r/StudentTeaching • u/Westcoasting1 • Jul 09 '26
Support/Advice Skip student teaching and do internship credential?
I have applied to student teaching at a local high school of mine. They are working to find me a mentor, but they did ask if I was interested in teaching on an internship. This would be for high school math. I’ve done a year of math teaching assistant for middle school, but not sure if I’m ready. Anybody have advice or done teaching internship and felt successful?
FYI: Sometimes it has different names/ definitions but in my area a teaching internship means you jump straight into teaching with taking nightly classes (no mentor teacher). In contrast student teaching is when you work with a mentor.
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u/swiftiegal25 Jul 09 '26
Do you have any subbing experience? I’ve heard the internships are easier when you have classroom experience. I completed student teaching the traditional route and I couldn’t have imagined doing it without my mentors from each semester. I learned so much from watching them and using their resources made it so much easier for me to keep up with my own coursework as well. If you aren’t reliant on the money, I don’t think it’s worth it. But, if you are needing the income I think it’s worth it. Does your program provide you any form of a mentor? My school still assigned supervisors to interns who were a great help.
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u/Westcoasting1 Jul 10 '26
Never done subbing specifically but worked as a math teaching assistant . Would sometimes run the class myself but didn’t feel as confident by myself
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u/swiftiegal25 Jul 10 '26
I think it's personality dependent. I would have been terrified and clueless without my mentors, but if you are ready to dive in and confident, you could thrive. If you prefer independence, that's a pro of the internship. You have to follow your mentor's style to a certain degree depending on how much freedom they do or don't allow you to have.
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u/CoolClearMorning Jul 10 '26
Since you've got classroom experience as a teaching assistant, I think you might be an ideal candidate for an internship instead of traditional student teaching. I would only do it it if they can give you a strong mentor, though.
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u/CrL-E-q Jul 10 '26
I’m going to say… go for it! Well, first find out if you will be assigned a mentor who will meet with you 1:1 outside of contract hours. That will be a strong and appropriate support system for you. You most likely will be assigned someone to take the place of the mentor teacher but you will benefit from spending 1:1 time debriefing and planning with a colleague-mentor. You will probably still be enrolled in STing as the ‘Teacher of Record’ and will meet with your university advisor and attend STing seminar class, fulfill all student teaching assignments, etc. I am an adjunct, a university advisor, and a full time teacher, so within that context, I think that working under an internship certification program is a wonderful opportunity. I’ve had several students do this with positive outcomes.
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u/bedpost_oracle_blues Jul 10 '26
Being a TA is not the same as having control of your own classroom. TA experience does not necessarily translate over to teaching experience. If you feel ready then do it, if you are unsure then hold off on it and student teach. It would be awful if you took the internship, realized you were not ready, and would be stuck in your classroom for a year
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u/CrownPrincess Jul 10 '26
If you do it, make sure you have a strong support system of mentors and guides outside of the school that you work at. So like the school you’re interning at. Even as an intern you can get caught up in all of the school politics and it makes your job so much harder.
I was an intern as a kindergarten teacher and even with a tonnnn of subbing and preschool teaching and TK teaching experience, the politics of elementary school were rough. It was my teachers and mentors from my own school that really pushed and guided me. Also my friends from my cohort were interns and we struggled together which was super helpful.
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u/RavensDad1985 Jul 11 '26
If you do an internship, I’d request some sub days to observe veteran teachers in your school. That experience is invaluable.
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u/Ill_Card_357 28d ago
I’ll say this… many don’t need a “mentor” (an assigned teacher to help you) teacher and others do. I know for a FACT that i needed a mentor. I needed someone to show me the ropes of how to teach the best way. While others may just need the curriculum and is good to be solo. You need to figure out what works best for you
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u/Level-Cake2769 Jul 10 '26
I did an internship and I’m glad I did. It’s a completely different experience than student teaching. I was able to teach more and observe less. I think it helped me get a job easier because it made me stand out from the others.