Abstract:
This qualitative study examines the perspectives of pre-service secondary teachers completing a ten-week internship while concurrently enrolled in a Graduate Diploma of Education. Participants completed an open ended qualitative survey that was analyzed to identify the significant issues from the perspectives of the interns. The reported comments illustrate the belief that the internship experience was highly valuable, enabling the interns to gain further teaching experience, qualitatively different to the practicum experience. Interns noted the heavy demands of competing university and school-based workloads; however, they recommended the experience to future pre-service teachers with strong management and organizational skills. The interns’ comments demonstrate their engagement in reflective practice, supporting the position that the internship represents more than an apprenticeship model focussing on limited technical competence.