Adult Education Intern (Unpaid)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

BACKGROUND: International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work in more than 40 countries and over 20 U.S. cities, the IRC provides resettlement, education and empowerment support to refugees and displaced people.

SCOPE OF INTERN WORK:The Adult Education Intern assists newly arrived refugee clients in a multi-level and culturally diverse English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classroom to gain English literacy and comprehension skills. This intern will also assist in supporting logistics for cultural orientation (CO) classes, where newly arrived refugee clients gain an understanding of community resources and expectations for the resettlement period.

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Cultural Orientation(CO)

• Provide logistical assistance for remote CO sessions, including scheduling CO sessions with clients, technical support, preparing materials, and helping with documentation, among other tasks.

• Provide logistical assistance for onsite CO classes, including scheduling CO sessions with clients, setting up the physical classroom space, preparing materials, ordering lunch, and helping with documentation, among other tasks.

• Contact clients and provide reminders before each CO class.

• After CO, conduct and document assessments with each client to assess their understanding of cultural orientation content.

• After CO, provide resources and information requested by the clients. 

• Facilitate CO classes in one-on-one and group settings as needed in English or other languages with interpreters.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Interns will learn about refugee resettlement and refugee social services.

• Interns will develop administrative, digital literacy, and presentation skills.

• Interns will learn how to interact with multicultural and limited English-speaking clients.

• Interns will learn about the various management responsibilities of a complex educational program.

• Interns will learn to coordinate and communicate with stakeholders to plan and implement educational workshops and special events.

• Interns will learn to work with a diverse staff

REQUIREMENTS: 

• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate or degree is strongly preferred.

• Undergraduate studies in education, humanities, social sciences, international relations, or a related field.

• Must convey confidence, have effective communication skills, and exhibit excellent attention to detail.

• Desired languages but not required: Spanish, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Dari/Farsi, Pashto, or Kiswahili.

• Strong desire to help refugees rebuild their lives in New Jersey.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment.

• Patience, understanding, flexibility, and an unceasingly positive attitude.

• Willing to learn about IRC history, philosophy, global work, and local efforts.

• Willing to adhere to IRC volunteer and workplace policies.

IRC leading the way From Harm to Home.

Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.