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Corps and Alumni
Teach For America International Students Pilot Program: Meeting the Need for Math & Science Teachers in Houston
If you are an international student with a background in math or science, you may be eligible to join the Teach For America International Students Pilot Program.
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Overview | |
Eligibility requirements | |
Application process |
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Hiring process | |
Who we look for | |
Resources |
Overview
Our nation is home to talented future leaders from around the world who are interested in ending educational inequity. While our current admissions prerequisites require that applicants are US citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent residents due to our affiliation with AmeriCorps, we are actively exploring the viability of accepting non-US citizens into our corps.
Toward that end, Teach For America partnered with the Houston Independent School District (HISD) to launch a pilot program to bring talented and committed international students to Houston to help meet the growing need for math and science teachers in its high-need schools.
This pilot program enabled international students to join Teach For America for the first time in 2008, and will help us determine the feasibility of accepting international students as corps members in the future. Individuals who join Teach For America through the pilot program go through a separate hiring process and are ineligible for AmeriCorps benefits, but otherwise receive the same training, benefits, and support that all corps members receive.
We accept applications from any eligible candidates.
Eligibility requirements
The Teach For America International Students Pilot Program is open to international candidates that meet the following eligibility requirements. All applicants must:
- Be currently enrolled at a US college or university
- Be earning an undergraduate or graduate degree in: math, statistics, biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, or other sciences
- Hold a valid F-1 visa
- Be eligible to apply for a 12-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension of current visa
- Not be from a country on the State Department's state-sponsored terrorism list which includes the following: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria
- Be willing to teach in the Houston Independent School District as a middle school or high school math or science teacher
In addition, applicants must be fluent in written and spoken English and meet our regular eligibility requirements:
- Bachelor's degree by June 2010
- 2.50 minimum undergraduate GPA
Application process
In order to apply, applicants must submit our online application and follow the same interview process as other applicants. Learn more about how to apply
Hiring process
Once applicants accept Teach For America's preliminary offer of admittance, they will receive detailed information about how their hiring process will work in HISD.
Upon accepting our offer of admittance and during their two-year commitments, individuals in the Teach For America International Students Pilot Program must satisfy HISD's employee eligibility requirements, including cooperation in HISD petitions for H-1B visas. H-1B visas authorize eligible foreign nationals to work in the United States for a specific employer for a defined period of time. Corps members in the pilot program are required to provide appropriate credentials and documentation during the H-1B visa application process and to maintain their lawful immigration status once they become H-1B visa holders. Corps members are responsible for costs associated with obtaining and maintaining the H-1B visa, although Teach For America may be able to offer some financial assistance through our transitional funding program.
Who we look for
Applicants to the International Students Pilot Program will be evaluated by the same selection criteria we evaluate in all applicants. Learn more about who we're looking for
Resources
Read detailed instructions for applying
Read about the need for math and science teachers
Read about living and teaching in Houston
