Experience requirement
To meet the admission requirements for the Bachelor of Education - Elementary Curriculum program (entry into core professional studies only) and both the B.Ed. Elementary and Secondary Post-Degree Professional (PDP) programs, you must complete at least 75 hours of practical, face-to-face experience in educative settings.
The requirements listed below are for a September 2026 entry.
Experience criteria
Students must complete a minimum of 75 hours of paid or volunteer experience with children/youth (K-12) by the application deadline for their program. Experience must be face-to-face, working with groups of four or more children/youth.
- At least 50 hours must be completed in Canada and from a single, continuous experience.
- All experience must be completed within the past three years before applying.
- Experiences can be in one or two settings and can be paid or volunteer.
- For the B.Ed. Elementary & Secondary PDP programs, hours must be completed by January 2
- For the B.Ed. Elementary Curriculum program, hours must be completed by January 31
- Coaching team sports
- Working as a camp counsellor, summer program leader, or after school program leader
- Group tutoring or teaching (e.g. music classes, specialty extra-curricular activities, etc.)
- Working with K-12 faith-based groups or other K-12 youth groups
- Working in a K-12 school classroom as a volunteer or assistant
- Cultural work in Indigenous communities with K-12 youth
- Cultural, social justice, and inclusion-themed work with K-12 youth
- Tutoring with groups of three students or less, including one-on-one
- Peer tutoring as a high school student
- Being a teaching assistant (TA), residence advisor (RA), or teaching at the college or university level
- Parenting, babysitting or caregiving
Summary of experience
Tell us about your practical experience and identify two people who will submit confidential reference forms. One reference must be a supervisor. Please ensure your two references are directly linked to the experiences you list in your summary.
You may be invited to meet with the Teacher Education Office to discuss your experience. If you have previously applied to Teacher Education and were not admitted (including being placed on a waitlist), you are still required to submit a summary of experience and references with your new application.
How to submit your summary of experience:
| Program and Pathway | Submit by | How to submit |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary & Secondary PDPP | January 2 | Submit your summary of experience as part of your program application |
| B.Ed Elementary Currriculum (Apply from within UVic or apply from outside UVic) |
January 31 | Submit your summary of experience as part of your program application |
| B.Ed Elementary Currriculum (Direct Entry) |
January 31 | Complete this as part of your request to progress |
Confidential references
The two people you identify as references in your summary of experience must submit confidential reference forms directly to UVic. References must be submitted on the provided form, and letters of reference will not be accepted. Both references must highly recommend or recommend you. The results of references are not released to applicants.
- Referees must be credible authorities who can speak to your experiences, interests and abilities relevant to the teaching profession.
- Referees must have observed you working in educative ways with groups of children or youth in Kindergarten – Grade 12.
- Your references cannot be coworkers, relatives, friends or family friends, a classroom teacher whose only relationship to you is as your teacher, someone you taught, tutored or supervised, or somebody who is also applying to a UVic teacher education program.
How to submit your reference information:
| Program and Pathway | Submit by | How to submit |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary & Secondary PDPP | January 2 | Submit your reference details and contact information as part of your program application |
| B.Ed Elementary Currriculum (Apply from within UVic or apply from outside UVic) |
January 31 | Submit your reference details and contact information as part of your program application |
| B.Ed Elementary Currriculum (Direct Entry) |
January 31 | Send this to your references as part of your request to progress |
Note:
- For references due by January 2, referees must complete the form by January 15
- For references due by January 31, referees must complete the form by February 15
- Make sure your references have all the information they need to identify you
- Confirm your references as soon as possible. If you wait too long, they might not be available or have enough time to submit reference forms
- Check-in with your references at least one week before the application deadline. They'll appreciate the reminder!