Teach for America interview questions

After the initial online application, I met with a recruiter in person. I was invited to an in-person interview. Then there is a long written component to the application, involving multiple essay questions, called a "pre-interview activity", as well as several readings to complete. The in-person interview consisted of five-minute sample lesson plans, a group activity (you have to come to a consensus in a roleplaying scenario: closing failing schools vs. firing teachers. The answer they want is closing the schools), and then finally the one-on-one interview. I found this to be very impersonal; the interviewer takes extensive notes on their laptop while you explain your answers to questions that are basically a reiteration of the pre-interview essays. There's little to no eye contact, just the constant clicking of their typing. Yikes! This entire process took about 2.5 months. Progress is drawn-out, and you have to jump through so many hoops (including finding references who are willing to write very detailed recommendation surveys, as well as manually typing out all of the courses on your college transcript). After all of this, I did not receive an offer, and was rejected with an impersonal form letter. Part of me wonders if I did not get the job because there is a question on the financial aid part of the application asking if you own a car. I explained that I do not currently have a car, but that I will obtain one before I graduate. Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing why I was not accepted, because TFA refuses to provide feedback regarding admissions decisions. This, combined with their claim to provide a "holistic" assessment of your qualifications, makes it impossible to know whether one is being discriminated against. Since their application process is so rigorous and drawn-out, it seems the least they can do is provide feedback upon request. I feel as though I wasted so much time and energy on this process, and I am crushed that I did not get in; I really do believe in their mission. But overall, my experience was not positive. It was cold and impersonal.

The hiring process had several steps that you had to go through over a period of time. First it was an online application. The application had many questions and then you had to also submit a resume and letters of recommendation. If you passed that, they email you to set up a phone interview. Next you choose a location to go to for an in person interview. This consisted of presenting a 5 minute lesson, then a group activity, and ends with a one-on-one interview.