The externship site is expected to provide a structured experience for the student with supervision. The Externship Office staff assists employers and students with the process. The number of approved externship sites consistently exceeds 1,000, with new sites being approved on a continual basis. Roughly 70 students leave on externship every three weeks throughout the year, with 450 to 475 externs in the field at any given time. Extern sites are located throughout the United States, with some foreign placements available.
Students recieve six credits and a letter grade for their performance on externship.
Each student is issued a workbook to record a weekly log of activity as well as recipes and plate presentations. The supervising chef completes a 50-point evaluation scale for the extern and the latter writes a brief essay analyzing the experience. The workbook and essay are graded by the Externship Office upon the student s return to the Institute, and combined with the chef's evaluation for the final grade. This is done to ensure compatibility between the goals of the Institute and those of the employer and to prepare a file of materials for review by prospective interns.