Referral Program – Achievement First Staff

Hi AF Staff Member! A referral is any individual who you think would be a great fit for a full-time, school-based Instructional, Leadership or Operations role at Achievement First. As a thank you for your efforts, Team Recruit is excited to award AF employees cash bonuses if your referral is hired. Bonus amounts are determined by our hard to fill areas and are outlined below and expire a year after you submit the referral.  

Please read carefully to ensure your referral submission meets all the requirements to be bonus eligible. Then click here to submit your referral.

Referral Bonus Rewards:

Program FYIs

• Referrals expire 1 year after they have been submitted. All referrals are valid for 1 year. You will only need to resubmit your referral when they expire after that 1 calendar year, please resubmit their information using the official referral portal.
  • Referrals must work at Achievement for at least 90 days to be eligible for referral bonus rewards. Please note: referral school placements are not guaranteed to be at the same school as the referrer. Instead, they are determined by such factors as the referral’s school preferences, overall school needs and vacancies, etc.
• You must be the first person to refer the candidate to Team Recruit within a given the referral window (1 year) to be eligible for a bonus.
• Should two people refer the same person within the referral window (1 year), the bonus will be awarded to the first person to submit the referral form.
• Should two people refer the same person but within different referral windows, the bonus will be awarded to the person that referred within the referral window (1 year).
• A referral is someone who has not applied or interviewed with Achievement First within the referral window (1 year) or application window (1 year).
  • Referral window example: if Person A submits a referral (Person B) on September 5th, 2023, the referral window will end 1 year later on September 5th, 2024. All referrals submitted within the 1 year referral window will be deemed invalid. After the referral window ends, any staff member is welcome to submit Person B as a referral.
  • Application window example: if a candidate submits an application on September 5th, 2023, the application window will end 1 year later on September 5th, 2024. All referrals submitted for the candidate within the 1 year application window will be deemed invalid. After the application window ends, any staff member is welcome to submit the candidate as a referral.
• You must be an active Achievement First employee during the Referral Payout dates in order to be eligible to receive a referral bonus reward.

F.A.Q.

• Can I send my referral via email?

  • Referrals must be submitted through the official referral form, or your referral must apply using your unique referral link. Referrals emailed directly to Team Recruit or the referral@achievementfirst.org inbox or submitted via Zendesk (AF Help Center) will not be honored.

• Who can I refer?

  • School based Instructional candidates.
  • Must have their Bachelor’s Degree or in process of having it before they are hired.
  • Leadership or Operations role
  • Please email us at referral@achievementfirst.org for an updated list of our highest priority roles.

• Who can I not refer?

  • Candidates hired in Network Support roles.
  • People who have worked for AF in any capacity prior to being referred do not qualify as referrals. Should you refer a former AF staff member that is hired, you will not be eligible for the bonus
  • Your referral does not qualify for a bonus if your referral has started an application before you submit them through the official referral form. There will be no exceptions.

• Who can submit a referral?

  • Everyone can submit a referral however not everyone will receive a referral bonus.
  • Principals are not eligible for bonuses for referrals that result in hires for their own school.
  • Senior level network support teammates (Vice Presidents, C-level) are not eligible for referral bonuses.
  • Members of Team Recruit are not eligible for referral bonuses.

• When do I receive my referral bonus?

  • Bonuses for referrals hired for a position in the 2025-26 school year will be paid out in November 2025 if your referral is still an employee with Achievement First on November 1, 2025, and has worked at AF for at least 90 days.
  • Bonuses will also be paid out in November 2024, February 2025, April 2025, and June 2025, if your referral is still an employee with Achievement First 90 days after their first day of work.

• How will I receive my referral bonus?

  • Referral bonuses will appear in your regular paycheck and is subject to taxes.

• What if I am experiencing technical difficulties and am unable to submit a referral via Greenhouse Recruiting?

  • Before your referral submits an application with AF, you must submit a ticket on Zendesk (AF Help Center). To do this, navigate to Okta > AF Help Center > Submit a request and select “Referrals” under the “Please choose your issue below” dropdown menu. Then, complete the required fields documenting the issues you’re experiencing with screenshot or email evidence. It is important for both IT and Team Recruit to be aware of potential technical/process issues so we can troubleshoot ASAP, and ensure the least amount of users are impacted. If your issues cannot be resolved in a timely manner, the Referral Team may submit referrals on your behalf if sufficient evidence is provided.