teaching residency Frequently Asked Questions
ELIGIBILITY
Am I eligible to apply if I have lower than a 3.0 average in my undergraduate degree?
Yes, you can still apply! If you have an undergraduate GPA that falls under a 3.0, you will be required to write a statement explaining 1) any factors that impacted your undergraduate GPA, and 2) the steps you plan to take in order to ensure that you succeed in the Residency or fellowship program.
What undergraduate degrees are eligible for this program?
We accept any liberal arts or sciences majors (or interdisciplinary concentrations) of at least 30 credits to the program. As this is an alternative pathway program, we do not accept undergraduate education degrees that are eligible for certification. You are eligible as long as you do not have more than 18 credits in education.
How many credits are required in undergraduate Math, English, Social Sciences, etc.?
Accepted Teaching Residents will matriculate into the Hunter College School of Education. Their coursework eligibility requirements are: A liberal arts and sciences degree distributed to include: a minimum of 6 credits in English, 6 credits in political science, history, economics, or geography (with at least one course in history or geography); 6 credits in math (a college course in calculus meets this requirement), 6 credits in science, 3 credits in the arts, 6 credits in a language other than English (3 years of high school study in the same foreign language with grades of C or better documented by high school transcript will meet this requirement), and 3 credits in information retrieval (library studies, research, computer literacy, or educational technology).
If you are missing any of these requirements, please reach out to us as we can often accept applicants with conditions, allowing you to take an extra class or exam during the program to meet the requirements.
Application Process
What do I need to prepare to apply?
Please prepare the following for your application: resume; undergraduate transcripts (include transcripts from every institution that you have attended); graduate transcripts (if applicable); GPA written statement (if GPA is under 3.0). You will be asked to answer some questions about your experience and beliefs about education on the application.
Can I apply to both the residency and the fellowship?
Yes! You can complete one application and indicate your interest in both programs. Please note that fellows should demonstrate a strong interest in special education. Once positions are filled we will stop accepting applications.
What are the steps of the application process?
After submitting an application our recruitment team will reach out to eligible candidates to set up a phone interview. The next step would be to receive instructions and complete our sample teach. Finally eligible applicants will be invited to a virtual finalist day.
What is the sample teach?
If you are invited to attend a Finalist Day, our recruitment team will send you instructions to put together a 5 minute video in which you “teach” a skill based on a common core standard. The EHTR team will review your video and send you feedback, so that you can improve upon it for Finalist Day. During Finalist Day you will teach your 5 minute lesson again live to the group.
What happens on Finalist Days?
Finalist Days are full-day virtual events where you'll learn more about us, and we’ll learn more about you. The day starts with a presentation introducing our organization and program, followed by opportunities to meet with program staff and current teaching residents to hear about their experiences. You’ll teach a sample lesson live, incorporating the feedback you received earlier, and take part in group a discussion, one-on-one interviews, and a short organizational task.
Residency/Fellowship Structure and Support
When does the residency and fellowship start and end?
The elementary residency begins in late May 2025 and ends in early August 2026. Specific dates will be provided. The inclusive learning fellowship begins in late May 2025 and ends in June 2027.
What type of training will I receive?
The East Harlem Teaching Residency provides residents and fellows with a comprehensive training experience that will prepare them to become highly effective anti-racist educators.
All teaching residents enroll in rigorous coursework at Hunter College, School of Education to learn the foundations of teaching, including courses on content, pedagogy, and culturally responsive teaching. Teaching residents also receive weekly coaching and professional development from Teaching Residency staff on classroom practices, lesson planning, assessment, building relationships with and among students, and professional expectations.
What are the roles and responsibilities of an elementary resident?
Elementary teaching residents work approximately 8-14 hours a week in East Harlem Scholars Academies’ classrooms to provide one-on-one and small group intervention support andl learn alongside a mentor teacher. They are guided through a gradual release to slowly take on more responsibility in the classroom similar to a student teaching experience.
Elementary residents are also the lead teacher/activity specialist in our afterschool program. Residents gain experience planning lessons, delivering instruction, and creating a positive and anti-racist classroom culture. Residents apply their training and practice in their lead teacher’s classroom to their afterschool classrooms.
What are the roles and responsibilities of an inclusive learning fellow?
Inclusive learning fellows have a rigorous schedule where they work alongside a general education teacher in grades 5-12 to provide differentiated instruction and manage a caseload of students with Individualized Education Plans. This includes planning and leading lessons in assigned content areas, tracking student IEP goal progress, writing teacher reports, and attending student IEP meetings as the Special Education teacher of record.
What is the summer like for fellows and residents?
Residents and Fellows start their first summer with coursework at Hunter College (usually starting in late May/early June depending on the CUNY calendar) and attend professional development led by EHTR staff intended to prepare residents and fellows for the school year.
In the second summer, Fellows participate in additional EHTR led professional development and complete Hunter coursework. Residents serve as the lead academic teachers in our summer program and complete their coursework at Hunter, culminating in the conferral of their Degree!
Why are residents and fellows compensated differently?
Residents and fellows have different levels of content knowledge and different responsibilities in the schools. Fellows are the inclusive learning teachers of record in the classrooms from day one. Elementary residents are paired with a mentor teacher who provides support and training and leads them through a gradual release process similar to student teaching. Elementary residents are also provided with significantly more preparation time during the day which can be used to complete school-based, OST, or Hunter responsibilities.
Can Residents and Fellows work a second job while participating in the program?
Residents and fellows are enrolled in accelerated graduate coursework and participate in further professional development sessions, while also learning and working in the classroom and/or OST. In addition to being a comprehensive training program, it is one that requires residents and fellows to have time for planning, group meetings, and work with various groups of students. To that end, we strongly recommend you don’t take another job.
What support will I receive to get a job after the residency or fellowship?
Residents and fellows receive coaching and professional development support in resume writing, cover letters, LinkedIn, and interviewing during their residency or fellowship year. Many of our residents choose to stay at East Harlem Scholars Academies. We support all residents and fellows who successfully complete the program and their graduate degree to find jobs. Approximately 96% of our alumni are still in education and 82% are still teaching!
If you have additional questions, reach out to our residency team here .