For doctoral students who seek faculty appointments in academic settings upon graduation, it is imperative those students have access to quality mentoring, direct instruction, and experiential opportunities to apply effective teaching methods during their training. Currently, some doctoral programs are beginning to develop teaching practicums which provide essential skills and experiences for doctoral students. The purpose of this paper is to describe best practices in the field of education and provide examples of post-graduate programs that are providing training and teaching opportunities to graduate assistants. One existing teaching practicum course offered at a public university in the southeast is described in detail. In addition, to support the value of a teaching practicum during doctoral training, narrative accounts from two doctoral students and a faculty mentor who participated in a teaching practicum is provided.