Cultural Orientation Intern
Assist in providing cultural orientation to refugees
Overview
Assist in providing cultural orientation to refugees
You have:
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate or degree is strongly preferred but not required.
- Undergraduate studies in education, humanities, social sciences, international relations, or a related field.
- Must convey confidence, practical communication skills, and excellent attention to detail.
- Desired languages but not required: Swahili, 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.
- Familiar with Microsoft applications and is willing to learn a new data management system.
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.
Qualifications REQUIREMENTS:
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate or degree is strongly preferred but not required. - Undergraduate studies in education, humanities, social sciences, international relations, or a related field. - Must convey confidence, practical communication skills, and excellent attention to detail. - Desired languages but not required: Swahili, 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. - Familiar with Microsoft applications and is willing to learn a new data management system.
Potential interview questions
| Can you describe a time when you had to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds? | This question assesses your ability to effectively engage in a multicultural environment. | Share an experience where you successfully communicated or collaborated with someone from a different culture. |
| How do you handle stressful situations, especially when interacting with clients? | The interviewer wants to understand your coping mechanisms and ability to maintain professionalism under pressure. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What strategies would you use to teach concepts to someone with limited English proficiency? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Why are you interested in helping refugees specifically? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Describe a situation where you had to adapt your communication style to meet the needs of a client. | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |