Adult Education Intern - Spring 2024

***** NOTE: This is an unpaid internship. ******* SCOPE OF WORK: The IRC’s Adult Education Intern assists refugee and immigrant adults in ESL classes in developing the language skills critical for success. The classes aim to build vocabulary and communication skills, convey skills necessary for the American workforce, and impart information about integral life skills and systems so that clients can be successful and productive members of their communities, they can be civically engaged, and they can pursue career pathways of their choice. Classes are multi-level, meaning multiple levels will be represented within a single class, and interns and other class assistants allow multiple breakout groups to separate students by proficiency level. Instruction focuses on developing literacy, comprehension, and confidence to apply to real-world situations, including housing issues, shopping, the K-12 public school system, public transportation, employment, healthcare, and other daily life skills.

Time Commitment: 16 hours a week; In-person once a week between 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, preferably on Wednesday; Virtual classes to take place Monday-Friday anytime between 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm for a two-hour period. The exact time is TBD.

Education:

Adult Education interns work under class-led instructors and other IRC Adult Education staff to effectively engage with prospective and current immigrant and refugee clients. This can include a variety of ongoing activities such as:

- Recruitment and Outreach: providing information about programming, schedule, and expectations around education services. - Intake and Orientation: working with clients individually to complete enrollment documents, discuss goals, and schedule a formal proficiency level assessment. - Classroom facilitating: assist with leading instruction to include classroom management activities, following developed curriculum, and leading instruction with groups of English language learners. - Classroom Support is expected to be a primary activity for all Adult Education interns. Retention and Follow-up: conferencing with, surveying, and connecting with current and former participants, assessing goals, and identifying appropriate referrals. - Adult Education interns will work with virtual and in-person classes, working with students joining classes through online platforms and with students attending the IRC in Los Angeles main office.

Responsibilities:

- Teaching groups of students in multi-level classes following the curriculum developed by the lead instructor. Assist instructor in developing and implementing multi-level comprehension and literacy activities. - Supporting outside-of-class functions of the Adult Education program in recruitment and outreach, intake and orientation, classroom support, and retention and follow-up activities. - Support program activities by researching new curriculum content and preparing educational materials as requested by the instructor. - Teaching groups of students in multi-level classes following the curriculum developed by the lead instructor. - Assist instructor in developing and implementing multi-level comprehension and literacy activities. - Support outside-of-class functions of the Adult Education program in recruitment and outreach, intake and orientation, classroom support, and retention and follow-up activities. - Support program activities by researching new curriculum content and preparing educational materials as requested by the instructor.

Qualifications - Fluency in Armenian, Russian, or Spanish is highly desired. - Must be available for the entire duration of the class. - Prior experience instructing citizenship or US History is highly preferred. - Additional language skills are welcome but not required. - Strong attention to detail and organizational skills. - Ability to collaborate effectively in a team environment. - Excellent communication skills. - Attend an IRC-LA orientation and complete a full background check (HireRight). - Engaged in learning about the broader IRC mission, philosophy, global work, and local efforts. - Willing to adhere to IRC volunteer and workplace policies.