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2024 Summer Teacher Applications Now Open. Apply Today.

Become a Teaching Fellow

Lead your own classroom. Experience firsthand what it is like to teach, motivate, and inspire your own students. Grow as a leader and an educator. Become an AmeriCorps Summer Teaching Fellow for Breakthrough Central Texas. It will be the most meaningful summer of your life!

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

 

Teaching Fellows

Breakthrough Central Texas admits students in middle school and makes a long-term commitment to helping them graduate from high school and college by providing academic summer programs, individualized academic support and enrichment and college-prep activities for students and families. Breakthrough offers 12-years of support for students and families completely free of charge! Check out our Mission & Vision Statement and our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement to learn more about Breakthrough’s commitment to education equity, anti-racism, and queer allyship. 

Breakthrough seeks enthusiastic, creative, and successful high school and college students to teach and mentor middle schoolers during our 9-week Academic Summer Academy. Under the guidance of seasoned teaching professionals, high school and college students will teach English, math, social studies, or science to classes of ten to twelve middle school students. This summer experience is more summer camp than summer school with the purpose of making learning meaningful and fun! NO TEACHING EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED. Breakthrough will orient, train, and support Summer Teachers throughout the summer and has the curriculum ready for teachers to mold for their students. We encourage BIPOC folx, queer folx, and everyone in between to apply! Students want to see themselves represented in the classroom – join us!

Teachers will also serve on committees, lead study skills lessons, and design Explorations (electives) classes for their students. All Breakthrough Summer Teaching Fellows are also AmeriCorps Members for the duration of the program. Low cost summer housing is available through a partnership with College Houses, Inc. See below for more housing information.

What Teachers Can Expect

9-Week Breakdown

    • 2 weeks of Teacher Training – Intensive, reflective, and hands-on training lead by experienced teachers serving as Instructional Coaches and Breakthrough Staff members.
    • 6 weeks of Instruction – Teaching either 7th, 8th, or 9th graders 1 of the 4 core subjects
      • There are 4 class periods a day
      • Teachers will be teaching 2 class periods of their core subject
      • Teachers will also teach 1 exploration (elective) period of their choosing
    • 1 week of Wrap-Up – Closing out the school site, finishing up any last-minute work before end of summer celebration

A Day In The Life Of A 2023 Manor Summer Teacher

*Schedules change every year and every site operates differently based on its unique needs. 

Breakthrough Summers are fast paced, fun-filled adventures where teachers are quick on their feet and able to move fluidly through the days’ challenges and celebrations. Teachers are typically working 50 hours each week with instruction, meetings, and lesson planning taking the bulk of the time. 

      • 7:30 AM – Greet sleepy students as they head to breakfast. Get ready for morning attendance aka Breakthrough Cheers!
      • 8:30 AM – 1st Period
      • 9:30 AM – 2nd Period
      • 10:15 AM – 3rd Period
      • 11:00 AM – Lunch
      • 12:00 PM – 4th Period
      • 1:00 PM – Breakthrough Gets Fit – A
      • 1:30 PM – Breakthrough Gets Fit – B
      • 2:00 PM – Explorations
      • 2:50 PM – All School Meeting
      • 3:10 PM – Bus Dismissal
      • 3:30 PM – Teacher Meetings / Lesson Planning
      • 5:30 PM – Leave for the day!

Breakthrough CTX operates several summer sites and teachers will be assigned to one of the below locations. Teachers will share their location preferences in the application. For teachers worried about transportation to their assigned school site, know that Breakthrough facilitates carpooling between teachers and offers an additional carpooling stipend to incentivize drivers.

      • Del Valle Independent School District,
      • Manor Independent School District,
      • St. Andrew’s Episcopal school, and 
      • The University of Texas at Austin

    Pay, Requirements, Housing

    Living Stipends are paid to Summer Teachers monthly (1st payment in July) and can be directly deposited or sent as a check by mail.

    • First Time Fellows earn a Living Stipend of $4,250
      • Additional $250 for 1st-time returner,
      • $500 additional for 2nd time returner
    • Education Award ($1,824.07) – upon completion of required service hours (450 hrs)
    • Local Housing support is provided, see below
    • Non-monetary benefits – public speaking & presentation skills, ongoing support, professional development
    • Additional stipend to Pell-eligible/FRL students available
    • Summer Gas stipend $125-$250
    • $150 Travel stipends available for out-of-state Pell-eligible students

    Breakthrough recruits excellent college and high-school students to teach in our programs. If you are a high-school student, you are eligible to apply with Breakthrough CTX if you will be 17 years old by the start of the program on June 3, 2024, with no exceptions.

    9-Week Commitment

    Start: June 3, 2024
    End: August 2, 2024

    Co-Op Housing Available via Breakthrough & College Houses

      • 9-Week Contract: ~$900 (Includes 2 meals a day from June 3, 2024 through August 2, 2024) $900 Reflects Last Year Cost
      • Co-Ops rooms are Jack-n-Jill style shared rooms: Room – Bathroom – Room, with 2 teachers per room.
      • Breakthrough deducts your housing costs from your monthly stipend payment so you do not have to pay CH directly or out of pocket. Housing cost deductions are typically split in half and deducted in the July & August payments.

    Before You Apply

    • Know that you are applying through our Breakthrough National application and you must select Austin as your 1st preferred city for Breakthrough CTX to receive your application first.
    • You will need to select 3 cities you would like to apply to. Each Breakthrough runs differently. If you have questions about Breakthrough Central Texas Summers, reach out to, LaToya Sales our Associate Director of AmeriCorps and she’ll be happy to help!
      • If your 1st choice city Breakthrough makes you an offer and you turn it down, your application will NOT be passed to the next city. 
      • Selecting Austin 1st means your application goes straight to Breakthrough CTX!
      • Selecting Austin 2nd or 3rd means your application will go to your 1st choice city first and they may decide to offer you a position or send your application to your next city (which can take time for that to happen.
    • The application will ask you for basic information, some short answers, and your college transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are valid.

    CLICK HERE TO APPLY TODAY!

    Summer Teaching Fellow Experience

    “I didn’t know that Breakthrough would become such a major part of my life. From being a student to a teacher fellow, I’ve been able to truly understand the beauty behind introducing a greater knowledge and education to first generation college students along with being able to become part of an extremely welcoming extended family and community. “
    -Tiffany Guerra, Texas A&M University, Breakthrough College Student, Former AmeriCorps Summer Teaching Fellow

    In partnership with: