The UITE Internship program is an alternative to completing a standard student teaching experience. Both student teaching and the Internship Program will fulfill the requirements of the UITE Licensure Year. Both options, successfully completed and meeting all licensure requirements, lead to a recommendation to a Utah Professional Teaching License. The internship is highly competitive with only a certain amount of internships available each year. Students not selected for internship will complete a student teaching experience.
Unlike the student teaching experience, the Internship provides unique opportunities for you to grow as an educator, yet still receiving the same support that student teachers receive. As an Intern, you are the full time teacher in the classroom. From day one, you are the instructor in the classroom teaching the students as any other teacher in the school. You will quickly learn how the school works, the curriculum, the aspects of being involved in a school dedicated to the success of both you and the students that you are teaching.
You will be placed in a school with one other Intern, you are not placed in a school by yourself. You will be given the support of a dedicated Instructional Coach from your school district that will split their time between your classroom and your fellow Intern's classroom at that school. Their role is to help you adjust to your position as the educator in the classroom, assist as needed to help ensure your success and observe your teaching. You will also have the support of the Internship Cohort Leader from the UITE's Internship Cohort. The cohort leader will observe you teaching and give you guidance and assistance as needed. You will also have the support of the teachers and principal of the school that you are in, giving you assistance in the nuances that occur in each specific school. Don't forget, you'll have your fellow Intern to work with as you both work towards the same goal.
The benefits of completing the internship include: hired as the contract teacher in the classroom, 1/2 teacher pay, full teacher benefits and an invaluable experience as you move forward in your career with a full year of teaching behind you before you even graduate.
At this time, the UITE Internship program is limited to students in the Elementary Education program. Secondary students will complete a student teaching experience.
Selected Elementary Education students must be planning to complete their licensure year in the following academic year. It is open to students completing either the K-3 through FCS or the K-6 program.
We're excited to partner with two school districts: Granite and Jordan School Districts. Each district will have at least two Interns, if not more. Internship placement is dependent on the selection process and how many Internship spaces are available in each district.
Students who are interested in pursuing the Internship program must meet minimum requirements to be considered eligible for the Internship program. All students are reminded that it is a competitive program. Students that are eligible but not selected will complete a student teaching experience instead of the Internship. This does not change their standing within UITE, the College of Education or the University of Utah.
Minimum Requirements:
- 3.3 gpa
- Admitted to the UITE Licensure Programs for the following academic year. Students applying for the February 1st deadline for the licensure year (i.e. February 1, 2024 for the 2024-2025 academic year) will be considered for the internship as long as they are admitted by the Admissions Committee that admissions cycle and meet all other requirements.
- Have all Licensure Coursework completed listed on Degree Audit, not including Licensure Year Coursework or ECS 5647 (optional course) by the end of the spring semester prior to beginning the licensure year.
- Demonstrated record of successfully working with youth. Students letter of recommendation will be taken into consideration as well as other eligible demonstrations students may be asked to provide.
- Resume
- District Interview
Students can indicate that they are interested on the UITE Admissions Application. There is a space dedicated on the application to show that. Any student remotely interested should indicate that they would like to be considered for the program. Even if students do not meet these requirements at the time of application submission, students should still indicate their interest.
UITE accepts Admissions Applications for students until the February 1 of their licensure year. Students who submitted applications early may not have considered the Internship Program at the time of application submission. Due to this, all students eligible for the licensure programs will be reviewed for potential participation in the program.
Students that did not indicate that they wanted to be considered for the Internship program, but meet requirements; will be contacted via UMail to discuss their eligibility and interest in pursuing the Internship program.
Students should not assume that they will be considered eligible if they indicated they were interested.
UITE begins reviewing applications for eligibility for the Internship Program after the February 1 Licensure Year deadline. All students application files are reviewed to check for minimum requirements. Students who have been admitted early will also be reviewed for updated information including their current cumulative GPA. Students that are not eligible for the Internship program are considered for the student teaching experience pending admission to the UITE by the Admissions Committee.
Students who meet minimum eligibility requirements, and are strong candidates for the licensure year, are contacted via UMail to participate in an information meeting. There are usually two or three information meetings for eligible students to attend. These meetings will go into greater detail and will give students the opportunity to ask questions about the Internship Program. Students should plan to attend these meetings as District Interview times are scheduled at these meetings.
Students will complete an interview with each school districts. Students should be prepared to face a panel of interviewers which may include: principals, instructional coaches and human resource representatives from each district. No UITE faculty or staff participate in this portion of the selection process. District personnel make the final decisions regarding the students that are hired as Interns. These decisions are based on several factors including student qualifications and interview results. UITE faculty and staff are notified by districts once decisions have been made.
If selected, students will be notified by the school district that will hire them. Students will be expected to sign a District Teacher Contract and a UITE Internship Contract. These contracts are legal documents which will establish the student as an employee of the District and as an Intern with the UITE. Both contracts are required to be signed to move forward in the program.
Do you have additional questions?
Please schedule an appointment with UITE Advising or drop into Virtual Advising on Wednesdays. To schedule an appointment, or locate the link for Virtual Advising, please go to: https://uite.utah.edu/students/advising/.