Drawing on data from a phenomenological research study of Ako Matatupu/TeachFirst New Zealand (TFNZ), an affiliate of Teach for All, this article considers how differently positioned actors within New Zealand theorize the appeal of TFNZ as opposed to university-based pathways. Findings suggest that a multiplicity of factors influence the participants, including enticing financial incentives, the selectivity of the program, an emphasis on practice as opposed to theory, and the focus on leadership and career development. Underpinning these factors are assumptions about traditional teacher education--that it is too theoretical, too expensive, and too limiting and that it does not center equity and social justice--that impact the participants' decisions to pursue other avenues into teaching. These findings have implications not only for the field of teacher education, which struggles to define itself within and against neoliberal initiatives that are now proliferating worldwide, but also for collective efforts to address educational equity writ large.