Teaching Fellow Application

HOW TO APPLY

Be the difference. Apply today and change the course of a young mind or two (or a hundred).

Because it is an opportunity unlike any other available to high school and college students, the Breakthrough Teaching Fellowship is competitive, and the application process is rigorous. It is modeled after the fellowship experience itself, and it places teachers in circumstances they will encounter during the summer. To do well, a candidate must present themselves effectively in multiple settings.

Step 1: Do The Research

The first step in applying for the Breakthrough Teaching Fellowship this summer is to learn everything you possibly can about it. Please do the following before beginning an application:

• Sign up for our mailing list for updates and reminders!
• Review the entire “Teaching Fellowship” section of this website.
• Learn more about the fellowship at the Breakthrough Collaborative website (see link below).
• If you have questions that have not been answered through the website, please contact us at teach@breakthroughtwincities.org.

Step 2: Complete the Online Application

The ONLINE APPLICATION is completed through the national Breakthrough Collaborative website. In order for Breakthrough Twin Cities to have the right to consider you first, please select Breakthrough Twin Cities as your #1 site preference nationally. Write your essays in a Word document and paste your responses into the online application when you are finished. Follow all instructions closely. Depending on which sites you apply to, there may be two application deadlines:

• Application Open: October 13, 2022
• Early Action Deadline: January 12, 2023
• Regular Decision Deadline: February 23, 2023
• Backdoor Application Open: TBD
• Backdoor Application Closed: TBD

Step 3: Submit Recommendation and Transcript

You will be asked to provide the contact information of a reference during the application process. Your recommendation will be completed electronically. If you are invited to an interview you will also be asked to provide an unofficial transcript in electronic format in advance of the interview.

Step 4: Complete the Remote Interview Process

Interviews are granted on a rolling basis. When you submit your application materials, we will contact you about creating a sample teaching video and submitting a candidate assignment. Further details will be available later in the process.

Step 5: Await Notification

You will be notified of the decision by your first-choice site in mid-March at which time you will be offered a position or passed to your second-choice site. Your second-choice site will make a decision in late March. If your second-choice site is unable to offer you a position, you will be passed to your third-choice site. You will receive final notification in early April.

Some applicants who are not offered a position by one of their ranked preferences AND indicated that they were willing to teach anywhere will be placed on the national waitlist. You will be notified if you are placed on the national waitlist. Offers can be extended to national waitlist applicants at any time and final notification will occur in early June.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where is the program conducted?

Breakthrough Twin Cities has three sites in the Twin Cities:

• Mounds Park Academy – 2051 Larpenteur Ave E, Saint Paul, MN 55109
• Saint Paul Central High School – 275 Lexington Pkwy N, Saint Paul, MN 55104
• Chaska High School – 545 Pioneer Trail, Chaska, MN 55318

The summer and school-year program will take place at their respective host schools. Teaching Fellows will indicate their site preferences during the interview process.

I do not live in the Twin Cities, but want to teach at Breakthrough Twin Cities. Are there housing options available?

We work with local colleges and universities to locate housing options for students with financial needs. Additional information will be requested from those who choose to pursue this option at the time that any position is being offered.

I am interested in teaching, but I do not have a car. Are there options for transportation?

At the beginning of every summer, we help faculty members arrange carpools. There are also reasonable Metro Transit options for our St. Paul sites (lightrail, bus routes). In the past, all of our teachers have been able to arrange necessary transportation.

I might have another job or take classes while teaching at Breakthrough. Is this acceptable?

No. Teaching at Breakthrough is a lifestyle, not a job. In order to ensure the quality of instruction for our students and for you to grow as a teacher, you need to dedicate all of your energy to your work here and cannot have concurrent job or school responsibilities.

Do teachers design the courses or is there a predetermined curriculum?

At Breakthrough Twin Cities the staff and instructional coaches work prior to the summer to prepare objectives for each core course area to ensure that our students receive rigorous instruction. We have curriculum available in all four core subjects (math, science, literature, and writing). Content and activities in lesson plans must be adapted by the Teaching Fellow with the help of their Instructional Coach, and creativity is highly encouraged!

How is it decided which subject I teach?

In the online application you have an opportunity to list which core subjects you are “excited”, “able to” and “not willing” to teach. Our Selection Committee considers these preferences in combination with the needs of the program, and offers positions accordingly.

I am a senior in college, am I still eligible to apply for this summer?

Yes. You must be an undergraduate at the time that you apply. The summer following your graduation from an undergraduate institution is your final summer of eligibility to teach at Breakthrough.

I already taught at a Breakthrough Twin Cities site previously. How do I reapply?

We ask returners to use the same national application as new teachers, but from the perspective of embracing new challenges with a growth mindset and innovating on the excellence from your previous summer(s). Use the essay questions to express how you would be excited to build off of the lessons you previously learned as a Teaching Fellow. You will be asked to provide a reference, and you should list an active BTC Program Staff member (we will access your evaluation from last summer). The interview process will consist of a phone interview with BTC Staff. We will also take your last exit interview into consideration.