Admission into the UBC teacher education program is competitive.
To prepare for the teacher education program, we recommend that you acquire classroom experience in a Canadian setting to get a sense of what it will be like to teach in British Columbia.
- 100 hours (minimum) of practical experience (volunteer or paid) working with groups of 10 or more age-appropriate students or youth is strongly preferred.
- 50 experience hours should be from a single, continuous experience.
Competitive applicants will have:
- a range and variety of experiences, including special needs and/or alternative learning needs.
- completed a substantial number of experience hours
- experience working with the age group of children or youth they wish to teach
- experience documented within the last five years (preferably within the last two years)
- demonstrated evidence of leadership
If you wish to teach elementary or middle years, your experience should be with large groups of children aged 5-13.
If you wish to teach secondary, your experience should be with large groups of youth aged 13-17.
Examples of Experience:
- working in school classrooms as a volunteer or assistant
- teaching various subjects
- coaching team sport
- working as a summer camp counsellor
- group tutoring
- or working with youth groups
Meeting the minimum admission requirements is not a guarantee of admission. To determine an applicant’s suitability for the program or profession, an interview and/or references (academic or experiential) may be required.