Intern Teacher Credentialing Program

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An intern program offers an alternative route if you already hold a bachelor’s degree and want to teach as soon as possible. You may have prior experience working in a classroom as an aide or another role assisting students. You may have worked with young people in an afterschool or interest-based program. Or maybe you just always knew that you wanted to be a teacher. As an intern teacher, you are employed as the teacher of record in a classroom while you complete your program and earn a teacher’s salary. Most intern programs are two years long, with an early completion option.

There are two types of intern programs:

University Intern programs involve a collaboration between an institution of higher education (IHE) such as a college or university and a local educational agency (LEA) such as a school district, county office of education or charter school.
District Intern programs are developed and implemented by an LEA to meet its own needs.

Both University Intern and District Intern Single Subject and Multiple Subject credentials are issued for two years, but District Intern Education Specialist Instruction credentials are issued for three years.

Image shows a teacher and a small group of students sitting on the classroom floor in a circle. He is smiling and gesturing and looking at one of the students and all the students are listening attentively to him.

Distinct Advantages

Intern programs tend to attract a more diverse pool of teacher candidates. 1
Become the teacher of record sooner than you would through other pathways.
Start earning a salary for teaching right away.
“Try on” a teaching career prior to earning your Preliminary credential.
Also a great option for those with prior teaching experience due to accelerated timeline and limited clinical preparation.

Key Considerations

You will be completing the coursework and other requirements for your teaching credential while also teaching full time.
Intern programs may not be available for every credential subject area as the available subjects are based on employment needs.
Your teaching position and your program go hand in hand. Any changes to your employment status will affect your program status, and vice versa.
Since this model was developed to help districts meet specific staffing needs, employment is restricted to a specific LEA. If you decide to change your subject area, it may be logistically challenging to do so. If you’re in a District Intern program, it will not be possible to change to another LEA and stay in your program.
Depending on the employer, the pay scale may be lower for educators teaching on an intern credential as they may not be considered "fully credentialed." The Commission has no purview over LEA salaries as they are negotiated by local bargaining units.
Teachers prepared through alternative pathways, including the intern pathway, are more likely to leave the profession early than teachers who have completed a residency, traditional, or integrated undergraduate program pathway. 2
If you are looking to enroll in a University Intern program, you will need to make sure prior to enrolling and accepting an offer of employment that the IHE and LEA have an existing Intern Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or are willing to create such an agreement.

Financial Support

A wide variety of financial resources can help make any pathway you choose affordable. Learn how to fund your future in teaching with financial planning steps for every aspiring educator.

For example, intern program teachers earn a full-time salary and benefits, dependent on the employer’s negotiated salary schedule. Candidates in an intern program are also eligible to apply for federal grants such as the Federal TEACH Grant.

Search a comprehensive database of funding resources to create your own financial plan.

Find Your Intern Program

This dashboard shows the Commission-approved institutions and LEAs offering intern programs. Filter using the legend to narrow down the list and find the program that's best for you. You can also navigate to a program's website by clicking on the name and using the link in the tooltip.

References

Huguet et al (2021). Widening the pathway: Implementation and impacts of alternative teacher preparation programs across three contexts. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.; Matsko et al (2022). How different are they? Comparing teacher preparation offered by traditional, alternative, and residency pathways, Journal of Teacher Education 73(3), pp. 225-239.; Ong et al (2021). CTERIN Policy Brief: Diversifying California's Teaching Force: How Teachers Enter the Classroom, Who They Serve, & If They Stay. California Teacher Education Research & Improvement Network.

Resources to Complete Teacher Training in California

Roadmap to Teaching
Pathways to Credentialing
Financial Resources for Teacher Candidates
Program Pathways Dashboard

Resources for Teachers Trained Outside of California

Teaching in California - Prepared in Another State
Teaching in California - Prepared Outside the United States

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