Suggestions for Pre-admission Field Work in Education

If you are seeking initial certification as a teacher or specialist, you should complete at least 300 contact hours with students in an appropriate school setting. Working or volunteering in schools is a great way to discover if a career in education is a good choice for you. This experience may also help you determine what area to specialize in and the ages of students you want to work with. Furthermore, it is important for you to discover the range of school environments within which you can do your best work: public or private; and pre-school, elementary, middle or secondary. Suggestions for contact hours include, but are not limited to, the following:

• full or part-time employment as a substitute teacher, paraprofessional or instructional assistant
• volunteer experience as an activity chaperon, playground or lunchroom monitor
• team coach (school or community)
• subject tutor
• assistant in the children’s section of a library
• participation in school related events like meetings of the school board, parent-teacher association, school socials or sporting events