INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT INSTRUCTOR ASSIGNED 2000 FT; CLB TO 2400 FT WHILE LOOKING FOR APCH CHART. CTLR REASSIGNS 2500 FT.

Narrative

I WAS INSTRUCTING ANOTHER INSTRUCTOR FOR HIS INST INSTRUCTOR RATING AND HAD PLANNED PRACTICE APCHS AT 3 DIFFERENT ARPTS; ONE OF WHICH I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH. AFTER 3 ILS APCHS TO SAC (EXECUTIVE ARPT); WHILE EXECUTING THE MISSED APCH; I ASKED THE STUDENT IF HE WANTED TO TRY ANOTHER ILS OR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. HE SUGGESTED THE VOR RWY 4 APCH TO MATHER (THE APCH I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH). HE REQUESTED A PRACTICE APCH (FROM ATC) AND DEP CTL CLRED US DIRECT SAC VOR; CROSS AT 2000 FT; CLRED FOR THE APCH AND MAINTAIN VFR THROUGHOUT THE APCH. I THEN PROCEEDED TO FIND MY APCH CHART (AMONG THE 3 ARPTS WE HAD PLANNED) AND BRIEFLY REVIEWED THE FIRST PART OF THE PROC. THE STUDENT ALSO WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE APCH AND HAD DIFFICULTY LOCATING THE APPROPRIATE CHART WHILE FLYING THE VOR. WE BOTH REALIZED ABOUT THE SAME TIME THAT WE WERE AT 2400 FT. AT THIS TIME ATC ASKED IF WE WERE AT 2500 FT. THE STUDENT CONFIRMED AND WE WERE THEN CLRED TO CROSS THE VOR AT 2500 FT AND TO PROCEED WITH THE APCH. (THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS NORMAL.) ANOTHER ACFT WAS PASSING OVER THE VOR BUT APPEARED TO BE 1500-2000 FT ABOVE US AND WAS NEVER CALLED AS TFC BY ATC. WHILE IT APPEARS NO CONFLICT OCCURRED; THE INCIDENT IMPRESSED UPON ME THE NEED TO BE MORE PREPARED OR TO ALLOW MORE TIME TO SET UP FOR A NEW APCH.