Teach for America Reviews

I worked at Teach for America

Pros – Help children learn. Grow your own confidence and knowledge of the education system.

Cons – A lot of work. Also, teaching isn't for everyone.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Teach for America

Pros – The people who work here are awesome

Cons – Very email driven so not a lot of face time if you don't work in a region

I worked at Teach for America full-time for more than a year

Pros – TFA is a great organization. The salaries are outrageous. The time off is ridiculous. The amount of time and effort they put into developing each employee is amazing. "Most" people that work there are very nice folks. Everyone has at least a BA degree, they are huge on education. It's a great place to work if you value professional development, and life-work balance, some positions allow you to work from home

Cons – Everyone is underpaid. As they are a non-profit. Most of the folks in management have no prior work experience at all. This limits their capacity to manage fairly. Management sometimes acts like a cult, meaning if you don't fit because x, y, or z, they'll find a way to make you quit. Rarely they fire anyone.

Advice to Senior Management – Please expose your most valuable talent to real corporate life experience. Management has a very limited vision on how to handle employees that are not your typical "star" employees.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Teach for America

Pros – Surrounded by smart, passionate, entrepreneurial young professionals. Continuous professional development and support.

Cons – Working in a broken/non-existent public school system.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Teach for America as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Very organized structure, motivated coworkers, connected to mission, humanistic.

Cons – At times work was overwhelming but the ends always justified the means.

Advice to Senior Management – Management is great- sometimes the goals are high but challenges are good!

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Teach for America full-time for more than a year

Pros – Experience working for a reputable organization in the education reform field
Professional development opportunities
Strong alumni network
Real-world teaching experience
Opportunity to truly impact the lives of the students you teach and the community in which you are placed

Cons – Support is provided more readily and proficiently in certain areas, but not all (i.e. special education, early childhood education, etc.)
Many members only join for resume-building purposes and aren't fully committed to the mission
Data-driven, which isn't entirely a con, but sometimes it seems TFA loses sight of the individuals and sees only numbers (how many people a recruiter can get to apply, how many corps members are retained for the full 2-year commitment, student achievement data, etc.)

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Teach for America full-time for more than a year

Pros – I loved it. I miss the kids so much now.

Cons – It will be the most challenging experience of your life.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Teach for America full-time for more than a year

Pros – Collaborative teamwork, good-hearted people, with results-oriented work mentality. Most everyone is there for the right reasons, and cares passionately about education.

Cons – Not a great work-life balance, and some corps members do not get placed in a school environment that is supportive.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Teach for America full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Working with many former women who were former teachers is cool. Virtual office is one of the best perks.

Cons – Many people's inboxes are very busy. Tough jump from Assistant to the next level (few positions and it's very competitive).

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Teach for America

Pros – Working with others who are dedicated to the same cause.
Opened my eyes to so much going on in education.
Lived in a great area and got to explore post-college.

Cons – Not everyone who joins Teach For America got the support they needed, nor did all have the same experience I did. I think it all depends on the individual.