Experience Requirements

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 group of children or youth they wish to teach
  • experience documented within the last five years (preferably within the last two years)
 

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.