If you’ve been invited to an interview with Teach For America, you’ll need to complete a “Recommenders List.” This requires you to submit the contact information for two recommenders.

Your recommenders will receive a unique web link, via email, from TFA’s Admissions team. They will be asked to complete an Online Recommendation Form. Recommenders should be comfortable filling out the Online Recommendation Form because we do not accept traditional letters of recommendation.

Your two recommenders must be people who have either supervised your work or have been in a position of authority to evaluate your work within the past 3-5 years and can speak to different aspects of what you’ve done or accomplished.

Friends, family members, family friends, and colleagues/peers/co-workers will not meet our requirements for a professional recommender who has been in a position to evaluate your work and should not be listed as recommenders.

Our Online Recommendation Form is designed to help us learn more about how you demonstrate the characteristics we look for in our corps members. Our form consists of short answer response questions, asking your recommenders to reflect on your specific strengths. It typically takes 30 minutes to one hour to complete.

Tips for Choosing Recommenders

If You are a Student

If you’re a student, choose recommenders from different areas of your college experience. 

• The first recommender could be from an academic setting (professor, thesis advisor, independent research advisor, academic advisor).
• The second could be from a job or extracurricular activity (coach, advisor, formal supervisor, head of program, department leader).

If You are a Professional

If you’re a professional, choose recommenders who have observed you in an academic, work (paid or volunteer), or leadership setting and can speak to your unique skills, mindset, and accomplishment.  

• Each recommender must have either supervised your work or have been in a position of authority to guide or evaluate your work, ideally within the past 3-5 years.
• A current or former manager is an ideal option, but if this is not possible, you can also consider former professors, mentors, or supervisors on projects you’ve been a part of.
• For your second recommender, you can select a previous manager from the same organization, or a manager from another organization.

If You Work in a School

If you work in a school, at least one of your recommenders must be someone from the school who has been in a position to evaluate your work.

• A principal or assistant principal is an ideal option, whether from your current or former school.
• For your second recommender, a teacher leader, team lead, or supervising teacher from your current or former school would be an ideal selection.

Applicants, have questions or need help? Contact us