Teach For America

Reading Tutor

January - May 2023 • Texas City, TX

What I liked

I loved being able to connect with students and the other ignite fellows to help students improve on their reading skills. It was a very fulfilling role.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more time with the students I worked with or got to actually meet them in person.

Advice

Trying something new can definitely change your life. As a nursing major, I found it hard to believe that I was able to be a teacher or be able to tutor someone. I gave Teach for America a try and fell in love with the onbaording process and just being able to watch my students' progress.

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Campus Ambassador

August 2019 • East Lansing, MI

What I liked

I love getting to meet new people and learn how to plan successful events on campus. Both of my bosses are extremely supportive and understanding. They make sure we succeed and give advice for us to succeed. Through this job, my time management and professional skills have grown tremendously.

What I wish was different

Honestly, nothing. I have had great support to succeed in this job. My bosses really have provided the tools necessary to expand my skills.

Advice

Be passionate about all children having an equitable education, one day.

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Operations Associate

April - July 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

How informative and helpful the experience was in broadening my knowledge of people.

What I wish was different

Everything was as it should have been.

Advice

To become uncomfortable with being comfortable and to engage in conversations with people. You will always learn something of value.

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Operations Coordinator Intern

May - July 2019 • Memphis, TN

What I liked

I liked the experience of going somewhere else and learning about different cultures. Helping future teachers getting prepared for their careers was also an exiting experience.

What I wish was different

I wished the culture was more professional. It was hard to work with them because they didn't allow us to go over time and when we did they struggle to pay us. Additionally, over time payment was mentioned in the interview process but not it's limitations.

Advice

There is not an opportunity to grow in this internship because they don't really want to hire you in the future. It looks good in your resume and the experience of dealing with different people and going of state is good but I would recommend getting an internship with a company that can give you the opportunity to grow within it's careers.

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Program Manager

June 2018 • Denver, CO

What I liked

I liked building relationships with students and professionals across the US.

What I wish was different

I wish I had a clear expectations of amount of hours worked each week.

Advice

Before accepting a position, have a clear outline of your roles, responsibilities, and expectations.

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intern

June - August 2018 • Oklahoma City, OK

What I liked

I like the environment that I worked in and meeting new people.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Adult Education Teacher

June - July 2018 • Cleveland, MS

What I liked

Children

What I wish was different

Distance

Advice

Be financially secure, it's going to cost you.

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Accelerate Fellow

June - August 2018 • Albuquerque, NM

What I liked

I loved the traveling aspect of this internship. We spent about 2.5 weeks in three cities, Albuquerque, Chicago, and Nashville doing social impact work. I got to understand the landscape of educational inequity in each unique location. Another incredible aspect of this internship is the community we were able to cultivate together with the other 45 rising juniors and seniors. Everyone was inspiring!

What I wish was different

Advice

If you're considering doing this program, I hope you love doing things because you are going, going, going in this intership!

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Accelerate Fellow

June - August 2018 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

*Fellowship included a salary (40+ hour work week), a food stipend, housing accommodations covered and travel/commute expenses covered. *Fellowship was multi-location, we worked for 3 week rotations with different partner organizations selected based on demonstrated background knowledge and skills. (We worked in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Nashville, Tennessee, and Chicago Illinois. *Fellowship had many opportunities for professional development and networking through mandatory programming and mentorship from programming directors.

What I wish was different

Advice

Take advantage of the cohort network you build - with 45 talented fellows from universities across the country, you have a lot of opportunities to develop relationships that you can utilize in the future!

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Corps Member

July 2018 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I like being part of a network that is mission driven and aims to address social issues I care deeply about.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been warned or prepared that on top of the demanding workload having to juggle being a first year teacher and a full time teacher, the position is also very mentally and emotionally draining - an issue I did not take seriously when applying.

Advice

Be prepared to have a very difficult first year and if you join TFA, remember to take care of yourself. You can only do so much to help your students and for that little bit to be effective, you have to be in a good place too.

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High School Teacher

June 2018 • Baltimore, MD

What I liked

Positive impact, doing something meaningful/useful, working directly with communities/families in need, space for creativity

What I wish was different

I would have liked to co-teach/be a teacher's assistant in a low-income classroom first before directly being in charge of a classroom of students. Although I was warned beforehand that it would be difficult, nothing quite prepares you like actually being in the environment directly.

Advice

For those interested in education/becoming a teacher long-term, TFA is definitely a great opportunity to fast-track certification and get experience asap. For those who are interested in service but unsure about becoming a teacher, I would recommend getting some experience in a classroom first, whether through an alternative service program to get some more context to discern whether the accelerated experience would be manageable.

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