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TNTP Teaching Fellows

Part of TNTP

Engaged Employer

Take both these reviews and the propaganda with a grain of salt. - Teacher TNTP Teaching Fellows Employee Review

3.0
Apr 13, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The fastest, cheapest route to licensure. I decided to become a teacher in May, had a classroom and a full paycheck in August, and am now fully certified. In my experience, most of the fellows who made it through the summer training got jobs, made it through the next school year and received certification. I know some of the reviews here say you only have a 10% chance... that is too low, I think. At my summer site, about 55% of the fellows made it through the summer program, and about 80% of them got certification... so that's about a 44% pass rate for everyone, and if you don't count the ones who were clearly not cut out for teaching and dropped out early on, that rises to about 60%. Not amazing odds, but way better than 10%. I should note that my site had the highest drop-out rate that summer, but I think the ones who made it from my site did better the following school year, so I think these percentages are pretty close. You will meet some cool people and learn a lot about teaching... different things than you would learn from studying education.

Cons

The summer academy is really intense, and if you're making a lot of sacrifices to go through it, it's a big risk. About half of the fellows at my site dropped out or were cut during the summer, some on the very last day. I made it, just barely in "green," but it was the worst 6 weeks of my life. I was constantly sleep-deprived, stressed and anxious. There's some luck involved in terms of who you get as your site coordinator, your coach, your students, etc... and it stinks if you get dealt a bad hand and fail because of it. Some of the TNTP staff is really nice, but sometimes I felt like they were mocking us for struggling in the summer program when they had no idea (or had forgotten) how grueling and scary it was for us. Not sure whether this should be a "Pro" or a "Con," but a dirty little secret... you can end the summer on "Green" (pass) "Red" (instant fail if you go too far into red at any point to come back out) or "Yellow" (they'll think about it.) Basically, if you end on "Yellow," they'll pass you if you have a job lined up and fail you if you don't.

Explore other reviews about TNTP Teaching Fellows

5.0
Jan 29, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

So Excited! Amazing opportunity to work and grow!

Cons

None at the moment at all!

5.0
Jun 28, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I entered this program with some prior teaching experience, but having never received any formal training and in need of a teaching certificate to move forward in my career. TNTP academy provided extremely practical, hands-on training that prepared me for success in my kindergarten classroom. The coaching and mentoring was excellent. I was given clear and specific advice and feedback and I was consistently challenged to do my best. I really enjoyed that, through my weekly classes, I became part of a network of peers. I learned so much just from talking with other teachers. I also enjoyed the emphasis on practice and self-reflection. Teachers are extremely busy and can easily become isolated, forgetting to take time out to examine what they are doing well and what they need to do differently. TNTP Academy provided the structure and support I needed to make sure that I was pushing myself, which ultimately benefited my students. I am very happy with my choice to enroll in TNTP Academy. I love my school and I love teaching kindergarten. I am really excited about this new stage of my career and I owe my success in large part to the training and support that I received through TNTP Academy.

Cons

This is a highly demanding program that requires a serious commitment. There is an expectation that teachers devote a significant amount of time to their planning, to their coursework, and to making their classroom highly effective in the first year. If you are able to embrace feedback and get comfortable with constructive criticism, then this is the program for you!

4
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