Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. How many hours a week do interns work?
A. Interns expect to work full-time. This can range from 32-50 hours per week. These students are motivated to learn from their experience and would rather be challenged than have too much free-time.
Q. What is a typical IE3 intern like?
A. While it is difficult to generalize, there are certain common characteristics that a majority of interns to date have possessed:
- Previous overseas experience
- High level of motivation
- High degree of language proficiency
- Strong academic background with an international focus
- Self-motivated and mature
Q. What are typical work assignments/products for interns?
A. This varies enormously by internship site. Interns prefer to undertake specific and substantive projects, but in addition, are available to support normal operations and team exercises just as their co-workers do. Some examples of internship projects include:
- market research reports
- customer/community feedback surveys and action plans
- publicity and public relations materials
- fundraising and proposal preparation
- website development or improvements
- natural resource inventories and management plans
- training module development and course delivery
- database development and management
- journal article research and publication
- marketing and business plans
- assessments of "lessons learned" and "Best Practices"
- English language training and translation
The list goes on. What projects could you add to it?
Q. Where do interns live?
A. Housing arrangements vary by internship. In some cases, the host organization provides housing while in others students live with a family. In some locations, interns must find their own housing. In such cases, they are usually given help and guidance by their host organization. Providing housing for interns is a very attractive aspect of any internship.
Q. Do interns get vacation?
No. Interns do not expect vacations, other than local holidays, during their internship and are told by the Regional Director that they should plan to do any traveling after their internship ends.
Q. What are my responsibilities as a supervisor?
A. In order to ensure the quality of the internship experience for both the student and your organization, we require each site to:
- Provide a detailed position description
- Establish selection criteria
- Establish a work plan with the student at the beginning of the internship
- Submit an evaluation report at the end of the internship
- Prepare your staff for the intern's arrival. Be sure that staff members understand the intern's role and how the intern will fit into the office.
- Develop an orientation program for incoming interns. A good orientation includes: a tour of the site, introductions to co-workers and the job, identifying how assignments and delegation of responsibilities will be handled and to whom the intern will report.
- Have the intern's workstation planned and adequately equipped for the job to be performed.
Host organizations are encouraged, but not required, to help interns offset all or part of their expenses. Some organizations provide local salaries or stipends, others provide room and/or board, and some help with airfares. This support will attract more intern applicants and provide you with a greater selection.
Q. How much should I pay an intern?
A. Support for interns is not always in the form of a salary or stipend, although these are effective means to help an intern cover the costs they incur. Other methods of support include housing, meals, and/or airline tickets. These contributions help offset their costs of undertaking an internship at your organization and will guarantee a higher level of competition.
Q. To whom is the intern responsible?
A. The intern is responsible, on a day-to-day basis, to his or her supervisor at the internship site. Secondarily, interns are responsible to the program (for a final report), and a professor on his or her home campus for academic credit.
Q. How can I help an intern be more effective?
A. There are many things you can do to help an intern feel welcome and start working effectively. The following will help an intern get started in your office.
Q. What happens if an intern isn't compatible with my organization?
In the history of the program, this has occurred very rarely. Just as with a regular employee, we encourage the intern and the organization to make every attempt to settle differences between themselves, however the regional directors can also provide feedback, advice, and an indirect way of communicating difficulties to an intern. Constructive and timely feedback and positive reinforcement go a long way in avoiding or correcting problems.