FAQs

Why Teach For India?

All kids in India deserve the chance to reach their full potential. Educational opportunities should not be determined by your
family’s income or the neighbourhood 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

continue to advocate for students and build lasting change in many roles across different sectors. The Fellowship Program offers
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? Why does the Fellowship
Teach For India started in 2009 with 87 Fellows teaching
last two years? Can I teach
in 33 schools across Mumbai and Pune. In its second year for just one year if I choose?
(2010), 136 Fellows joined and began teaching in 63
schools across Mumbai and Pune. The two-year commitment is necessary to make the impact

In 2011, Teach For India added Delhi to its reach and

selected 230 Fellows to teach in 130 schools across Mumbai, establish respect and trust among various stakeholders
Pune and Delhi. within the school community and the students. This work

In 2012, with 280 more Fellows, Hyderabad and Chennai students and to implement their community/school project in
became a part of Teach For India placement cities along the second year.
with Mumbai, Pune and Delhi.
During the two years, you will strive to:
In 2013, 480 Teach For India Fellows taught approximately
1. Transform the student : An excellent Fellow can
22,000 children across our 5 placement cities.
because he/she is in their classrooms and their lives
For 2015, we are seeking Fellows to teach in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi,
for two full years. Transformation does not only mean
Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad.
improved academic performance, but also changes in
Teach For India is fast gaining momentum across the country. In the
leadership skills, responsibility, teamwork, respect and
next five years, we aspire to reach out to 60,000 children across 10
the ability to think and question.
cities.
2. Transform as a leader : The experience of teaching

develop strong leadership skills. The intensity of the

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.Stephen’s College, St. Xavier’s 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.
two-year experience is critical for you to understand
the complexities of educational inequity and be a life-
long 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.
Throughout the two years, Fellows are provided ongoing support
and guidance to become transformational teachers and leaders.
Who do we look for?
We look for individuals who show leadership potential
and have other traits that are found in our most successful
that predicts success in the classroom. Some Fellows were
educators prior to joining, but many do not have any prior
Your potential as a Fellow can shine through whether you’ve
achieved academic honours, managed a complex project at
work, led a group on campus, or have rallied support for a
cause that’s 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 instill
essential values and productive mind sets. We’ve 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 organisational ability, including planning well
• Respect for individuals’ diverse experiences and the
backgrounds.
Students and professionals with a Bachelor’s 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
program in May & June of 2015. 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
Fellowship.
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
responsibilities and it will therefore require all your dedication
and attention. Hence, part-time work is not possible.
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
student’s 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 don’ts etc. will be covered extensively.
We also expect Fellows to think critically about the problems
that are plaguing the education sector at large.
Which standard will I be teaching
and what will be the medium of
instruction?
Teach For India Fellows are placed in 2nd to 10th 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 2015, Teach For India Fellows will be placed in government
schools or low-income private schools in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi,
Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad. All Fellows will be
required to reside in one of these cities between May 2015 and
April 2017. 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.
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
beginning to place Fellows in semi urban areas (example:
Pimpir-Chinchwad in Pune). However, for the two years of the
Fellowship, we will continue to place Fellows in urban setting
in the foreseeable future.
How much will I be paid during
the Fellowship?
Teach For India Fellows will be paid a salary of Rs. 17,500 per
month. If required to relocate from their home city, Fellows will
be given a housing allowance ranging from Rs. 5300 - 8300,
depending on the city in which they will stay. In addition,
Fellows will receive an allowance for school supplies.
How does Teach For India’s approach to teaching
differ from traditional approaches?
Teach For India’s “Teaching As Leadership” (TAL) model is based on the belief that excellent teachers employ the same skills

extraordinary leaders who can help their students make significant academic gains in the short run and advocates for systemic educational
reform in the long run. Learn more about the Teaching As Leadership framework at http://www.teachingasleadership.org/

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 student’s 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 analysing
assessments to ensure that students are progressing towards their academic goals.

Fellows are trained to operate as leaders in the classroom by setting an ambitious and measurable vision for student achievement,

performance and working relentlessly and strategically to realize their vision.

received in their classroom and is more holistic for a child’s development.

What happens after How will the Teach For

the Fellowship? India experience help me
Teach For India’s mission is to create a movement of leaders grow professionally?
who will eliminate educational inequity in India. In order for
Teach For India strongly believes that excellent teachers
that mission to be realised, Teach For India Alumni need to
excel in multiple sectors and collaborate towards a multi-
Spending two years in the classroom will help Fellows
pronged solution to the complex problem of education in
develop leadership skills such as organisation,
India.
communication, problem-solving in an unstructured
environment, people management and resourcefulness that
Teach For India supports its Fellows to pursue their career
are valuable in any sector. Teach For India will select Fellows
interests by training and mentoring them and striving to
who have demonstrated excellence in the past and will work
build relationships with top schools, universities, NGOs, and
with them throughout the two-year Fellowship to ensure that
corporates throughout the country.
they take advantage of the experience to become
extraordinary future leaders.
Teach For India’s fourth cohort of Fellows graduated in April
2014. 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.

When and how can I apply to the Teach For India Fellowship?
Teach For India only accepts online applications. The deadlines for the 2015 Teach For India Fellowship Program are :

27 August 2014 | 29 October 2014 | 10 December 2014 | 4 February 2015

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