Students are encouraged to visit potential intern/student teaching sites prior to applying for this important experience. As always, professional behavior is expected at all times. This should be treated as any job search.
Students with a residential program status - including commuters - are restricted to the following partner school systems:
- Buncombe - note Buncombe County does not permit school visits. Please do not contact schools directly concerning Internship/Student Teaching.
- Asheville City
- Cherokee County
- Clay
- Graham
- Haywood
- Henderson
- Jackson
- Macon
- Madison
- McDowell
- Mitchell
- Polk
- Rutherford
- Swain
- Transylvania
- Yancey
Since our programs lead to North Carolina public school licensure, all internships and student teachers must be at a public school, including charter schools. Since the schools decide which students will be accepted for internship or student teaching students should contact the liaison for a prospective school before directly contacting an individual teacher.
If following up with a teacher with the school's permission be certain to call after class hours. Do keep in mind that most school visits will not include meeting with a teacher. Follow the school policy for guidance. At a minimum, prospective host teachers must have three years teaching experience with a clear license. Many schools and districts have additional requirements. The school principal and district make the final placement decision - not the teacher or the Office of Field Experiences.
All students should list three potential schools on their applications, even if they feel a specific site is certain. Things happen beyond anyone's control which require a quick alternative plan such as teachers being moved to another school.
Remember that ultimately either the school or district will make the decision whether or not to host a particular student. The timeline for this is different for each student and school. Some schools require an interview, some do not. Some respond with their placements quickly, others take longer. Once the application deadline has passed, students should expect to wait 1-3 months for their placement confirmations. Students do not need to call for updates. Calls go out to individual students as soon as a specific placement has been confirmed.