Teach for America Reviews

Pros

Going to school and working with the kids everyday is stressful, but very meaningful. Watching them change over the year is great!

Cons

The administrators of my regional office are the most unhelpful and out of touch people I've ever worked with. They are friendly and helpful during the hiring process, but once you're in, they stop all efforts to try and be helpful to you. They often ignore my emails, and they don't seem to be familiar with their own policies, as when I cite the Policies and Procedures manual, they seem confused and surprised.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop misleading your corps members, and stop making last-minute demands of people who don't have your limitless resources. The organization seems to assume that all its members have rich parents who can produce endless money at the drop of a hat, but this is a gross error.

Pros

-Potential to impact students' lives.
-Unique, challenging experience.
-Continuous positive support.

Cons

-Work/life balance is nonexistent
-Do not have a choice as to what school you work in. Your experience really depends on the school.
-Cannot choice what city/region you want to work in (though you can state preferences)

Pros

-close relationships with managers
-flexible schedule
-great benefits
-a job you can feel good about
-No feeling of hierarchy
-constant feedback

Cons

-although personal/professional balance is preached, it doesn't always happen
-hard to move up, especially if you are not an Alum of TFA

Advice to Senior Management

I think you are doing some great things. What I liked most about working at TFA is the feeling that everyone was a colleague. It was not until after I left TFA (I left to join the corps), that I really began to appreciate the culture of feedback that is created at TFA. I would definitely go back in the future.

Pros

Wendy is truly an inspiration. She is 100% dedicated to providing all kids with the opportunities they deserve. Staff live and breath the core values. They are incredibly data-driven; the organization is constantly learning and adjusting course in order to increase their impact.

Cons

They work hard, so be prepared.

Pros

As a corps member or a employee on staff TFA is efficient and offers numerous opportunities for growth and advancement.

Cons

As a corps member, a teacher, there are numerous challenges that make it a difficult job. Although there is support offered it isn't always enough and TFA can be very rigid.

Advice to Senior Management

Allow for more flexibility with school placements. If a corps member is truly unhappy then they won't be serving their kids and allowing them to switch schools after a year could help.

Pros

TFA is a great company to work with. I had numerous opportunities for growth and professional development, was trusted, and respected by managers.

I would highly recommend the organization as a whole.

Cons

Very, long exhausting hours regardless of your position - teacher, manager, recruiter...

Also, compensation levels should be slightly increased.

Advice to Senior Management

Some of the VP Level leader lack the respect that Directors and Managers and managers always exhibit. Make sure lines of communication are clear and open from upper management to middle management.

Pros

* The mission of closing the achievement gap
* The benefits package was the most handsome I've heard of in large, education-reform non-profits
* Teach For America's leadership development model is a model for talent development and will allow you to refine your professional skills in a short amount of time

Cons

* Inconsistencies in management, region-to-region
* Teach For America seems to be a bottom-heavy labor, top-heavy decisions organization with a large middle management structure that struggles at times to understand its purpose team-to-team and region-to-region
* Data validity
* Working in a school or in a school system can be a more useful way to serve the mission of closing the achievement gap.

Advice to Senior Management

Teach For America does a phenomenal job of setting priorities and reaching those priorities; however, I believe I wonder if the alignment between those priorities and closing the achievement gap have been thoroughly thought out - it feels as though, at times, Teach For America's growth outpaces its ability to cultivate, train, and retain high talent staff and corps members.

Pros

strong work community where you will be treated as a capable person who is allowed and encourage to grow within the company

Cons

since Teach For America is a non-profit, the pay may not be as high based on your region. they also have a habit of finding the best people and then working them really hard and long making it difficult to have a balance between work and personal life.

Pros

TFA is a wonderful job if you want to have the opportunity to make a positive difference in kids lives. Right out of college, you'll be given responsibility to teach children who are likely years behind their peers. It is a humbling and rewarding experience that I would recommend to anyone. That said, the work is grueling. Make sure you are applying for TFA for the right reasons. Don't do TFA because you want a resume boost or because you're unsure of what you want to do with your career.

Grad schools love TFA alums.
Networking with a remarkable group of successful people.
Life-changing experience.
Possibility to obtain a graduate degree while teaching.

Cons

Expect to work between 50-60 hours a week. You will probably take work home from school. I know a few people who were efficient enough to complete all of their work by 5pm each day, but the vast majority of my peers would work later than that. Grading + Lesson planning and school sports/extracurricular activities add up.

Advice to Senior Management

Management in TFA is doing a good job so far. Management should carefully expand the corps and make sure the organization maintains itself through its expansion.

Pros

So much support, so rewarding, long hours but so worth it!

Cons

They aren't very clear on their placements.

Advice to Senior Management

Please take region preferences more seriously and give transfers more easily.