For Students Pursuing a Career in Bilingual Education
Bilingual Pupil Services (BPS) prepares and trains bilingual paraprofessionals in pursuit of a teaching career to support and serve English Language/ Multilingual Learners (ELLs/MLLs) in Title I public elementary schools. The goal is to promote the linguistic and academic progress of these students, whose primary language is Spanish, Chinese, Haitian-Creole, Arabic, Bengali, and Russian, by providing supportive instructional services through the assignment of our BPS teacher interns.
Interns admitted into the BPS program receive many benefits. They are placed in a bilingual or English as a New Language (ENL) setting at participating schools throughout NYC and receive salary including benefits as UFT paraprofessionals while they take courses to complete their Bachelor's degree. In addition to a paid para-internship teaching experience, the program also pays for their college tuition (12 credits per semester at any of the participating senior colleges for an accredited program leading to a Bachelor's degree and New York State certification in Bilingual Childhood Education (Grades 1-6), or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) (Grades K-8) also called English as a New Language (ENL). The program offers professional development, educational resources, exam prep workshops, mentorship, and job placement assistance.
To be considered for the BPS Program, prospective candidates must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Enrollment in an undergraduate teacher certification program at a participating college or university (specifically in Bilingual Childhood Education or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), also called English as a New Language (ENL) track).
- Fluency in English AND a second language (Spanish, Chinese, Haitian-Creole, Arabic, Bengali, and Russian) as demonstrated by performance on a written assessment and oral interview, if selecting the bilingual education track.
- Accumulation of at least 75 college credits toward a Bachelor's Degree in education, and a minimum GPA of 2.8
- Completion of mandated Child Abuse Identification, School Violence Prevention and Intervention, and Anti-Bullying/DASA workshops
- A passing score on any of the required New York State Teacher Certification Examinations
- College transcript(s) for verification of credits and performance
- U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency as required by the New York State Education Department for certification
If you have any questions, please email firstname.lastname@example.org.
Use the online application form to apply for the BPS program, and forward all required documents to:
New York City Public Schools
Division of Human Resources - Human Resources School Support
Attn: Bilingual Pupil Services Program
65 Court Street, Room 508
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Bilingual Pupil Services (BPS) is hosting virtual open house events on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at 9:00 am and 3:30 pm (on Zoom). Download the flyer below to learn more.