Hello folks again,
Since I do not have any teaching experience and no certificate, I have decided to look into internship options.
Based on my research, it seems like internships are generally paid, at least in the States anyway. A full pay, equal to that of an entry level teacher. Is this also the case with international schools? Do they generally pay interns? If so comparable to that of an entry level teacher?
internship
I started off my international career about 8 years ago as an intern, straight out of college with my BS in Elementary Ed and a teaching cert but no experience (other than student teaching). I went to the Cambridge Fair my senior year of college and interviewed for several internship positions. I ended up taking one in western Europe.
Based on my internship year in Europe, and what I learned from my internship interviews, schools use their interns in a few different ways. At the school I was at, interns were used as TAs. I spent all year with a primary-grade class as the assistant. It was actually great, because it was a grade I wanted to teach once I had my own class, and I got to work alongside an experienced teacher and see how she did things. Like an extra student teaching, but more fun because I was in Europe! Yes, we got paid. Less than the regular teachers, but our housing was also covered by the school--which it was not for the regular teachers. Interns had to share housing.
Some of the other schools I interviewed with used their interns as office personnel--copying, answering phones, talking to prospective parents, etc. Another school I interviewed with specifically uses interns as internal substitutes. I always thought that would've been a good experience too, because I would've been able to work with a variety of grade levels. At none of these schools did the intern pay equal the teacher pay. But again, sometimes you get a perk like housing that the teachers don't get.
Based on my internship year in Europe, and what I learned from my internship interviews, schools use their interns in a few different ways. At the school I was at, interns were used as TAs. I spent all year with a primary-grade class as the assistant. It was actually great, because it was a grade I wanted to teach once I had my own class, and I got to work alongside an experienced teacher and see how she did things. Like an extra student teaching, but more fun because I was in Europe! Yes, we got paid. Less than the regular teachers, but our housing was also covered by the school--which it was not for the regular teachers. Interns had to share housing.
Some of the other schools I interviewed with used their interns as office personnel--copying, answering phones, talking to prospective parents, etc. Another school I interviewed with specifically uses interns as internal substitutes. I always thought that would've been a good experience too, because I would've been able to work with a variety of grade levels. At none of these schools did the intern pay equal the teacher pay. But again, sometimes you get a perk like housing that the teachers don't get.
In my mind, it wouldn't make sense for a school to hire an intern with no experience and no qualification, unless it was going to be cheaper for them than hiring someone with experience and quals.
There are a ton of newly certified teachers looking for their first jobs. Why would we pay the same amount to someone less prepared?
The premise of an internship is that the intern will be gaining valuable experience in exchange for providing service to the school. The intern gets less money because 1) they are being paid, in part, with experience, and 2) they are providing less service/value to the school than a qualified, experienced teacher would give.
Typically an intern does not have their own classroom. They might typically serve as an instructional assistant, and so should expect to get paid along the same lines. But if you're technically an intern, you should expect to get more training and opportunity than a run of the mill TA. Which raises all sorts of new questions. If you have less experience and qualification than a typical TA, why would you get similar pay to a TA, plus more opportunity and training?
And if the intern isn't serving as an instructional assistant, but as more of an office assistant, then you aren't really being prepared for a career as a teacher.
I can see an internship program working if it hired newly qualified teachers as TAs. That would give them a couple years gaining the experience that's required for getting hired as a teacher in an international school. In those couple of years, the intern would have ample opportunity to learn from their mentor teacher, and to demonstrate their skills, proving that they are ready for a promotion to full teacher. If they don't demonstrate, they'll be out the door at the end of the program, or remain at TA level.
I'm not sure about an internship program for completely unqualified people. If I wanted to take unqualified people and turn them into teachers, I'd start with the TAs we already have on staff, and train up the ones who have showed potential and interest.
Am I missing a key point?
There are a ton of newly certified teachers looking for their first jobs. Why would we pay the same amount to someone less prepared?
The premise of an internship is that the intern will be gaining valuable experience in exchange for providing service to the school. The intern gets less money because 1) they are being paid, in part, with experience, and 2) they are providing less service/value to the school than a qualified, experienced teacher would give.
Typically an intern does not have their own classroom. They might typically serve as an instructional assistant, and so should expect to get paid along the same lines. But if you're technically an intern, you should expect to get more training and opportunity than a run of the mill TA. Which raises all sorts of new questions. If you have less experience and qualification than a typical TA, why would you get similar pay to a TA, plus more opportunity and training?
And if the intern isn't serving as an instructional assistant, but as more of an office assistant, then you aren't really being prepared for a career as a teacher.
I can see an internship program working if it hired newly qualified teachers as TAs. That would give them a couple years gaining the experience that's required for getting hired as a teacher in an international school. In those couple of years, the intern would have ample opportunity to learn from their mentor teacher, and to demonstrate their skills, proving that they are ready for a promotion to full teacher. If they don't demonstrate, they'll be out the door at the end of the program, or remain at TA level.
I'm not sure about an internship program for completely unqualified people. If I wanted to take unqualified people and turn them into teachers, I'd start with the TAs we already have on staff, and train up the ones who have showed potential and interest.
Am I missing a key point?
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Dredge
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- Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 11:25 pm
- Location: Three continents, mentally and physically
Just to add another point, where I am from in the U.S., the teacher intern programs are highly competitive, only reserved for the best teacher candidates of state approved teaching licensure programs, and only pay a fraction of what a real teacher salary is. After this program, an intern can than become a fully certified teacher and be a little less in debt because they were being paid just a bit above minimum wage for their services as basically a full classroom teacher.
I am not sure if this exists internationally, but I thought all interns were part of a teacher candidate program.
I am not sure if this exists internationally, but I thought all interns were part of a teacher candidate program.
There are intern programs in international schools, not necessarily part of a stateside program. To go out on a limb, they are most often found in the larger and better schools, though some lesser schools might try calling something an intern program when they really just intend to get naive teachers cheaply. Good programs are competitive, and as you say, do not pay well, but the idea is that people get great experience they would otherwise not be able to get. Good schools just won't hire you as a regular teacher until you're tried and tested, so this can make a decent alternative. But again, competitive. Generally for qualified individuals without the requisite two years experience for regular hiring.
Some interns might be part of a teacher prep program. Sometimes a school will have a relationship with a particular stateside uni, in which they regularly hire an intern. Other times the intern is part of a stateside program which allows this kind of thing, and the intern has to go look for a school to take them on. And still other times, there isn't a program, just someone looking for experience.
Some interns might be part of a teacher prep program. Sometimes a school will have a relationship with a particular stateside uni, in which they regularly hire an intern. Other times the intern is part of a stateside program which allows this kind of thing, and the intern has to go look for a school to take them on. And still other times, there isn't a program, just someone looking for experience.
Reply
Intern programs for international schools are different. Typically an internship at an IS is a certified teacher who has less then two years experience. You still need a credential.
As Sid discussed these internship programs are usually at tier 1 schools, and the school has ONE internship for the whole school. At lower tier schools intern programs are just a marketing ploy for schools to get teachers cheap or when they cant get qualified teachers.
The real internships are typically full salary (at step 1 or 0) and a local package, meaning you will not likely get housing or travel.
Understand though that unless your working with a distance certification program, that at the end of your internship you will not have a certification or anything to show for it except for intern experience. Usually teachers take an internship to get into a higher tier school then what they are competitive enough for, with the hope and understanding that if they do well, they will be hired at the end of the internship for a full time OSH position.
Contact Search Associates, they have an internship coordinator, and the BOS fair is the intern fair.
As Sid discussed these internship programs are usually at tier 1 schools, and the school has ONE internship for the whole school. At lower tier schools intern programs are just a marketing ploy for schools to get teachers cheap or when they cant get qualified teachers.
The real internships are typically full salary (at step 1 or 0) and a local package, meaning you will not likely get housing or travel.
Understand though that unless your working with a distance certification program, that at the end of your internship you will not have a certification or anything to show for it except for intern experience. Usually teachers take an internship to get into a higher tier school then what they are competitive enough for, with the hope and understanding that if they do well, they will be hired at the end of the internship for a full time OSH position.
Contact Search Associates, they have an internship coordinator, and the BOS fair is the intern fair.