All field instructors must be SIFI-certified in order to provide field instruction for students at the Hunter College School of Social Work. Field instructors who are certified by virtue of completing the Seminar in Field Instruction (SIFI) at another school of social work in the New York area are not required to take a seminar at Hunter. New field instructors should review the requirements listed below, and if their agency has placed a student with Hunter, should register for a seminar by calling the Field Education Office (see instructions below).

Purpose of the SIFI

The SIFI is offered by Hunter to qualified agency personnel. It is intended to facilitate the transition from practitioner or supervisor to field educator. The primary objectives of he SIFI are to help experienced social work practitioners acquire competence as field instructors of graduate social work students in relation to relevant educational principles and methodology, Hunter’s curriculum and expectations for field teaching, and criteria for evaluation of field education performance. The SIFI helps the new field instructor design and choose appropriate assignments for the student; develop learning goals and objectives with the student; evaluate the student’s performance; and manage issues or concerns that arise in the course of the field instruction relationship. The SIFI provides a forum for learning and the mutual exchange of ideas and concerns related to acquiring the role, knowledge, and skills of field teaching.

The SIFI is offered in the fall semester only, generally beginning the week prior to the start of the field practicum. There are twelve (12) sessions of two hours each and the course runs from early September through December (although some instructors do not end until early January). The course is held at Hunter College School of Social Work, 129 East 79th Street. Several time slots are available for the convenience of the field instructor. The course is sometimes offered through distance learning at selected sites in the metropolitan area.