Teach For America Attracts More College Grads

SYRACUSE, N.Y., May 6, 2009 -- With his senior year coming to a close and a faltering economy awaiting him, Syracuse University student Josh Shaw should be worried. Over the past year, the newspaper major has watched his industry, and with it his job prospects, slip into decline.

But where others might have despaired, Shaw saw an opportunity to pursue another passion – giving back. So Shaw took a job with a nonprofit organization teaching disadvantaged youth.

"Teach For America was always something I'd considered and had wanted to do," Shaw said.

Over the past two years, Teach For America—a nonprofit organization that places college graduates in teaching positions in underprivileged communities—has garnered record numbers of applicants like Shaw from colleges across the country. The rise in popularity of service-oriented programs is due in part to the opportunities they offer college graduates in a bleak economy.

"It's a guaranteed job and coming out of it in two years, it's great for a resume," said Shaw of his two-year commitment to teach elementary school students in Baltimore. "This is really the only chance I'll have to do something like this before going into a career in journalism."

In 2009, the number of applicants vying for a spot in the organization rose by 42 percent from last year, according to Trevor Stutz, Teach For America's national communications manager.

"2008 was also a record year for Teach For America, when we received 25,000 applications and selected 3,600 teaching corps members," wrote Stutz in an email.

And out of more than 35,000 applicants this year, Stutz said the organization is looking to yield about 4,000 new teachers in their incoming class. "It's a highly selective process," said Stutz.

It's also attracting some of today's best and brightest college grads. The program offers competitive pay and benefits, a combination that's hard to come by for even the most qualified students entering the job market.

The competitive entry-level pay is what makes Teach For America a practical solution for many college graduates facing four years' worth of loans. Starting salaries range from $27,000 to $47,000, according to the organization's website. Individual pay is determined bylocation and adjusted for cost of living. Teachers in rural areas, for example, make between $27,000 and $45,000, while those in cityschool districts start at $30,000. Corp members are paid by the district they work for, and make the same salary as the district's other teachers.

"When there are fewer job opportunities…it opens people up to a greater range of options and they're able to consider opportunities that weren't on their radar," said Stutz.