About the Organization

America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST) is a private, nonprofit organization that strengthens mutual understanding and cooperation between Americans and the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa. Every year, AMIDEAST provides English language and professional skills training, educational advising, and testing services to hundreds of thousands of students and professionals in the Middle East and North Africa; supports numerous institutional development projects in the region; and administers educational exchange programs.

Founded in 1951, AMIDEAST is headquartered in Washington, DC with a network of field offices in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen.

Services & Programs:
•Educational advising and information services
•Test administration and support
•English language training
•Scholarship and exchange program administration
•Professional training
•Institutional development
•Programs for Americans

AMIDEAST opened a small office in the Tunis medina over 30 years ago. Since that time, the number of visitors to our office has grown from less than 400 per year to more than 1,000 per month. Many are interested in continuing their education in the United States and seek the quality advising and testing services that have made AMIDEAST a household name across the Arab world. Providing quality advising and testing services to Tunisians interested in continuing their education in the USA has always been a major component of AMIDEAST's mission. In recent years, we have added computers to our well-stocked Advising Library so that individuals can conduct research over the Internet.

AMIDEAST also offers a range of standardized exams required for study at U.S. universities and for professional certifications. These include the ITP, TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE, SAT, GMAT and others.

Managing exchange programs is another major activity of AMIDEAST/Tunisia. With AMIDEAST assistance, high school students have participated in linguistic homestay programs in Michigan. AMIDEAST’s expertise has also benefited the sponsors of study abroad programs in Tunisia for Americans, including a semester abroad program offered by Duke University and Fulbright Group Seminars Abroad for American teachers. AMIDEAST/Tunisia is located in a modern professional four-story building near the Belvedere Park and Place Pasteur in Tunis. The three-story annex next door houses two Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) labs, ELT classrooms, and the American Management Center. In addition, our center in Tunisia’s third largest city, Sousse, offers ELT courses and advising and testing outreach.

Job Description

The intern would assist with at least four of the major services of AMIDEAST/Tunisia during his/her internship.

One would be helping to organize and implement cultural activities for the American Corner. The American Corner is an information resource center that provides access to current information about the USA via books, videos, Internet and programs. The activities/programs can include such things as films, debates, conferences, excursions, etc.

A second area of assistance would be helping the Educational Advisor prepare and implement information sessions about studying in the USA and pre-departure sessions for Tunisians going to the USA on summer or longer programs.

A third area would be assisting the Testing Coordinator in the implementation of such ETS tests as the Internet based TOEFL, SAT, GRE, TOEIC, etc. plus the marketing of tests.

The final area would be assisting with English classes for young learners (6 – 17 year olds and possibly serving as a Language Cultural Fellow in the English Village for future English teachers of the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education for o/s 2 weeks. It may also be possible for the intern to spend at least one week helping out with the Advising and Testing and/or EFL activities in our second center in Hammam Sousse which is two hours south of Tunis.

# of Positions per term

2 per term

Start Dates

Any academic term

Duration of Internship

1-2 Terms

Academic Background

Ideal for students of education, TESOL, English, international studies or related fields of study.

Skills/Experience

TEFL tutoring or teaching experience is desirable, but not a requirement. Courses in North African or Arabic culture and/or history are also desirable but not required.

Language Ability

Completion of third year French or second year Modern Standard Arabic are highly preferred, although exceptions can be made for highly skilled applicants.

Other Requirements

Total costs vary depending on how long you plan to be abroad, where you will be living, your personal spending habits, and current exchange rates. The following estimates will give you a ballpark figure for this internship. Get help with the math from our handy Cost Calculator.

IE₃ Program Fee

The program fee for the first term of any internship is $2,750 - $2,950. You do not pay tuition in addition to the program fee. Visit your University's IE₃ page for details, costs for additional terms, and campus administrative fees.

Estimated One-Time Expenses

Expense Type	Price
International Travel	$2000 Rountrip to Tunis
Visa Fees
Recommended Immunizations	$400

*See Additional Cost Information below.

Estimated Monthly Expenses

Expense Type	Price/month
Housing	$300-$400
Food	$300
Local Transportation	$50
Recreation	$100
Personal Expenses	$50

Compensation

A modest stipend may be available for some applicants. Contact the regional director for more details. Accommodation is available in furnished apartments for approximately $300-$400 per month or in homestays for about $400/month.

Additional Expense Information

Cost of Living:

Interns should plan to spend approximately $850/month for room, board, entertainment and personal expenses. Note: Students who have participated in Africa internships have suggested that interns may want to bring additional money so that they may participate more in uniquely African activities, such as visits to game parks, buying local clothing and crafts, contributing to local organizations, and bringing home gifts for friends and family. Therefore, depending on your interests, you may want to budget additional funds.

Visit the following websites for additional information about AMIDEAST and Tunisia:
http://www.amideast.org
http://www.tunisiaonline.com (in English)
http://www.tunisieinfo.com (in English and French)
http://www.tourismtunisia.com (in English and French)
http://www.touristic-guide.com