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.
If you wish to teach elementary or middle years, your experience should be with large groups of children aged 5 to 13. If you wish to teach secondary, your experience should be with large groups of youth aged 13 to 17.
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.
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. Experience that has been completed at the time of application may be considered; future or projected experience is not considered.
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
• working with youth groups