| I went to an Ivy League school that served as a large feeder for Teach for America. At least one year, Teach For America was the single largest employer of graduating seniors. Unlike GP, I would say that at my school, TFA and I-banking attracted students with similar credentials, at least on paper (same majors - economics, poli sci, histories, etc.). I can't speak to their motiviations or if any students were considering both, but I will point out that TFA uses the same recruiting timetable as the investment banks and consulting firms, as well as many of the same recruiting strategies, so TFA does appear to view themselves as competing for the same pool of applicants to some degree. I agree that TFA largely serves as a resume pad - some people do TFA because they want to teach in the long run, but many (I think the majority) view it as a "stepping stone" to law school or business school, and TFA certainly doesn't make any attempts to quell that belief with their recruiting. TFA also has questionable results - here is one op-ed written by a former TFA fellow who explains some of the problems with the program[0]. Teach for America receives a lot of money from political groups and individuals who oppose unions, because (for better or for worse), they essentially undermine teacher unions in their districts and reduce their power. Teach for America certainly started off with very nobles goals - they may still have the same goals today, but whether the actual net impact they are making is a positive one is less clear, and is a very political question. [0] http://www.policymic.com/articles/62487/this-former-tfa-corp... |