<p>Hello guys, is there an upper age limit to teach for america?</p>
<p>Does the organization look favorably at people who are 30+?</p>
<p>I have a feeling that TFA mostly takes people who are fresh out of college. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>I never can remember if we’re allowed to post links or not but, just in case we’re not, try googling the words “age limit for teach for america” and you 'll see as the first result ablog spot from the TFA admissions that specificall addresses that. Good luck!</p>
<p>There is not an age limit. There are definitely people who join TFA who are over thirty.</p>
<p>Try Peace Corps. They take all ages.</p>
<p>I’m thinking of teaching as a career. Do they want people who just use it as a springboard for future public policy/finance jobs, or do they really want people who would stick around for teaching long term?</p>
<p>They want both kinds of people.</p>
<p>I don’t know if TFA has an age limit, I would imagine it would be considered age discrimination if they did. However, if I was at that stage in life, I’d probably look at other non-traditional route to certification, The New Teacher Project, or programs affiliated with specific schools first. That’s based on what I see about the structure and culture of the programs.</p>
<p>If you happen to be in DC and are interested in learning about alternative route to certification in DC/MD PM me. I happen to know a lot.</p>
<p>No, there is no age limit but they definitely do start recruiting early. “I’m talking senior year of college early but they will allow older people to join”</p>
<p>I actually was a guest speaker for one of their events about a week ago. Most of the teachers there were mid twenties- thirty
and some of them were new to the program so I’m pretty sure there’s no age limit.</p>
<p>And they really do look for people for who could see teaching as a long term career.</p>
<p>Initially you get put at a placement school. From what I’ve noticed most teach for America members stayed at there placement school for about 4-5 years then became alumni for Teach For America but most of them still continue to teach after that or move up to a higher position in the organization.</p>
<p>If teaching is something your really passionate about I’d say go for it</p>
<p>Keep in mind, if you join TFA, you spend the summer before the actual start of your teaching job in training sessions–this involves living in dorms and being surrounding by mostly fresh college grads who for the most part still act like college students. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but depending on your age, this aspect may not appeal to you. As CuriousJane pointed out, you might prefer alternative certification routes.</p>
<p>There is no upper age limit. I met teachers in the program who were in there 50s (and did an alumni call for an accepted corps member who was in his late 60s) when I was a CM. That having been said, look carefully at every option when it comes to alternative certification programs. TFA is one of many, and in my opinion some programs out-perform TFA on several vital fronts. If you have the time and the means, I generally recommend a program that requires at least a year of student teaching/course work, particularly for people who want to teach long-term. My friends who took the time to really learn pedagogical technique and the ins-and-outs of their subject matter were usually much better suited for the job then those of us coming out of a five week boot camp–or at the very least they had learned whether they liked it or not before becoming the sole person leading a large, rambunctious classroom. TFA will certainly be an eye-opener if you are unfamiliar with lower-income education, and the prestige factor is undeniably an asset, but I think I would still be teaching now instead of getting out after two years if I had made the longer time investment. Good luck and best wishes!</p>