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How to Find Great Teaching Fellowships

June 30th, 2011 by

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Take a close look at great teachingTeaching fellowships are an integral part of becoming a classroom-ready teacher. As internships are to many professional industries, fellowships are to teaching. So given their importance, how do you go about finding the right teaching fellowship for you? A simple Google search will yield more than 5,000,000 results. Here are some tips on how to find great teaching fellowships:

1. Search Your College/University:
The perfect place to start your search is with your university or schools in the surrounding area. They often have quite a few resources for Master’s degree students who are looking to get some real-world classroom experience. Begin with the career services portion of your school’s website.

2. Search by Region:
Cities and states often offer their own teaching fellowship programs. If you know you want to get teaching experience in a particular area, you should check out regional teaching fellowships. Many states offer fellowships for specific high-need cities. For instance, New York offers the New York City Teaching Fellows program to bring ambitious, young teaching hopefuls to the area; Pennsylvania offers the Philadelphia Teaching Fellows program; California offers the Oakland Teaching Fellows program. Check your city or state’s Department of Education, or run a web search for teaching fellowship opportunities in your desired area.

3.Search by Subject:
Finding the perfect teaching fellowship is about finding the program that’s most suited to your interests and ambitions. For this reason, it makes sense to narrow your search by the subject you are most avid about teaching. Here are some examples:

  • The National Science Foundation offers teaching fellowships in K – 12 education for teachers wanting to specialize in science.
  • For math, you should check out Math for America’s fellowship opportunities.
  • For English language, the U.S. Department of State offers a fellowship program that might be of interest.
  • And many schools offer technology education teaching fellowships for STEM purposes.

    • If these do not appeal to you, a search by subject on the Internet will yield other interesting results.

    4. Explore Independent Teaching Fellowship Organizations:
    Some of the best teaching fellowship opportunities are offered by private, nationwide organizations. One of the most popular is Teach for America, which places more than 4,500 recent graduates in high-need areas. You should also explore AmeriCorps, which offers teaching fellowships through Citizen Schools. Some other great programs include:

  • The Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship
  • The Fulbright Institute of International Education
  • The Bronx Zoo Teaching Fellowship
  • The Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellowship
  • The Building Excellent Schools Fellowship
  • The Education Entrepreneur Fellowship

    • 5. Other Great Fellowship Resources
    If the methods listed above still leave you wanting more, try these other helpful teaching fellowships and networking resources:

  • Idealist.org
  • The New Teacher Project
  • Knowles Science Teaching Foundation

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    • http://www.triedandtrueproductreviews.com Dave

      You can really find a great teaching fellowship by identifying passionate folks on campus who want to teach their peers or other undergraduates. They will more than likely be your most useful resource. Start there first….

    • http://www.saintsoldier.org/ Saint Soldier

      To be around or a part of a great teaching fellowship is really important. I appreciate you outlining the steps in this post. I would also add to check with your current professors as they could help as well…

    • T.R.J.

      The Urban Teacher Center is a new program. It’s modeled after medical model — so it’s 4 years instead of 2 (like TFA). You get a duel masters degrees while enrolled. 

      http://urbanteachercenter.org/

    • Rficonsulting

      Are there fellowships for non-credentialed career change individuals designed to bring their expertise to the teaching professions?

    • Ashley Oliver

      Are there any fellowships for those with history/government backgrounds?