Careers in education, nonprofit, and social impact (ENS) offer opportunities to use advocacy, service, and leadership to enhance the human condition, help others realize their potential, and make the world more just.
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Learn about specific fields within Education, Nonprofit, and Social Impact
K-12 Education
If you are interested in teaching and you are not an elementary or secondary education major, you may think that Teach For America is your only option. And while TFA does hire a number of BC graduates each year, there are many other paths into teaching for you to explore, including independent schools, Catholic and other religious schools, and public charter schools. Many opportunities exist abroad to teach English as a foreign language.
Students in the Lynch School's teacher education programs have a wide variety of options to choose from, including public schools, independent schools, Catholic schools, public charter schools, and international schools.
Types of Positions
- Lead Classroom Teacher
- Teaching Fellow (under a lead teacher)
- Classroom Aide
- Paraprofessional
- Admissions Officer
- Development Assistant
- Alumni Relations Assistant
- Administrative Assistant
- Special Education Teacher
- College Advisor
- Operations Manager
Where BC Graduates Have Gone
- Boston Public Schools
- NYC Department of Education
- Newton Public Schools
- Teach For America
- Cambridge Public Schools
- Lexington Public Schools
- Match Charter Public Schools
- St. Joseph’s Preparatory School
- College Advising Corps
- Diocese of Gary
- Breakthrough Greater Boston
Hiring Timelines
- 7% received job offers before senior year
- 19% received job offers during fall semester of senior year
- 55% received job offers during spring semester of senior year
- 19% received job offers after graduation
Online resources
- Career Center Job Search Checklist for Teachers
- Finding the Right School for Your Teaching Career
- Teaching Options in Independent, Catholic and Charter Schools
Résumés and Cover Letters
- Sample teacher résumés (one and two)
- Sample teacher cover letters
Critiques of your résumés and cover letters are available by appointment through your Handshake account. You can also find BC alumni who can give you advice on these, via Eagle Exchange.
Interviewing
- Teacher Interview: Preparing for the Demo Lesson
- Ace the Teacher Interview Webinar
- Sample 10-Minute Teacher Demo Lesson for a K-12 School Interview
- Sample Teacher Interview Questions
- Top 10 Interview Questions Asked by School Administrators
Job Search Resources
- Job Search Checklist for Teachers
- The MERC Education Job Fair – in April. 50+ schools and school districts from Massachusetts and dozens more from other states.
- SchoolSpring – a key source of public school jobs in some states
- Independent School Job Search Guide
- Catholic School Job Search Guide
- Public Charter School Job Search Guide
- Teacher Training Programs - A wide array of alternative or unusual training programs in public, independent, Catholic, and public charter schools. Some of these programs allow you to teach in the classroom and earn a salary right away; some offer a free or partially funded master’s degree, while you teach or while you do your practice teaching; others are teaching “fellowships,” where you may serve as a teacher’s aide and gradually take on more teaching responsibilities over the course of the school year.
Internship and Summer Job Search
Teaching Abroad Resources
Do I need to go to graduate school?
A majority of seniors who graduate from the Lynch teacher education program go directly to graduate school for their master’s degree. At the elementary school level, this is often recommended to be a more competitive job candidate and gain additional experience working with students with special needs or English language learners.
In Massachusetts, teachers must obtain their master’s degree within five years of obtaining their initial license. The master’s degree typically adds $5,000-$6,000 to a teacher’s starting salary.
Higher Education
Higher education administrators are responsible for overseeing the daily operations of a college/university and providing students with the best educational experience possible. Opportunities are available in academic affairs, student affairs, alumni affairs, advancement, finance, marketing, and more.
Types of Positions
- Residence Assistant
- Career Advisor
- Financial Aid Counselor
- Academic Advisor
- Student Activites Coordinator
- Development Assistant
- Alumni Engagement Officer
Where BC Graduates Have Gone
- Boston College
- Harvard University
- Northeastern University
- MIT
- Georgetown University
- Tulane University
- University of Chicago
Hiring Timelines
- 7% received job offers during fall semester of senior year
- 39% received job offers during spring semester of senior year
- 53% received job offers the summer after senior year
Online Resources
- HigherEdJobs
- Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
- Inside Higher Ed - Careers
- HigherEd360 - use their Associations tab to identify regional and national associations that may have their own job boards.
- National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference
- EdSurge - Reports on the Future of Learning
- The Chronicle of Higher Education - Jobs
Campus Resources
As a student at Boston College, you have the ideal opportunity to learn about potential careers in higher education. Most BC employees are happy to speak with you about their work and their career field within higher education. Most departments and offices at BC also employ student workers, sometimes in very responsible roles, through which you can gain experience within a specialized area of higher education.
Faculty/Research Positions
If you are interested in working in a faculty or research position at a college/university, you will need to pursue further graduate study in your field of choice. Visit our page for current graduate students for additional information on how to pursue a faculty or research position.
Do I need to go to graduate school?
Most professional jobs in higher education require a master’s degree though opportunities are available at the bachelor’s level in admissions, alumni services, development, finance, and other areas. Popular options are master's degrees in student personnel administration, counseling, or higher education administration.
Ministry/Theology
Careers in ministry or theology center around the mission of a community, such as a church, school, or nonprofit. With the right experience and a bachelor’s degree, some roles in parish ministry, youth faith formation and K-12 teaching are available. Adding a master’s degree can open up roles in health care and hospitals, mental health and family counseling, educational administration, campus ministry, retreat direction and spiritual direction, and lay church leadership roles.
Hiring Timelines
- 50% received job offers during fall semester of senior year
- 59% received job offers during spring semester of senior year
Online Resources
- Job Openings (collected by the BC School of Theology and Ministry)
- Exploring a Career in Catholic Health Care Ethics
- Lay Ecclesial Ministry FAQ
- Catholic Campus Ministry Association
- Choose Chaplaincy
Campus Resources
Do I need to go to graduate school?
A master's degree in ministry covers advanced topics in theology, communication, and spiritual development, and the graduate curriculum equips students with the wisdom and skills needed to effectively serve others through positions of spiritual leadership.
Nonprofit and Social Service
Nonprofits are mission-driven organizations dedicated to furthering a cause. Nonprofits exist in almost every industry, including healthcare, education, sustainability, public policy, and more. Careers in nonprofits offer you the opportunity to have a positive impact on society, communities, and individuals. There are a wide variety of job opportunities that exist in nonprofit organizations, ranging from operations, to programming, to advocacy, to outreach and fundraising. Central to getting work in a nonprofit organization is demonstrating a commitment to and passion for their mission-driven work.
Types of Positions
- Program Coordinator
- Community Relations Manager
- Development Officer
- Case Manager
- Grant Administrator
- Policy Analyst
- Special Events Coordinator
Where BC Graduates Have Gone
- League of Conservation Voters
- Middle East Institute
- American Enterprise Institute
- Victory Programs
- WorldBoston
- Grassroots Campaigns
- Initiative for a Competitive Inner City
Resources to Explore and Make Connections
- Second Day – Social Impact Career Guides: great guides (12-35 minute reads) in fields such as Social Impact Finance, Public Health, Policy + Research, International Development, Social Impact Consulting, and State Government.
- Careers in Nonprofits: A resource with descriptions of the various roles in nonprofit organizations, and some questions to help guide you.
- Eagle Exchange: Boston College’s alumni network. Alumni waiting to connect with and assist you!
- Young Nonprofit Professionals Network: YNPN is a networking organization for the younger generation of nonprofit leaders. There are YNPN chapters across the country with thousands of members.
- Effective Altruism Global: Attend a regional EAGx conference, or attend a local group event in your city.
- Massachusetts Nonprofit Network: Sponsors an annual conference, regional meetings and free webinars.
Job Search Resources
- GuideStar: Many nonprofits only post their job listings to their own website. This directory of every nonprofit organization in the country allows you to generate a list of employers that fit your criteria for cause and location
- Massachusetts Nonprofit Network Job Board
- Idealist Jobs
- List of Social Impact Job Boards
- Work for Good
- 80000 hours
- Daybook
- Hireculture
- Boston Network for International Development
Fellowship Resources
Fellowships are usually post-graduation job opportunities with nonprofit organizations lasting one to two years. Because fellowships have defined start and end dates, deadlines for these roles may occur 3-6 months before the fellowship begins.
Fellowships often provide new or recent graduates with great opportunities to get a broad introduction to work in nonprofit and social change organizations; to work on impactful projects; and to serve and learn as part of a dedicated cohort of new hires.
- Second Day Impact Fellowships: Paid internships in social impact organizations for current students.
- The FAO Schwarz Fellowship: An intensive, transformative two-year experience in the world of social impact in Boston, New York and Philadelphia. The program funds paid positions at high-impact nonprofit organizations for recent college graduates with leadership potential who are interested in careers in social change.
- Forest Foundation: Yearly supports up to 65 paid summer internships at exceptional non-profit organizations in Greater Boston. They also current undergraduate college students, recent college graduates and others who have created an emerging or new non-profit in the New England/New York states.
- ProFellow: Offers a great searchable database of over 1000 fellowship opportunities.
- Second Day's Top Fellowships in Social Impact
Internship Search Resources
CEI Internships - composed of 13 internship directories, including Human Rights; Women's Rights; Washington Internships In Law and Policy; The Big Green Internship Book; and International Affairs. To Access: username: BostonCollege, password: GoEagles
Diversity Opportunities
- The Fortis Society: A diverse community of rising leaders from around the world who have pledged to help one another to reach the highest possible level of influence to amplify their positive impact on the world.
- Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Academic Fellows Program: Brings undergraduates or recently graduated students between the ages of 18 and 25 to the United States for a five-week institute held on the campus of a U.S. college or university. Academic institutes cover civic engagement, environmental issues & natural resources management, and entrepreneurship and economic development.
- First Generation Civil Rights Fellowship: FirstGEN is a paid summer program for undergraduate students who are the first in their immediate families to attend college and who intend to pursue careers in social justice.
- The San Francisco Foundation’s Multicultural Fellowship Program: The mission of the program is to equip emerging leaders of color with the experience, knowledge, and network to increase racial and economic equity in the Bay Area.
- William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fellowship for Minority Students: The Aspen Institute Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation (PSI) in Washington, DC offers this fellowship to both undergraduate and graduate students of color. Through this fellowship, PSI seeks to introduce a diverse group of students to issues and challenges affecting philanthropy, social enterprise, nonprofit organizations, and other actors in the social sector.
Do I need to go to graduate school?
An advanced degree is not necessary for most entry-level opportunities. Graduating students should generally get several years of experience in the nonprofit world before choosing an advanced degree. Most managers and directors of nonprofit organizations have graduate degrees relevant to the field appropriate to their organization.
Post-Graduate Volunteer Service
Post-graduate service allows you to commit a year or more of your life to living and working alongside underserved people and communities, either in the U.S. or abroad, as part of an organization committed to social justice. Potential volunteers can choose from faith-based or secular organizations that are both international or domestic. Many programs ask volunteers to live in a supportive and reflective community with one another, while other programs ask volunteers to live on their own. Volunteers are typically given a modest stipend as well as resources for housing, food, etc.
Types of Positions
Full-time service offers graduating students the opportunity to work alongside people of all age groups, families, and communities through education, social service, healthcare, leadership and advocacy roles, and more.
Where BC Graduates Have Gone
- Jesuit Volunteer Corps
- City Year
- Peace Corps
- Americorps/VISTA
- Cristo Rey High Schools
- Alliance for Catholic EducationCalifornia Climate Action Corps
- College Advising CorpsPeconic Bay Medical Center
3%
Average percentage of each graduating class that enters post-graduate service
Volunteer and Service Learning Center
The Volunteer and Service Learning Center (VSLC) at Boston College supports and works with students who seek opportunities to serve others. They offer one-on-one advising to students who are interested in post-graduate service. They also host a fair every year for students to explore these opportunities. Visit their website for resources.
Do I need to go to graduate school?
An advanced degree is not necessary to enter post-graduate volunteer service. Many programs will offer stipends to pursue graduate school after the service term is completed.
Social Impact/Corporate Social Responsibility
Shifting environmental and economic realities and new business models have opened up new career opportunities among those looking to pursue work that directly reflects their personal values.
There is no one specific path to a role in corporate responsibility and sustainability. Some work at brand name companies like Walmart and Walt Disney that we don’t necessarily associate with corporate citizenship. Others may work for smaller B-Corporations, “businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.”
According to Boston College’s Center for Corporate Citizenship, “this is, indeed, a field of passionate individuals who believe that business has a critical role to play in the creation of a more sustainable economy and culture. But when we look closer at the people who practice corporate citizenship every day, a different picture often emerges. We see people who hold job titles not immediately considered part of the world of corporate responsibility and environmental sustainability. We notice individuals embedded across any given organization, in roles that might surprise us: finance, product management, supply chain management, operations, and others. From their position within such traditional departments, however, these professionals are helping to define — and redefine — how their company does business.”
Types of Positions
- Corporate Communications Assistant
- Community Relations Assistant
- Community Involvement Assistant
- Coordinator, Sustainable Operations
- Director of Sustainable Sourcing
- Consultant, Social and Public Sector
- Social Impact Design Researcher
- Growth Equity Associate
- ESG Investing Associate
Online Resources
- Second Day – Social Impact Career Guides: great guides (12-35 minute reads) in fields such as Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Impact Finance, Social Impact Design, Impact Investing + ESG, and Social Impact Consulting.
- 2019: Five Corporate Citizenship Career Profiles
- 2018: Five Corporate Citizenship Career Profiles
- Certified B Corporations
- Connecting the Dots on Careers with Social Impact
- The Big Picture: Careers in Corporate Impact
- NetImpact - Join a Chapter, Attend an Event, Subscribe to the Newsletter
Campus Resources
Professional Associations
Do I need to go to graduate school?
A graduate degree is not required for most entry-level positions, however people in the industry do obtain graduate degrees as they advance in the field.
Key Resources
Handshake
As you look for opportunities, start with Handshake, our centralized platform where employers post positions for Boston College students. All of the top employers are hiring on Handshake. You can also find campus recruitment opportunities.
Featured ENS Employers
Follow these employers and others you like on Handshake to receive email alerts when new jobs and events are posted. Following employers also helps improve your job recommendations.
Eagle Exchange
Eagle Exchange is an interactive virtual platform that fosters connections between students and Boston College alumni. You can use Eagle Exchange to build your professional network, ask career-related questions, find alumni mentors, apply to projects to build skills, and more.
Big Interview
Build confidence in your interview skills through free access to Big Interview. You can record yourself answering questions that are tailored to specific industries.
ENS Question Library
ENS Linkedin Learning Content
LinkedIn Learning provides free access to thousands of on-demand courses giving you an opportunity for self-paced learning about topics of interest from industry experts. This is also a great way to develop the skills all employers seek in their entry-level candidates.
Firsthand
Find out what it is like to work within an industry, a company, or a profession. View the career guides for up to date information on a variety of careers as well as interviewing strategies and job search tips.
To access: Register for an account using your Boston College email address.
Industry-Specific Content
Your ENS coach has curated this set of custom tools, data, and resources to assist you in your career exploration and preparation.
Browse our jobs and internships pages to prepare to apply to ENS positions.
Receive bi-weekly updates specific to the career fields that interest you, with exclusive resources, reminders, event invites, job/internship postings, and more.
- Visit your Handshake account.
- Click on your profile, then My Career Interests.
- From Which industries are you interested in?, select the industries that interest you!
Use the database to find students who completed internships that you may be interested in and reach out to them to discuss their summer experience.
Explore where Eagles land after they graduate from Boston College. Filter first destinations data by school, major, industry, location, and more.
Check out a list of Diversity and Leadership opportunities specific to Consulting, Business, and Finance.
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