Who We Want

Working as an Indianapolis Teaching Fellow is more than a job, it’s a commitment to students who are counting on your help to beat the odds and achieve their full potential. Each day will bring unexpected challenges and immeasurable rewards.

There is no one profile of an ideal candidate. You could be a high-achieving recent college graduate who majored in economics or physics and now wants to share your passion for these subjects with Indianapolis students. You may have built a successful career in business or engineering, and now wish to give back as a teacher working with high-need students. You may have experience working with young people as a social worker or tutor, and now wish to make a career in education. Whatever your background, you share a commitment to improving student achievement and changing the lives of students in Indiana’s traditionally underserved communities.

Because we know that great teachers are the key to student success, our program is highly selective—admitting only 10% of applicants in 2011. We look for highly-motivated individuals with diverse personal and professional backgrounds who have the capacity to be successful teaching in one of our partner schools' critical-need subjects.  We are currently considering candidates to teach math, science, Spanish, and special education (elementary, English and Social Studies). Incoming Fellows view teaching as a long-term career and are committed to teaching for a minimum of three years. We review every application carefully, looking for candidates with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to thrive in some of our city’s most-challenging classrooms. These include:

• A commitment to raising achievement among high-need students, including students with disabilities and those who are performing below grade level;
• Success in past endeavors;
• Perseverance in the face of challenges;
• Ability to think critically and analytically;
• Desire to grow professionally and seek out new opportunities to learn; and
• Integrity and clarity in all communications and interactions.

If you have what it takes to inspire, motivate, and get results for students, we strongly encourage you to apply now.

A Commitment to Diversity

The proportion of minority teachers in Indianapolis (about 11%) continues to be far lower than the proportion of minority students in area schools (just over 45% in public schools).  We believe it is important to have Fellow and teacher candidates who are representative of the students we teach. Our Fellows teach in schools with high-minority (primarily African-American and Latino) and high-poverty populations, so we value individuals of diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds with records of achievement and a long-term committment to teaching. Doing so increases student access to teachers with shared backgrounds and has the potential to have added impact on student academic, personal and social outcomes. 32% of our Fellows in 2011 were people of color.