How to hire a practicum student

How to hire a practicum student, step by step

Here's a step-by-step practicum student hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a practicum student job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new practicum student
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the practicum student you need to hire. Certain practicum student roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect practicum student also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of practicum student salaries for various roles:

   Type of Practicum Student	Description	Hourly rate
   Practicum Student	Kindergarten and elementary school teachers prepare younger students for future schooling by teaching them basic subjects such as math and reading.	$16-32
   Educator	An educator is responsible for teaching students and contributes to their learning development. Duties of an educator include creating learning modules and materials, developing engaging activities, and facilitating learners' discussions... Show more	$13-31
   Elementary School Teacher	Elementary school teachers are trained to provide education to children from kindergarten through fifth grade. The teachers are responsible for children's emotional and educational growth in the classroom... Show more	$17-34

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Group Therapy Sessions
   • Mental Health
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Substance Abuse
   • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
   • Individual Therapy Sessions
   • Mathematics
   • Family Therapy
   • Intake Assessments
   • Anger Management
   • Group Supervision
   • Clinical Interviews
   • Mental Illness
   • Intake Interviews

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Help veterans and their families learn to manage symptoms of PTSD through education, self-awareness, and becoming aware of triggers.
   • Shadow physicians in specialties of pediatrics, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and r oncology.
   • Work with the general population including pediatrics and geriatrics using E-Stim, ultrasound, and various modalities.
   • Work one on one with students to provide psycho-education and mentoring around issues of anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
   • Format and re-image windows tablets.
   • Contribute to online marketing campaign using Facebook.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your practicum student job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A practicum student salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, practicum students' average salary in florida is 40% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level practicum students earn 49% less than senior-level practicum students.
   • Certifications. A practicum student with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a practicum student's salary.

   Average practicum student salary

   $49,447yearly

   $23.77 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level practicum student salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

4. Writing a practicum student job description

   A good practicum student job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a practicum student job description:

   Practicum student job description example

   *Disclaimer: COVID Vaccination is required. In lieu of vaccine, associates will be required to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.
   We're a Good Family to Know:
   
   Preferred Family Healthcare (PFH) is a community-based healthcare organization that offers a full array of integrated services, serving more than 100,000 individuals each year in nearly 100 locations throughout Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois.
   
   Our greatest reward has been the opportunity to serve families and communities in need for the past 40 years. At PFH, our future is brighter than ever! With changes in leadership, focused priorities and strong core values, PFH remains a "Good Family to Know!"
   
   Your role at PFH:
   
   As an Intern, you are responsible for enhancing services provided to the clients by observation, contribution, and co-facilitation of certain activities, under supervision.
   
   You will:
   
   + Practicum Intern Students will be provided with a written list of duties to include specific POS services they provide. These students may be assigned a limited caseload based on background and prior experience.
   
   + Students will adhere to both professional conduct and standards and will be informed of confidentiality and ethical issues during orientation.
   
   + Other duties as assigned by the Clinical Supervisor, Program Director, Vice President and/or Executive Team members.
   
   We think you'd be great for this role if you have:
   
   + A Practicum/Intern Student includes a master's program or above status if providing counseling services and a final year bachelor's student if providing case management and community support work.
   
   Our human resources team wants to let you know what's required:
   
   Employment is conditional upon the receipt of appropriate background checks. Upon offer of employment, you must grant permission for Preferred Family Healthcare to verify accuracy, legitimacy, and results in regards to the following conditions of employment:
   
   + Background check that includes criminal history and abuse/ neglect.
   
   + Motor vehicle driving record check.
   
   + Education and license/certification verification (if applicable).
   
   + Employment and/or personal reference checks.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find practicum students for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any practicum students they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level practicum students with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your practicum student job on Zippia to find and recruit practicum student candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit practicum students, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new practicum student

   Once you've decided on a perfect practicum student candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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