Internship Application Process

1. Turn in your application materials to WH 2036.  Call 262.472.1935 or email wegnerc@uww.edu if you have questions. Special Education majors must receive permission to apply. All other students can apply, but must pass the appropriate Praxis II test for your major before you will be approved.
2. Meet with the Subject Area Coordinator for your major, taking the Teacher Internship Clearance Form and a copy of your unofficial transcript with you (a list of Subject Area Coordinators is at the bottom of the Teacher Internship Clearance Form). If you are unsure of your student teaching semester, please contact the department of your major. If you have a Bilingual/Bicultural minor, note the additional required signature.
3. A minimum combined GPA of 3.00 is required for application to the Teacher Internship Program and must be maintained throughout the remaining educational program.
4. A grade of C (2.00) or better in any course or approved equivalency in your program area (defined as both major and licensure area) is required and must be maintained throughout the remaining educational program.  An incomplete in any of these courses is unacceptable. If you repeat a course, the repeated grade will count.
5. A minimum of Three references are required (two should be UW-Whitewater faculty, and at least one should be a faculty member in your major). Give or mail each reference the reference form and completed COEPS F.E.R.P.A form. The F.E.R.P.A. form (completed and signed by you) gives your reference permission to complete the reference form for you; therefore, your reference should keep the F.E.R.P.A. form. See #20 below for suggestions for completing the F.E.R.P.A. forms. Some references prefer to complete the reference form online (they will need to print the completed reference form, sign, and send or fax to the address on the form). Completed reference forms can also be given/sent to the intern applicant.  
6. Applicants must also complete one F.E.R.P.A. form for the Teacher Internship Office, as we need permission to send your file to schools interested in hiring an intern (see #20 below for suggestions for completing the F.E.R.P.A. form). 
7. Special paper for your resume is unnecessary, as copies are forwarded to interested school districts. Questions concerning the design of a resume may be directed to Career Services. A Philosophy of Education is to be included.
8. As part of the approval procedure, the Teacher Internship Coordinator may solicit input regarding the qualifications of applicants from faculty members in the UW-Whitewater Departments of: Curriculum & Instruction; Educational Foundations; Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Coaching; Special Education; and/or other academic departments. An interview meeting with the Intern Coordinator will be required.
9. The Teacher Internship Office usually communicates with students via their University email address.
10. After reviewing each completed file, the intern candidate's student teacher semester will be verified and an email will be sent indicating approval or denial. If the student has not passed the appropriate Praxis II test yet, s/he will not be approved until that takes place. Approval as a prospective intern does not guarantee the availability or awarding of a Teacher Internship placement. A student may reapply to the Teacher Internship Program if circumstances should change for a student who has been denied acceptance.
11. Approved Intern candidates will be notified regularly via email of schools requesting interns.  Intern candidates will then notify the Teacher Internship Office where to send their files.  Typically, school personnel review the files, select candidates for interviews, and contact those students directly. Feel free to check with the Teacher Internship Program Office on the status of your application at any time. No Teacher Intern placements will occur after July 15 for fall or December 1 for spring.
12. Each UW-W Teacher Intern will be charged $200, which covers an administrative fee charged by DPI.  This should be paid when you receive your first paycheck.  No intern will receive a passing grade for the internship until this is paid.
13. In addition, an internship occurring out-of-area (50+ miles from UW-W) will incur the following expenses:  1) four (or more, if necessary) supervisory visits at the current market rate, 2) supervisory travel expenses in excess of $100, 3) Office of Field Experiences supervisory arrangement fee of $50, 4) liability insurance, etc., if required, 5) cooperating teacher stipend, if required locally, 6) any other costs.  Please note that an out-of-area internship is contingent upon our ability to obtain an out-of-area university supervisor.
14. Interns are subject to identical requirements as student teachers with respect to the TB test and criminal background checks.
15. Interns may not leave an internship placement early to accept a teaching position.
16. Special Education majors enrolled in their full semester of student teaching/internship are required to enroll in the student teaching seminar course appropriate to their major. All other majors must enroll in CIGENRL 470 (Student Teaching Seminar), except it is optional for Business Education majors, ECE majors and possibly Phy Ed majors. CIGENRL 470 will provide students with important information and ideas that will enhance their preparation for a successful career in teaching.  You will meet on campus three days (TBD) and will receive a complimentary lunch while meeting with the Intern Coordinator.
17. Teacher Intern candidates and those with confirmed internships must attend all student teacher meetings, except confirmed interns do not need to attend the placement/interview meeting (but please notify your Subject Area Coordinator).
18. If your application is approved but a placement does not occur, your assigned student teaching placement will remain in effect.
19. The files of Teacher Internship candidates not receiving an internship will be discarded at the end of the semester.
20. The following guidelines for completing the COEPS FERPA form are only suggestions:  I AUTHORIZE:  UW-Whitewater Teacher Internship Program Office (on the FERPA form for each reference, write in the reference's name).    TO DISCLOSE...:  grades and academic transcript; performance observation notes, evaluation instruments or information, general comments about performance in a course during a field experience (Field Studies, Student Teaching, Internship, Practicum, etc.)  OTHER (SPECIFY):  verification of hiring and salary  TO THE FOLLOWING...:  prospective employer(s); school official(s) responsible for admission to educational programs; individual(s) responsible for scholarship, grants, etc.; OTHER (SPECIFY):  rental agencies  FOR THE FOLLOWING REASON(S)  (explain):  Future employment; pursuit of further education; salary verification for housing purposes; grants/scholarships  THIS AUTHORIZATION WILL BE IN EFFECT UNTIL:  we suggest putting a date of two years from the date of signing.