instructional coach

teacher

enrollment manager

director of partnerships

development director

City Teaching Alliance

Urban Teachers has been nothing short of wonderful in preparing me to become the effective teacher I inspire to be. The residencey experience is very rigorous, yet extremely supportive. Urban Teacher's model is among the best of the best in the avenues of teacher prep programs. Residents have the opportunity to learn and develop practices first hand in the classroom under the supervision of an effective host teacher. In addition to supports from host teachers residents receive feedback from coaches and and staff check-ins. Residents are exposed to so much wealth of knowledge, as they are also taking coursework at The Johns Hopkins University to earn their Masters in Education and a certification in Special Education. Urban Teachers also prepare residents and fellows for their teacher certifications. The list of supports and opportunities within the program goes on and on. The staff is wonderful and all want to see you succeed. They understand the need for highly effectives teachers in these school, so they do what that can to get you there. My experiences with Urban Teachers has been an amazing experience thus far. I love the purposeful engagements and content provided to each resident to be their very best; and to be for Baltimore, and most importantly for the students.

Urban Teachers is hands down the best teacher preparation program for new teachers - but that comes with a lot of hard work and high expectations.  If you are looking for a steep learning curve with challenges coupled with tons of opportunity to solve problems and lead the work with your ideas, this is a great place.  The organization works hard to make sure that teachers get the supports and training they need so that students have an excellent teacher. This work never stops and can always get better.  Those looking for this kind of work and impact will love this organization and your role in the work.  People who want a meaningful job with normal working hours and a slow ramp-up will struggle to find the balance. Success is dependent on a commitment to the mission, good time management skills, and the ability to work in a face-paced environment. I enjoy the staff and teachers in this organization.  They are brilliant and just wonderful human beings with incredible hearts. I also enjoy having the flexibility of working non-traditional business hours.  It gets easier and easier every year to figure out the balance and improve in quality, but the first year can be tough if not prepared and willing to put in the hours to meet the expectations.

A typical day of work is teaching at my placement 8-3 and grad classes from 5:30-8, followed by lesson planning and grad school assignments Monday-Friday, with no grad classes on Fridays. The program leaves absolutely zero time for anyone involved to have time to themselves. 

The reality is that the program does not care about the mental health of its residents. The program is very much aware that participants are overworked. Participants are exploited, overworked, and underpaid. I will say that teaching is very rewarding, but this is not a sustainable program for anyone that wants to be a great teacher.

There is also little communication and transparency from the program about important information such as teacher certification, and program + academic policies. It has failed to adapt its coursework for distance learning, or to adapt based on feedback. The program totes anti-racism as one of its principles, but in its coursework it often undermines itself by teaching educators how to police children. I absolutely do not recommend this program. Run. Find some other avenue toward teaching if that is what you want to do. 

I worked in performance and analytics, which is a very small part of the org, even smaller after the major layoffs. Your experience may vary greatly depending on placement.

The positives:
I felt valued by my coworkers, managers and the other employees I was working with. I was trusted to make my own decisions and make improvements where I felt they were needed. The pay was good, the company culture great. Being able to decide when it was necessary for me to come into the office on my own was a major plus. Overall, I really enjoyed working there.

The negatives:
The higher management did not seem to know what they were doing at the time. During the time I worked there, there were constant shifts in organization-wide goals and focuses, constant restructuring and uncertainty. I was greatly valued and appreciated by all those around me and my work was helping to save time and money for the whole org, but despite this and against my manager's wishes I was laid off less than half a year after being hired, along with many other important employees. The organization was run more like a for-profit company.

Here are the pros:
- Very relaxed work culture (you can pretty much come in and leave at any time you want)
- The mission is strong, although not perfect
- Open to innovation/changes in processes

Here are the cons:
- Very little investment in employees (I received no professional development, no communication about potential advancement opportunities, and almost no feedback)
- Very little collaboration (almost all of my work was done in silos with little oversight or teamwork. this is both a liability in terms of quality of work and not nearly as fun)
- Attitude towards the teachers we train within the organization was punitive and we often ended up blaming teachers instead of helping them deal with challenging situations
- Few opportunities for reward (either financially or through a simple "thank you" from a manager)

The mission sounds genuinely impactful, which is honestly what makes the experience more disappointing, because once you're actually involved, the day-to-day feels far more overwhelming than supportive, with constant expectations, shifting priorities, and not enough structure to make any of it feel sustainable long term, so instead of focusing on growth or helping people effectively, a lot of the energy goes into simply trying to keep up, and over time that pressure becomes exhausting because it never really feels like there's a stable system behind all the demands being placed on everyone.

The pay was ridiculously low. It seemed like a poor joke. These liars will never tell you how much you make and let you assume that the amount would be decent. It’s all fake. The pay is below expectations, and most teachers are overworked and exhausted. 

Another thing I disliked was the lack of support. These terrible people promised to have my back, but never actually did. They were always ready with one excuse or another. No one came when I asked for help. It was horrible. I felt like a failure every day. 

I was stressed all the time. The only day I got some relief was the day I quit. It was the best decision for my career and my sanity. You can learn from my experience or ignore it. Your choice!

I came in believing this place would offer growth and opportunity, but that illusion vanished almost immediately. The onboarding process was a complete disaster—disorganized, unplanned, and chaotic. New hires are thrown into complex tasks with no training, no direction, and absolutely no support. Instead of guidance, you are met with sharp criticism and constant belittlement for even the smallest mistake. The pressure is relentless, the expectations are absurd, and the lack of respect is unbearable. I refused to stay in a place that crushes its employees instead of helping them succeed. 

It is not a job, it is a program. Urban Teachers (UT) does a great job of ensuring students are ready to teach on their own. The first 2 years you are in your masters program learning and applying skills rather than through tests. During this time, you are also teaching full time and getting paid to do so. Coaches come to watch your teaching live and give recommendations and tips to ensure success. Although the masters program is only 2 years, the whole UT experience is 4 years total. In year 3 and 4, they work with you to get your teaching certifications! 

Urban Teachers' staff and faculty care immensely about what they do. They are driven to recruit, prepare and support exceptional educators to disrupt systems of racial and socioeconomic equity in the districts where we work. Our teacher preparation program is the best in the country. It's wonderful to work for an organization that has the best "product" on the market.

Additionally, Urban Teachers' staff and faculty value one another. There is a supportive work environment with good work life balance and commitment to life-long learning. 

This is an excellent environment for intelligent, driven people who care about social justice and racial equity.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Instructional coach 9 salaries reported	$59,592 per year
Teacher 5 salaries reported	$55,201 per year
Enrollment manager 4 salaries reported	$66,378 per year
Director of partnerships 1 salary reported	$94,451 per year
Development director 1 salary reported	$118,603 per year

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