Carter Associate Teacher Program

While the Carter Associate Teacher Program has gone by different names, one thing has remained constant – it is a robust, top-notch training ground for young teachers with a national reputation. The program nurtures and challenges Associates, preparing them to be passionate, committed, and well-equipped leaders in their own classrooms.

The program has introduced more than 250 young teachers to the education field. Launched in 1991 as a project to bring young teachers to Lower School and staff co-curricular programs, the program has expanded to prekindergarten through fourth grade, with our Associate Teachers enriching their students’ lives and their own.

Preparing Young Teachers

The program provides invaluable hands-on experience for our associates to teach on their own and in collaboration and observe and receive feedback from master teachers.

Learn More

Our program aims to:

Combine an introduction to teaching with theoretical study and seminars for talented and motivated early career teachers.
Provide a first-class, nurturing, and challenging mentoring process for young teachers by working closely with passionate, skilled, master teachers.
Offer Associates opportunities for significant personal and professional growth through the challenges of working with engaged, intellectually curious, and lively students.
Enhance the student experience and teaching excellence in Preschool and Lower School.
Infuse the Greenhill community with new ideas, energy, and vitality in the classrooms, with additional experiences available in the fine arts and athletics programs.
Contribute to education with inspired, committed, well-prepared teachers.

Qualifications

Our program seeks early-career teachers who want to prepare and inspire students to lead authentic, purposeful lives.

Learn More

An excellent candidate will have:

A bachelor’s degree with a focus in education and practicum experience, or a master’s degree in early childhood or elementary education, and/or a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and bringing substantive experience working with children.
An interest and desire to work with and learn about teaching young children.
Prior substantive experience working with children in a volunteer or paid capacity (such as student teaching, summer camp, Head Start program, child-care setting, scout leader).
High energy, exemplary work ethic, flexibility, initiative, grit, and creativity.
A strong desire to grow personally and professionally.
An earnest, active, and ongoing commitment to increasing her/his cultural competency and to valuing and respecting the cultural differences among the Greenhill community.
A positive attitude and the talent and interest to contribute to school life.

Apply Now

A Long-Standing History

Frequently Asked Questions

What separates this program from other internships or fellowships I may consider?
The program is potentially a multi-year teaching experience, rather than a single year, and unlike many other programs, your work includes a full salary, not just a stipend. Year One Salary: $42,000 Year Two Salary: $44,000 Year Three Salary: $46,000 Year Four Salary: $48,000 Year Five Salary: $50,000 The program creates genuine classroom partnerships that go far beyond the “helper” or assistant-type duties that characterize other programs. After your first year, the partnership between Associate and Lead Teacher evolves, with the Associate’s autonomy increasing dramatically over time. The program has a 30+ year history of excellence and is known throughout the country as a top-notch training program that has launched the teaching careers of more than 250 teachers since 1991. An additional, crucial component of the program is the professional development offered within the cohort in Years One and Two. This provides myriad opportunities for visiting other classrooms on campus and at other schools around the region, the chance to engage in a case study of observation and documenting learning behaviors, and a variety of pedagogical workshops. Associates engage fully in the teaching experience, including report-writing, parent conferences, faculty meetings, and committee service.
Do I need to have a degree in education or have acquired certification?
All candidates must have earned a bachelor’s degree, ideally with a focus in education and practicum experience, or a master’s degree in early childhood or elementary education. Teacher certification is a plus, but not required. We are looking for recently degreed candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to honing their gifts for teaching young children. This is not a gap-year program for those looking for a service experience. The Carter Associate Teacher experience offers young teachers the growth opportunities they need to refine their sense of calling: this may be a process of deciding what age child, discipline, or type of school they wish to launch their teaching careers.
Why would I accept a position as an Associate Teacher rather than look for my own classroom?
The chance to work side by side with master teachers, learning the art and craft of excellent teaching within the “safety net” of the program, is an invaluable experience and a gift that many veteran teachers say they would love to have had. Your first year in your own classroom is unlike any other, and no preparatory experience can change that. However, experiencing your own classroom after completing the Carter Associate Teacher Program significantly amplifies the confidence and wisdom with which you lead. Time and again, Carter Associate Teachers say afterward that they would not have traded the experience for a year with their own classroom.
It sounds like a great opportunity, but I think eventually I may want to teach older students.
Many of the most important lessons you will learn are transferrable to virtually any age level, and occasionally our Associates feel called to teach older students. A solid foundation as an early childhood or elementary teacher will never be time wasted for someone called to the teaching profession at any level. Former Associates teach in high schools around Dallas and the country, and several are university professors. All of them credit what they learned teaching younger students for their: Understanding of the learning process and developmental stages of children. Confidence to plan and teach a lesson. Consideration and accommodation for different learning styles. Development of fair and productive assessments and grading rubrics. Ability to make genuine human connections with students. The chance to teach Preschool and Lower School students will benefit you regardless of what level you teach in the future.
What if I’m not completely sure that I want to teach?
This program is not for the faint of heart, but it represents a chance to do meaningful work in the service of honing your craft. The Carter Associate Teacher Program offers a life-changing, eye-opening commitment of 2-5 years of teaching, to learn about teaching, schools, students, and yourself. Most of our Associates continue teaching in schools around the country, but even those who do not continue to teach in a school setting will credit their Associate experience as formative in their sense of calling. And, all of them talk about working with amazing colleagues and inspiring students as a source of daily joy that propelled them into the next stages of their journeys. A common theme we hear from our Associates: There is not a single day that I don’t look forward to coming to school! How many “work” experiences can boast that?
Does the Carter Associate Teacher position include benefits?
Yes. Our Associate Teachers are salaried and receive the same benefits package as our full-time faculty,* including a retirement plan, medical and dental insurance coverage, short and long-term disability, and a free lunch daily. *While participants in the Lucinda F. Carter Associate Teacher Program and Associate Teachers typically receive all benefits available to full-time employees, the tuition remission benefit is not included in the benefits package for these employees.
Are there professional development opportunities?
Associate Teachers often attend workshops and conferences (live and virtually) and may apply for tuition remission for continuing education or certification courses. Our Associate Teachers participate in professional development opportunities of all kinds, both individually and as a cohort.
What’s the timetable for applying for a Carter Associate Teacher position?
We begin looking at resumes and cover letters in February and March for the following fall. The search committee narrows its list to a group of finalists invited to campus for interviews in April and May, with positions offered (usually) in May and June. Orientation typically starts the first week in August.
So I have an amazing couple of years as a Carter Associate Teacher, but then I am looking for a job all over again?
Often this is the reality of the situation. However, we spend a tremendous amount of time – as a group and in one-on-one “counseling” sessions – to help you when you’re ready to make that leap, including: Discussing the logistics of researching potential schools. Assisting you in defining the important criteria for you in your search. Exposing you to many different schools in the DFW area and around the country. Offering workshops on interviewing and writing personal teaching statements. Assisting in the compilation of your teaching portfolio. Serving as your advocate, official “recommenders,” and cheerleaders in your search. And though it should never be an expectation, more than two dozen of our current lead teachers first came to Greenhill through this program. So yes, you will go through the job search process again, but by virtue of your Carter Associate Teacher experience, you will go through this search as a completely different candidate with an impressively bolstered resume. Our Associates leverage this experience to find exciting jobs around the country that challenge them and offer them wonderful growth opportunities!

Carter Associate Teacher Program