Teach for America Interview Questions & Reviews

Interview Details – I applied through the TFA website, and was contacted 12 business days later for a phone interview. The phone interview went very well (lasted about an hour). I followed up with my interviewer twice over the next two weeks, but never received a response. Finally I emailed the generic HR representative who finally let me know the position had already been filled.

I do wish the woman I interviewed with would have let me know during the 2+ weeks after our conversation the position had already been filled.

Interview Details – Three tier interview. Long written application, including references. Followed by a phone interview, culminating in a 4 hour, practice class (where you teach a lesson), watch a video and comment, round table discussion, and 1 on 1 interview with the host.

Interview Details – You undergo a stage process. Once you sign up for an account online, you complete the online application and then wait. If your application is approved, you'll be invited to a phone interview which you'll schedule a time for. The phone interview is easy - they ask about what you do and how you keep yourself organized. If they like yyou, you'll be invited to an in-person interview. The in person was straightforward. Group interview. Sample teaching lesson. Individual interview. Then they will let you know via email if you're in.

Reason for Declining – I was offered a place in the special ed department and I couldn't teach special ed.

Interview Details – I had 3 interviews. It was pretty intense. The application process wasn't that difficult but very extensive, including an essay and academic records. They were definitely looking for candidates who could relate to the students, culturally, socioeconomically, etc. It bodes well for the applicant that can demonstrate a track record of perseverance through adversity.

Negotiation Details – No negotiation. I rated which regions/subject area I'd like to work in and they gave me a placement. The salary was based on the school district and was non-negotiable.

Interview Details – It is an extensive process. TFA is selective, NOT competitive. There isn't an "x" number of people they choose for the corps every year, they choose everyone who is qualified (that is because some districts are so understaffed that they literally take as many corps members as TFA can give them). Thus, you are evaluated based on TFA's "bar", NOT compared to your peers. The selection rate (of around 11%) has gotten lower in recent years is because the number of applicants increased more than the number of qualified applicants.

The first step of the application is online (form, resume, essay), which is a primary screening to see a few things:

1) Do you have leadership experience? Do you have numbers to quantify its significance to an extent? (ex: how many people you managed/led, how big of a budget you dealt with, etc)

2) Do you understand TFA's mission? Are you really on board? Are you just looking for a place to boost your resume?

3) Are you a passionate person? Can you handle the work? Have you been through challenges?

If you come across as someone with these traits, you will move to the next stage in the process. I interned at recruitment the summer before I applied, so I learned a lot about what they were looking for. If you are especially strong in showing these on the initial application, you can even skip the next stage in the process and go straight to the final interview!

The second step is a phone interview. From what I've heard, they mainly try to get you to elaborate/flesh out the 3 things above based on what you submitted for the first step. Their website actually lists 7 "things", but some of the others don't become as important until the final stage of the interview process. Their list of 7 is below (taken from their website under the page "Who We Look For"):

-A deep belief in the potential of all kids and a commitment to do whatever it takes to expand opportunities for students
-Demonstrated leadership ability and superior interpersonal skills to motivate others
-Strong achievement in academic, professional, extracurricular, and/or volunteer settings
-Perseverance in the face of challenges, ability to adapt to changing environments, and a strong desire to do whatever it takes to improve and develop
-Excellent critical thinking skills, including the ability to accurately link cause and effect and to generate relevant solutions to problems
-Superior organizational ability, including planning well and managing responsibilities effectively
-Respect for individuals’ diverse experiences and the ability to work effectively with people from a variety of backgrounds

If you move forward to the final interview stage, the rumors are that they usually take about 50% of the remaining candidates and actually accept them into the corps. However, that number could change drastically from year to year based on how they choose candidates (read first paragraph to review this).

The final interview is intense. Beforehand, they will have you complete an online activity. They force you to sign a confidentiality agreement not to discuss the specifics of that, so I will honor that here. If you focus and take it seriously, you shouldn't have any problems.

The final interview is in-person and is a full day. In the beginning, they have you in an interview group of a max of 10. Each candidate teaches a 5 minute lesson to their "class", which is the rest of the interview group. The time limit is very strict (they will stop you if you're not finished). The purpose is not to impress them with the complex data you can communicate, or to prove you're already a teacher, but to show that you know how to communicate to a class in the teaching environment.

After the lessons are finished, there is a group discussion activity. They want to see that you can make valuable contributions to the discussion while not dominating and make sure that an outcome is compiled by the end of the time limit.

After that, you sign up for a one-on-one interview slot and have an interview for about 30 minutes (some are shorter, but not usually longer than that). During the one-on-one, they ask a lot of questions about your resume, why you want to be in TFA, and if you think you can handle the demanding environment. They also do a scenario of some sort than involves talking with a school administrator about implementing a new program.

Then, you're done!

They are implementing a new program this year in which you can apply as a college junior to start working after your senior year. If you do not get accepted, they will give you some sort of feedback and let you apply for the fall of your senior year so that you can have another chance to still work in the same corps and apply twice. I'm not sure of the other details of that program, but I would highly recommend it if you are a college junior that feels like TFA could be the right fit for you!

Negotiation Details – There isn't much negotiation. You submit your preferences when you apply, so they know what you want.

Your offer comes with the content you will be teaching, your grade level range (elem, middle, or high school), and the region (most are cities, some are geographically larger, see their website for details). There are cases where they will make changes for you, but they try all they can not to switch you. If you tell them you will not do the program unless you are switched and they are able to feasibly make the switch, the history I've seen is that they will. It is still very difficult to do, though. Also, none of it is guaranteed and it could switch. This is the case because your placement depends on the district and their needs, which change often. Teach for America does everything they can to get you where your original offer is, but since it is ultimately out of their control, that doesn't always happen. At the end of the day, if you're there to make an impact for kids, it doesn't matter where you are or what you teach. If you are a "professional" (meaning not just out of college), and you have a mortgage or a family to care for or a spouse with a job that limits your regional options they WILL do all they can to honor that. They honestly don't care where your boyfriend/girlfriend is unless you are engaged.

Also, on the form for your regional preferences, you can place regions into categories of highly preferred, preferred, and least preferred. You only need to put 10 regions, so if you have a specific desire for a region, only put 10 regions and only put the ones you really want in the "highly preferred" column. I say this because if they decide to make you an offer, they decide that before they consider the region. They want you to accept your offer, so if they choose you don't be afraid to make it clear which region you want to be in. I did this and was a later applicant and was surprised that I got my 2nd choice, which was a very popular choice (Los Angeles).

Interview Details – Original online application with an activity to show critical thinking and presentation.
Then phone interview (about an hour). Phone interview consisted of many behavioral questions (tell us about a time when you hard difficulty with a co-worker etc) and then at least two roleplays.
Then waited for about a month, then offer extended.

Interview Details – It's lengthy and stressful. They expect a lot right out of the gate. You have a phone interview, have to take a test on literacy and policies, etc. to see if you make the right choices to be a teacher and esp. in a low income and low budget school system. The day long interview is fun. You start out in a group and teach a mock lesson for whatever grade you choose, and then get to act like a student in everyone else's lessons. Afterward, you get into groups and act like staff at a school and make input ideas and decisions to fix problems the school faces. You get a break and then go the one on one interviews. This was my favorite part, because my interviewer was really attentive and excited. She worked in the same region I was applying for and asked insightful questions. When I left I had no doubt that I had got in. TFA prepares you for the interview, provides tons of resources, and truly wants to recruit like-minded individuals that are up for a challenge. I enjoyed the process, but didn't have the energy to relocate and teach a subject I was hardly qualified to teach to a bunch of kids that could probably care less. In the end, I wasn't motivated to take on such a challenge, where I felt it would be extremely time-consuming and exhausting to really succeed.

Reason for Declining – Not ready for the commitment.

Interview Details – There was an initial application, then a phone interview, then an online assessment, then an in-person interview. Overall, the process took about two months. Teach For America offers a lot of resources throughout the process.

Interview Details – Online application submission, selection for telephone interview, and then final interview that consisted of a demo lesson, group activity/observation, and one-on-one interview with a role-play. Many questions geared towards time-management, organization, and conflict resolution skills and are generally phrased as "describe a time when you...." There is an ideology behind the questions, so yes, there are 'wrong' answers, but as long as you are able to showcase leadership qualities and dedication, you should do well. Interviewers were always pretty friendly, though they seemed to sometimes be behind schedule (10-15 minute waits).

Negotiation Details – Very little negotiation is allowed for as placement in regions/content is a national logistics nightmare. However, if you are extended an offer, it's not impossible to negotiate for a different region/content, so long as you have a valid reason. Be mindful of Induction/Institute dates when applying and you'll have a general idea of what they can be flexible on. TFA staff (individuals) are always much more flexible and understanding than the official 'rules.'