Career event - Teach For America

Yesterday I attended a career service event sponsored by Teach For America. After the meeting I must say, I am intrigued. The event was hosted by Kelley Stewart who's specialty is recruiting and spreading the word about the organization. For those of you who don't know, Teach For America is an organization that hires top college graduates and places them in low income areas around the country and allows them to teach students, all of this is done in hopes of impacting students, lowering the achievement gap, and generally improving the education system.

The event started out with "what it takes to be successful". Hard work, leadership, determination, and most importantly a drive to help improve education and the lives of students. It sounded like something I could definitely get on board with. Next, Kelley talked about the various locations around the United States where Teach For America operates. The range was immense, from L.A., Phoenix, Chicago, New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia, there are tons of cities that you could try to make a difference in.

I also found out that working for TFA is just like having a job as a teacher, same pay and everything. Starting salary for a TFA corps member is between 31,000 to 40,000. It's not the highest salary admittedly, but it's great for someone who just got their degree and is looking to start a job. Also, a corps member will receive all the benefits that a regular teacher would. As an added bonus, if accepted into TFA all interest on previous student loans will be covered and there are tons of opportunities to earn scholarships for grad school. This definitely got me thinking about possibly applying for TFA when I graduate.

The overall application process is somewhat simple but also important. I was told by Kelley that it's important to have a lot of professional experience and information to provide, I also need to write a strong letter of intent. If my application was chosen, then it would be followed up with a phone interview along with a written activity. If I made it past that round, then I would chose my location preferences and submit two letters of recommendation. If I so chose, I may also attend a summer program at an institute that would get me properly prepared for work in the corps.

Before the event was over I talked with Kelley. I told her that I was a public policy major and I wanted to know if working for TFA would help me in any way in terms of my career goals. She responded enthusiastically that it would definitely help. She responded "TFA is great for setting up future leaders and it could be very beneficial for me". if I so chose, I could see the problems with the education system from the inside, and aspire for change. TFA would also provide me with valuable leadership skills and lifetime connections. All of these things could be very beneficial to me.

I walked away from the event feeling very enlightened. I could definitely see myself working for TFA after I graduate. It would provide me with a job and be a gateway to my future career in government. It's definitely something to consider.