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Teach for India: NGO Education jobs or MBA

Teach for India jobs through various NGO partners on the ground can provide an excellent exposure to the education sector for high-potential professionals.

Saloni Gupta might remind you of the naughtiest girl in your school who always got away scot-free because of her innocent looks. Several years after completing her undergrad, she was planning to become a full-time student once again. But destiny had other plans for her. Rather than being an MBA student at one of the top bschools, she transitioned to the other side to become a teacher. Her life changed when she got the following email from Teach for India:

“Congratulations on your acceptance into this selective Fellowship, offered to less than 10% of our applicants—an acceptance rate that is at par with leading institutions like Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, The Wharton School of Business and INSEAD. This makes you one of the top leaders in the quest for educational equity for the nation.”

Now she’s a teacher, a mentor and a loving didi to a bunch of energetic kids eager to get the basic education that’ll help them become independent, knowledgeable and productive members of the society.


Teach for India vs MBA

by Saloni Gupta

Teach for India NGO Education jobsAlmost five years ago, I started a career in software industry. I was a darling of my team members – helped, trained and supported at every step. Within one year, I rose to become an important and critical employee for the team and the company. After one year, my team got shifted to Bangalore and I began a new era of my life far from proximity of parents, relatives and friends in Delhi. I chose to stay alone and set up a good home for myself.

I worked really hard at work, staying at top of the game all the time, grabbing every important project and delivering it seamlessly. I worked really hard at home as well as took care of my fitness, food and bills without fail. It became an important time of my life because I was responsible for only myself and I could blame no one else for messing up. I was clearly pursuing excellence in my work and within myself. And that is why I wanted to achieve excellence in direction of my career as well.

Despite a supporting team and an encouraging boss, I saw through the work that I was doing. The work wasn’t that important and I knew that my whole life is not meant for it. I was getting job offers which would pay me 60% more right away even during tough times in economy but nothing as such was luring me other than an innate desire that I wanted to be producer of the world and not just the consumer of the best job, good salary and a beautiful home.

I started getting inclined towards non-profit work, furiously researched on internet and zeroed-in on microfinance as one of the developing industries that served a lot of people in a sustainable way. I started volunteering with Child Rights and You (CRY) and worked in and around aanganwadi for a while. I found myself far more useful and meaningful as a volunteer and I hoped that I can also be one of the movers of the world some day. It was a sheer innocence of a hard-working girl who thought serving the society is morally the right thing to do.

I started figuring out ways that can make me transition in that industry but any job that I found interesting required prior experience and I was left with options that required losing my financial stability and starting from scratch. I was not ready for it at that time. Meanwhile, I appeared for GMAT considering MBA as one of the options to make a career transition without huge risks of financial stability and with a future that promises a job that could lead me to higher degree of impact. MBA became a hope and a channel for my ambitions.

While I appeared for GMAT in July 2009, I did not apply in that admission cycle because I wanted to figure out if that is the only thing that I can do and whether it will lead me where I wanted to be. One year passed and I still saw only one road so I decided to walk on it. I applied to few schools and got particularly interested in Tuck because it had a fellowship in microfinance. Tuck called me for an interview which I messed up badly and I knew that I won’t make it through.

This was the time when I boarded a train that travels 9000 km throughout India stopping at destinations where you get to meet social entrepreneurs across the country. This Yatra (journey) came at the right time and forced me to reconsider my decision to join a business school. I met people who thought like me but unlike me were courageous enough to start from scratch. I had applied and was selected in Teach for India that time but was keeping it as a second priority until then. During the Yatra, I figured out that I have the right outcome in front of me. I have got an opportunity that is great for career transition without costing like an MBA that may take a toll on my career choice after two years.

So, I joined Teach for India in the month of May instead of a business school. I started teaching in a low income school and I discovered that of all the jobs in the world, a job of a social worker is the most selfish one. I was giving because I wanted to give. I was improving living conditions of people around me because I wanted to do that. I was imparting education because I wanted kids to learn. I figured out one great secret about myself that I am really selfish and because of that I took ownership, reflected strongly and gave results. I also figured out that by being selfish, I am going to be alone on this path many times.

This last one year has changed me to the core. I have got to know the difference between knowing the path and walking through it. I have known now how much toll it takes to be a producer and what it means to lose your comfort zone. Have I regretted it? Not even once. Am I happy? Like I have never been before. Am I still going to pursue being a producer? Yes. Of Course.


Saloni’s friends might be busy learning about discounted cash flows, marketing frameworks and strategy case studies in the best Ivy league MBA programs. But the Teach for India classroom has given Saloni an education that no business school could’ve provided. Check out her blog (Mukaam) for more stories.

If you have queries about the Teach for India program, or related options, post your queries as a comment. We’ll try to get Saloni back to answer them, if her 38 demanding kids are willing to let their didi go for a few minutes.


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Sameer Kamat
About Sameer Kamat
Founder of MBA Crystal Ball. Author of Beyond The MBA Hype & Business Doctors. Here's more about me. Follow me on: Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube

27 thoughts on “Teach for India: NGO Education jobs or MBA”

  1. hii..im a physiotherapist cmpleted my mba health care services distance learng frm smu…looking for a job…plss let me knw if thr is any vacancy……

    Reply
  2. Sorry, Rakhee, we can’t help you with that request.

    Also, it’s not a good idea to post such requests on public forums. It undermines the value of both the degrees. And worse, the wrong kind of folks might reach out to ‘help’ you out.

    Hope you get a good job that suits your qualifications.

    Reply
  3. Truly inspiring,especially the point that Knowing a path and Walking on it are completely different.I can fairly relate myself to this transition phase of yours.Keep up your great work.

    Reply
  4. Great and inspiring example Saloni and thanks Sameer for showcasing her journey here.
    Am sure there are hundreds like Saloni who are at the cross-roads in their career and life and are looking for new means to create a difference.
    I look forward to knowing more about your journey and the satisfaction that you are deriving from it.

    Cheers,
    Pd

    Reply
  5. Hiiiiiii its me Sandeep.Kota MBA, from Andhra Pradesh .I Just saw the blog ” Teach for India”. its NOBLE job. heartly i would like to appriciate to Sameer Kamat. Really how great program it is. I feel it’s value vl never goes to temporary, the reflection of “Teaching for India” definitely a Unique Path by its unique smell of EDUCATION. I want to participate in this program. how can i helpful to this.i can reachble at [edited out].

    Reply
  6. Hi,
    what you people are doing is commendable!
    pls do let me know if i can be of any help…….i will be more than happy as i love kids and teaching too….infact i too m a favorite didi to many kids whom i teach…
    working with you will make my life more meaningful and worthy, pls do give me a chance
    Regards

    Reply
  7. hi i am MBA Marketing, my age is 40. I have experience in telecom and consumer durable. from last one and half year i left the corporate sec and working with propritory firm in advertisement industry. Now when i am trying to go back in to corporate due to age factor i am not getting a single reply.

    suggest me.

    Reply
  8. My name is Swati Pincha and I am an Indian working in Singapore with Caterpillar. With the intention to curb my thirst of doing something “real”, I applied for Teach for India and am very interested in the Fellowship. But before committing, I have a few questions that you as an Admissions consultant can answer and will be very helpful:

    1. Work exp after graduation- I have been working in the clean energy industry with Caterpillar for the past 3 years
    2. Teach for India- to give back to society
    3. After TFI- I want to pursue my MBA and get into consulting/ VC in renewable/ clean energy.

    Is this transition possible? How can I then justify to business schools why I chose TFI? Are employers after MBA at the US open to hiring candidates like me?

    Thank you very much!!!

    Regards
    Swati Pincha

    Reply
  9. Swati,

    ‘Teach for America’ came much before Teach of India. So American firms are more open to folks like you who’ve taken a break from a good career to give back to society.

    We get a handful of folks from Caterpillar each season and they generally do well in the admissions.

    Your 3 year experience is good. If you can get a good GMAT score, you could try for the big names that have strong ties with consulting firms. That’ll make the career transition easier.

    Venture capital would be a tough bet though, as the skill sets and entry criteria for such roles is pretty unique. Read up on our Venture Capital series to get a better picture.

    Reply
  10. Hi,
    My name is Avinash Gaurav. I’m a BE in Computer Science and Engineering.
    Currently I’m working with an MNC- IT company.
    I used to teach on a part time basis when I was a student and have always been appreciated by my students. I’m looking for an initiative or an opportunity where I can dedicate some of my time (weekends and other holidays) to teach underprivileged children (Goal is to teach not earning extra income, I can do it even free of cost or something equivalent without comprimising on commitment and quality).

    Can you help?

    Thanks.
    Regards,
    Avinash

    Reply
  11. Hi Sameer,

    I have been selected for the fellowship-2015.I am very much interested in joining it with an intention of making a difference as well as after two years with TFI,I would like do my MBA.
    Right now I have 1.5 months of work experience in Healthcare IT with above average academics throughout .
    So is this move worth it ?
    It would be great if you could help me out.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Saloni completed her stint at TFI and moved on to pursue other opportunities.

      We reached out to check if she’d be willing to write about what happened after her Teach for India assignment. But seems like she’s been busy.

      Reply
  12. Hi, I hv done my ECCED course after graduation, +hv a experience of 6yrs as preschool teacher n 1yr as a supervisor of playgroup, Nursery, junior , & senior Kinder Garten school.. I was on break due to some health reason now I feel I should join back in teaching field.. I am looking for salaried job in Malad area in Teach India group.. Plz guide

    Reply
  13. Hi Saloni,

    I am a student is waiting for her Assessment Day at TFI and is curious to know what are the options available to a Fellow after the two years of fellowship.

    Reply
  14. Hi,
    I liked the article. I am an Engineer(2016 passout) and currently working as a Teach for India fellow. Could you please tell me which would be the most apt or relevant course in MBA for me in ISB?

    Reply

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