If other participants don't ask questions the interviewers will. Often they will answer a question posed incorrectly to see how you respond. After this you break into smaller groups and participate in a group activity reading and analyzing problems that may arise in a hypothetical conversation and how you would handle it. After that it is lunch and you sign up for your time to complete a 1 on 1 interview which lasts about 30 minutes. Here there is a role play scenario, a lot of background information, and a generally pretty laid back interview. When it is over you leave and will get a decision in a few weeks.
Interview Question – no real difficult questions just be ready to explain why you want to teach, and how you will handle problems if they arise. The hypothetical story in the 1 on 1 interview doesn't really have a solution, it is a problem you will not be able to solve so just learn when to give up and allow the interviewer (who plays a principal of a school) to keep his/her ruling. Answer Question
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