1. How do I apply for student teaching?
See program sites for details on each of the different programs
2. When do I apply for student teaching?
An application for placement must be submitted to your advisor prior to the following deadlines:
Program | Placement For: | Submit to Advisor prior to: |
Special Education: | Winter of the following year | April 1 |
| Spring of the following year | October 1 |
| Fall of the following year | February 1 |
Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Secondary Education | Winter of the Following Year | April 15 |
| Spring of the following year | October 15 |
| Fall of the following year | February 15 |
For additional information, please contact your advisor.
3. Do I have to interview for a teaching position?
Interviews are almost always conducted for Secondary Education placements, while other programs may also use interviews for placement.
4. What should I expect at an interview?
Knowledge of content area or interest in a grade level may be a main topic of discussion. Otherwise, the interview is an opportunity for school personnel to determine whether the placement is a good match for both the student and the school. Dress professionally; show enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn.
5. Where will I be placed during my student teaching? When will I be told?
Placement locations vary depending on availability. We do, however, consider location, program, level, and suitability when making the placement. Once we send your application to a partner school, the time allotted for a response varies depending on the school’s own policy for placement. If the clinical placement coordinator has not heard back from a school within a reasonable period of time, the school is contacted again until we have a decision. You will be notified when a positive decision is received. If we receive a negative decision and need further information from you regarding placement options, you will be contacted.
6. How will I be informed of my confirmed student teaching placement?
Once the clinical placement coordinator receives your official Confirmation Form from a school, you will receive a phone call, letter, or e-mail that includes the following: name, address and phone number of the school, start and end date and name of your cooperating teacher(s). Once all students have received their placements, you will receive literature from the individual department that includes: your placement, name and phone number of your NLU supervisor and time, date and location of all mandatory seminars.
7. In what counties in Illinois are student teachers from the National College of Education placed?
Region I: Central & North Cook Region IV: Will & DuPage
Region II: Central & South Cook Region V: Kane & McHenry
Region III: Southwest Cook & South Lake Region VI: Kendall, DeKalb & LaSalle Region VII: Will, Kankakee, & Grundy
8. What are my main duties as a student teacher? As guests in the site school, we expect that you act professionally at all times and participate as fully as possible in the life of the school. By the end of the 10-week assignment, you should have had a minimum of 4 weeks with all the responsibilities of a full-time teacher.
9. Do we have a program for student teaching in a foreign country?
If you are in an elementary, early childhood, or secondary education program, you may complete your student teaching requirement in another country through our partnership with Global Student Teaching (www.globalst.org). For Further information contact
Fred Chesek at (847) 947 –5564 fchesek@nl.edu
10. Will I be assigned more than one cooperating teacher?
Sometimes, one teacher's class load will not meet your student teaching needs. Therefore, multiple teachers may combine portions of their class load in order to provide one full-time teacher load. Also, some schools require that all stuent teachers be assigned multiple cooperating teachers.
11. Do I have to begin my student teaching on a certain date?
Yes. The partner school in conjunction with National Louis University will set dates.
12. What are the prerequisites for student teaching and where do I send confirmation that I have completed all requirements for student teaching placement?
The following must be sent to the attention of Bonnie Daleiden in the Office for School-College Relations before you begin student teaching:
a. Completion of 100 observation hours of which 15 hours must be in special education classes.
b. An Illinois Criminal Background check.
c. A copy of your TB test results.
d. Satisfactory completion of all required coursework.
Keep copies of everything. Some schools may request a copy of your TB results and/or your Criminal Background check. Bring copies of these documents to the school on your first day of student teaching.
