FAQs

Why Teach For India?

We believe that providing an excellent education for all is the most effective means of ensuring equal opportunities for everyone. All kids in India deserve the chance to reach their full potential. Educational opportunities should not be determined by your familys income or the neighborhood in which you live. Teach For India is building a movement of leaders who will eliminate educational inequity in India. These leaders start their path as Fellows, helping students in high-need communities for two years. Deeply affected by their teaching experience, our Alumni continue to advocate for students and build lasting change in many roles across different sectors. The Fellowship Program affords you the opportunity to become a part of the solution and serve as a change-agent in the society. The Teach For India Fellowship is a two-year paid commitment during which Fellows are placed as full-time teachers in under-resourced and low-income schools. By joining Teach For India, you have the opportunity to develop yourself as a leader, transform the lives of students and join hundreds of individuals committed to creating a better future for all children, families, and communities.

When did Teach For India begin?

Teach For India started in 2009 with 87 Fellows teaching in 33 schools across Mumbai and Pune. In its second year (2010), 136 Fellows joined us and began teaching in 63 schools across Mumbai and Pune. In 2011, Teach For India added Delhi to its reach and selected 230 Fellows to teach in 130 schools across Mumbai, Pune and Delhi. In 2012, with 280 more Fellows, Hyderabad and Chennai became a part of Teach For India placement cities along with Mumbai, Pune and Delhi. 2013 brought in our largest Cohort of 480 Fellows. Today, Teach For India Fellows are teaching approximately 22,000 children in these 5 cities. For 2014,we are seeking Fellows to teach in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. Teach For India is fast gaining momentum among the youth across the country. In the next five years, we aspire to reach out to 60,000 children across 10 cities.

Why does the Fellowship last two years? Can I teach for just one year if I choose?
The two-year commitment is necessary to make the impact we wish to have on student achievement. In the first year, Fellows will refine their teaching skills and will start to establish respect and trust among various stakeholders within the school community and the students. This work will allow Fellows to achieve significant academic gains for students and to implement their community/school project in the second year. During the two years, you will strive to: 1. Transform the student : An excellent Fellow can make a huge difference to the lives of 40 students because he/she is in their classrooms and their lives for two full years. Transformation does not only mean improved academic performance, but also changes in characteristics and mindsets. These include confidence, leadership skills, responsibility, teamwork, respect and the ability to think and question. 2. Transform as a leader : The experience of teaching in extremely difficult circumstances enables you to develop strong leadership skills. The intensity of the two-year experience is critical for you to understand the complexities of educational inequity and be a lifelong advocate. We believe that this can have a much deeper impact on a systemic level as compared with the piecemeal value added by volunteering on a part-time basis. 3. Transform the school and community : It takes two years to build strong and meaningful relationships as you partner with the school and community to ensure that all children receive an excellent education. With the Fellowship, thus, we hope to create an energy that adds up not linearly but grows exponentially to benefit children, communities, Fellows and systems alike.

What are the profiles of Teach For India Fellows?

Teach For India Fellows are a diverse group of people, brought together by their past achievements and their passion to eliminate educational inequity. They come from diverse backgrounds of colleges such as IITs, IIMs, St.Stephens College, St. Xaviers College, Christ University, Presidency College etc and companies such as Accenture, McKinskey, Mahindra & Mahindra, IBM, Ernst & Young, Schlumberger etc. By joining the Fellowship, you will get an opportunity to work with some of the brightest and most enterprising minds of the country.

Who do we look for?

We look for individuals who show leadership potential and have other traits that are found in our most successful teachers. There is no specific personality or background that predicts success in the classroom. Some Fellows were educators prior to joining, but many do not have any prior experience in the education field. Your potential as a Fellow can shine through whether youve achieved academic honors, managed a complex project at work, led a group on campus, or have rallied support for a cause thats important to you. And those are just a few of the countless experiences our most successful Fellows bring to the table. Our approach to selecting Fellows is based on our commitment to student success. Fellows are charged with very high-stakes work: helping their students achieve the academic success that will expand their life opportunities, and instil essential values and productive mind sets. Weve discovered that successful Fellows have: A deep belief in the potential of all children and a commitment to do whatever it takes to expand opportunities for students. Demonstrated leadership ability and strong 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. A drive to continuously learn and develop their skills. 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.

How will the Teach For India experience help me grow professionally?
Teach For India strongly believes that excellent teachers employ the same skills as excellent leaders in any field. Spending two years in the classroom will help Fellows develop leadership skills such as organization, communication, problem-solving in an unstructured environment, people management and resourcefulness that are valuable in any sector. Teach For India will select Fellows who have demonstrated excellence in the past and will work with them throughout the two-year Fellowship to ensure that they take advantage of the experience to become extraordinary future leaders.

Which standard will I be teaching and what will be the medium of instruction?
Teach For India Fellows are placed in 2nd to 8th standard classrooms where they teach all major subjects including English, Mathematics, History and Science, with the exception of regional languages. English is the medium of instruction in all Teach For India classrooms and Fellows are not expected to know their students mother tongues.

Where will I be teaching?

In 2014, Teach For India Fellows will be placed in government schools or low-income private schools in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad. All Fellows will be required to reside in one of these cities between May 2014 and April 2016. If you are unable to do so, please note that we will expand into more cities in the upcoming years, and hope to be in ten cities and their surrounding rural areas within the next five years.

Students and professionals with a Bachelors Degree at the time of joining the Fellowship are invited to apply. Applicants need to be either of Indian citizenship, or of Indian origin.

Will I be trained adequately before I start teaching?

Teach For India will work relentlessly to ensure that all Fellows have the knowledge and skills necessary to lead their students towards achievement. The Teach For India Fellowship begins with a five-week residential training program in May & June of 2014. Here, Fellows are exposed to curriculum, lesson planning, and classroom facilitation and student assessments among other keys to successful teaching. Additionally, each Fellow will have a Program Manager whose primary responsibility is to guide Fellows to become effective teachers and leaders throughout their two years in the Fellowship.

Is Teach For India present in rural areas?

While Teach For India is currently only actively present in urban areas, Teach For India is present in rural India but through our Alumni. India has over 4 million classrooms. Since it is not practical for us to place 4 million Fellows, we rely on our Theory of Change to reach out to as many students as possible. Currently, we have Alumni working in several rural areas and even in naxal affected areas.Some of our cities are also beginning to place Fellows in semi urban areas (example: Pimpir-Chinchwad in Pune). However, for the two years for the Fellowship, we will continue to place Fellows in urban setting in theforeseeablefuture.

Is it possible to take up part-time work along with the Fellowship?

The Fellowship is a two year full-time commitment. It is extremely rigorous, challenging and intensive. We have found that it is extremely difficult to handle another set of responsibilities and it will therefore require all your dedication and attention. Hence, part-time work is not possible.

How much will I be paid during the Fellowship?

Teach For India Fellows will be paid a salary of `17,500 per month. If required to relocate from their home city, Fellows will be given a housing allowance ranging from `6,500 to `8,300, depending on the city in which they will stay. In addition, Fellows will receive an allowance for school supplies.

How does Teach For Indias approach to teaching differ from traditional approaches?
Teach For Indias Teaching As Leadership (TAL) model is based on the belief that excellent teachers employ the same skills as excellent leaders in any field. The TAL model requires teachers to plan purposefully, execute effectively, work relentlessly and reflect continuously in order to push students to significant academic gains. Through the TAL model, Fellows become extraordinary leaders who can help their students make significant academic gains in the short run and advocate for systemic educational reform in the long run. Learn more about the Teaching As Leadership framework at http://www.teachingasleadership.org/ Teach For India strongly believes that excellent teachers employ the same skills as excellent leaders Teaching As Leadership. Fellows are expected to lead students in their classrooms towards academic achievement that defies traditional expectations. Fellows foster this achievement by getting to know their students in and out of the classroom; creating instructional plans to match the whole class and individual students needs; delivering instruction in an engaging manner; working with other teachers, administrators and community members to build skills and obtain resources for the classroom; and administering and analyzing assessments to ensure that students are progressing towards their academic goals. Fellows are trained to operate as leaders in the classroom by setting ambitious and measurable visions for student achievement, investing all key stakeholders, creating detailed plans, executing effectively, continuously reflecting on and improving their own performance and working relentlessly and strategically to realize their vision. Many of our Fellows have found that teaching by the principles of TAL is significantly different from the education that they received in their classroom and is more holistic for a childs development. Using the TAL framework, Fellows not only teach academics, but also strive to instil strong values and mindsets, provide pathways of opportunities and exposure and access to the rest of the world.

What happens after the Fellowship?

Teach For Indias mission is to create a movement of leaders who will eliminate educational inequity in India. In order for that mission to be realized, Teach For India Alumni need to excel in multiple sectors and collaborate towards a multipronged solution to the complex problem of education in India. Teach For India supports its Fellows to pursue their career interests by training and mentoring them and striving to build relationships with top schools, universities, NGOs, and corporates throughout the country. Teach For Indias third cohort of Fellows graduated in April 2013. Teach For India Alumni are now spread all over the country and abroad in jobs ranging from consulting to education startups; and as students in top universities such as IIM, Harvard, Cornell, Chicago Booth, Columbia and Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

What are the expectations of Teach For India from its Fellows?
The expectations from Fellows traverse a wide gamut: getting to know their students in and out of the classroom; creating instructional plans to match the whole class and individual students needs; delivering instruction in an engaging manner; working with other teachers, administrators and community members to build skills and obtain resources for the classroom; and administering and analyzing assessments to ensure that students are progressing towards their academic goals. On joining, Fellows will be given a Fellow Handbook where instruction planning and delivery, classroom management and culture, norms, dos and donts etc. will be covered extensively. We also expect Fellows to think critically about the problems that are plaguing the education sector at large.

When and how can I apply to the Teach For India Fellowship?
Teach For India only accepts online applications. The deadlines for the 2014 Teach For India Fellowship Program are :

28 August 2013 | 23 October 2013 | 11 December 2013 | 5 February 2014

Please visit the website www.teachforindia.org for more details. Please email apply@teachforindia.org for more information.