International Internships, supported by the Clarence and Anne Dillon Dunwalke Trust and the Ronald H. Brown-Time Warner Endowment Fund
The C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad offer International Internships with support from the Clarence and Anne Dillon Dunwalke Trust, Time Warner Inc., and others. Qualified undergraduates may gain practical experience as part of their education abroad through 10-15 hour per week credit-bearing (or 10 hour per week non credit-bearing) internships. Students enhance and strengthen their foreign language skills, deepen their social immersion in a foreign culture, and gain in-depth experience within a foreign work environment. This experience can also provide participants with new knowledge and skills that may lead to greater career, graduate school, and other opportunities in the future. Normally, internships are only available during the spring semester for students studying abroad for the full academic year; however, highly motivated and well-organized single-semester students may also pursue internships, but they need to make arrangements prior to going abroad.
The Clarence and Anne Dillon Dunwalke Trust, with the encouragement of Mark M. Collins '79, a trustee, established in 1998, an endowment to support international internship opportunities. Time Warner Inc. awarded Middlebury a grant of $500,000 in December 1998 to establish the Ronald H. Brown-Time Warner Endowment, in honor of former Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown '62. Both of these funds support the placement and supervision of students in a variety of work environments while pursuing studies at the C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad.
I. Internship Opportunity and Value
Please note that we cannot guarantee an internship placement. The application process is competitive, and only qualified candidates will ultimately be offered an internship.
Internship possibilities span a wide range, and vary from site to site, but generally include government agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, the media, educational organizations, and the arts. However, not all sites can provide internships in all fields. Recent students have participated in internships in Spain at FUNDESO (Fundacion Desarrollo Sostenido), WWB (Women's World Banking), Hilti Española S.A., and ACNUR (Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para Refugiados). In Italy, students participated in internships in the American Consulate in Florence and the Horne Museum. In France, students have interned in the Assemblée Nationale, the Conseil Régional d'Ile de France, Maria Louisa Design, Frac I'le de France, the Robert Schuman Foundation, and Theatre et Cinema Ile de France. And in Russia students have interned at CNN, NPR, The United States-Russia Investment Fund, The MacArthur Foundation, Project Harmony, The Golden Ring newspaper, The American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, The Eurasia Foundation, The Moscow Institute of Modern Art, Yaroslavl Investment Center, as well as local schools and libraries. In any given year, however, we cannot guarantee an internship in a specific field or organization, though we will make every effort to accommodate. Please be aware that prospective internship providers normally expect candidates to have appropriate skills or background knowledge and interest in the field. In addition, students must have strong functional skills in the target language. If your language skills are not strong enough, you may not qualify for an internship.
For more information on internships, select a school below:
II. Credit-Bearing Internships
Interns will be required to fulfill a variety of assignments:
- Interns will work from 10-15 hours a week.
- Interns will complete an independent research paper (~25 pages) in the target language that will be graded by a faculty member on site.
- Interns will keep a daily journal in the target language of their activity at the internship that should be a record of the internship experience: recording assignments given, tasks completed, personal impressions (of the field of employment and host site's role in it), etc.
- Upon completion of the internship, Students must submit a 1-2 paragraph summary description of the internship (in English) for posting on our webpage.
- Interns must also complete an evaluation form at the end of their internship.
- Interns will earn credit equal to that of a regular course for the internship and take one less class that semester compared to the normal course load, (load varies by location). Students may NOT take the normal full load of courses for their site AND also receive academic credit for their internship. Internships will receive a letter grade.
- Interns are not allowed to receive any salary or other financial support from their internship hosts.
At the start of the internship, internship students, their internship supervisor and the internship coordinator will sign a form agreeing to the terms for receiving credit. At the end of the internship, all parties will sign a similar form verifying that all requirements were met. Upon receiving these three signatures, the internship will appear on the student's Middlebury transcript and the student will receive academic credit.
III. Non Credit-Bearing Internships
Interns will be required to fulfill a variety of assignments:
Students will work from 10-15 hours a week.
Interns will keep a daily journal in the target language of their activity at the internship that should be a record of the internship experience: recording assignments given, tasks completed, personal impressions (of the field of employment and host site's role in it), etc.
In addition, interns must submit a 1-2 paragraph summary description of the internship for posting on our webpage (in English).
Interns must also complete an evaluation form at the end of their internship.
IV. The Application Process
Interested students must indicate on the internship application whether or not they would like to receive credit. In addition to their application and resume, they must also submit a short essay which describes what they hope to pursue in an internship and how that experience will complement their academic program at their home institution.
Application Form
In completing the application you will need to take some time to evaluate your own interests and to set realistic goals. If you need advice and assistance in thinking through your goals, we strongly recommend that you contact a counselor at your home school in the Career Services Office to discuss this further.
Resume and Cover Letter
Along with the questionnaire you should submit a one-page resume (in target language) and cover letter. Please note that for almost any position you will need to demonstrate that you have relevant qualifications. Hence, your resume should be appropriate to the type of internship you are seeking. For example, if you want an internship with a newspaper or radio station, you should show you have some knowledge of or experience in journalism. If you need assistance in writing your resume please contact your Career Services Office. There are also numerous web pages dedicated to resume writing techniques, among the best are:
http://www.jobweb.com/Resumes_Interviews/default.htm
http://www.jobstar.org/tools/resume/index.cfm
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/index2.html#bw (written especially for college students).
Your cover letter should be addressed to the Director (or internship coordinator) of your School Abroad. It should explain your concrete goals in pursuing an internship and how your past work experience and/or academic background is relevant to your desired internship field.
Deadlines
You will receive information about internship opportunities, which vary by country, with your pre-departure materials. Return internship application, resume, and cover letter to International Programs and Off-Campus Study in Middlebury.
V. The Interview Process
During the application process, you may be required to interview with potential internship supervisors. The Director/Internship Coordinator will arrange the interviews for you and may accompany you to these interviews. S/he will explain the goals and requirements of the internship to your potential supervisor and will give them your resume. You should be prepared to discuss your goals and interests, and what you hope to both contribute and gain from the internship.
Here are some points to remember during the interviews:
Each interview is different, but the main objective is for you to persuade the supervisor that s/he should accept you for the intern position.
Think about your interests, skills, training, and work experience, and how you will convey these in the interview.
Express your interest in particular projects or tasks; and do not be afraid to ask questions. Let the interviewer know what you would be interested in doing as an intern and how you would be an asset to his/her organization.
The Director/Internship Coordinator will provide you with information about the organization prior to your interview. Review this information before the interview, and prepare several questions to ask about the organization (its purpose and activities), your duties and responsibilities, and the type of projects in which you may be involved.
Do not be late to your interview, and by all means, do not miss your interview. Confirm arrangements with the Director/Internship Coordinator about the time, place, and person who will interview you. If there is an emergency and you are unable to make the appointment, please let the Director/Internship Coordinator know right away so the interview can be rescheduled.
Dress neatly and make yourself presentable. Appropriate attire varies depending on the type of work environment, so discuss this with the Director/Internship Coordinator.
Be sure to show your enthusiasm! Explain why this particular internship is of interest to you, and how it will help you work towards your future personal and professional goals.
Remember: An internship interview is like a job interview, and the interviewer is under no obligation to accept you for the position. You have to demonstrate that you are a viable candidate.
VI. On the Job
In order to ensure a successful internship experience, you must be pro-active and take initiative. You will be responsible for yourself and your learning. The staff in many organizations and businesses is extremely busy and overworked. If you don't assert yourself, you may fall through the cracks.
You may have to prove yourself to your supervisor in the first few weeks. If you are given an easy assignment which makes you think, "I didn't come all the way here to do this kind of work!" do the assignment cheerfully and with as much effort as you would for an assignment that is more challenging and interesting. Your supervisor may have given you an assignment to see how you will deal with it. Remember that at all times during your internship, you will need to be flexible.
Unless you are working for an international and/or western government agency, you will need to be comfortable working in a relatively unstructured work environment. If you are not working on a specific assignment at the moment, use the opportunity to learn more about the organization and the field in which you are working. In general, internship supervisors not only appreciate your asking questions, but they expect it. Take the time to get to know your supervisor and discuss what is expected of you. Remember that your employer may never have hosted an intern before, so you may have to take the initiative.
Also, remember that every job has slow days. Get to know the people with whom you work, even if they are not your age. There are lots of things you can learn from your co-workers if you make the effort.
Once you've been at your internship for a while, ask for more challenging assignments. Ask to take responsibility for a project or a component of a project that will draw on your strengths, address your weakness, and allow you to improve yourself and gain valuable experience.
The Director/Internship Coordinator will monitor your overall internship experience. S/he will contact you and your internship supervisor regularly to discuss your internship. Please contact the Director/Internship Coordinator immediately if you have any problems or need other advice or help regarding your internship. It is not acceptable to stop attending your internship because you decide you do not like it or because it is not what you expected. If this situation occurs, talk to the Director/Internship Coordinator so any problems can be addressed. Also, if you are sick and cannot go to work, please let the Director/Internship Coordinator know, so that s/he may inform your internship supervisor.
At the end of your internship, be sure to send a thank-you note to your supervisor, recognizing his or her efforts and support for you. This is also important because you may want to ask your supervisor for a reference in the future, whether for a job or graduate school applications. Expressing your appreciation can also help create opportunities for future students to intern with that organization.
Internship Forms
Internship Application
Initial Agreement
Paper Procedures
Verification of Completion
Intern Self Evaluation
Supervisor's Evaluation
VII. The Workplace Abroad
Each organization and business is different, so it is difficult to predict exactly what to expect from your internship. In general, office hours tend to be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a lunch break (which is usually negotiable). The work environment is usually more relaxed than in the United States. Since there are often fewer computers and copy machines, everything might take longer than you may be used to, which can be frustrating, though you will usually find your fellow employees helpful and patient.
The concept of a smoke-free environment has yet to be widely accepted abroad, so if this is an issue for you, please let your Director/Internship Coordinator know your preferences prior to your placement.
VII. Evaluation and Other Requirements
The Director/Internship Coordinator will provide evaluation forms to ALL student-interns and their supervisors prior to the end of the internship. Students should return these forms along with all required written assignments to the Director/Internship Coordinator before their departure from the Middlebury College School Abroad.
IX. Contact Information
Office of International Programs & Off-Campus Study: Professor Jeffrey Cason, Dean of International Programs; Liz Ross, Associate Director, for general information about the internship program Tel: (802) 443-5745; ebross@middlebury.edu
Career Services Office - for advice and counseling
Tel: (802) 443-5100; cso@middlebury.edu; web site
Middlebury College School in China- Tao Hong, Academic Director
Tel:011-86-571-8832-0338; Fax:011-86-571-8832-0956; thao@middlebury.edu
Middlebury College School in France - David Paoli, Director
Tel: 011-33-1-43-20-70-57; Fax: 011-33-1-43-22-73-89; dpaoli@middlebury.edu
Middlebury College School in Germany - Heike Fahrenberg, Director
Tel: 011-49-6131-22-10-40; Fax: 011-49-6131-55-43-39; fahrenbe@middlebury.edu
Middlebury College School in Italy - Rosa Cuda, Director
Tel: 011-39-055-245-790; Fax: 011-39-055-246-9411; rcuda@middlebury.edu
Middlebury College School in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay)- Claudio González Chiaramonte, Director
Tel/Fax: 011-54-11-4671-0731; cgonzal@middlebury.edu
Middlebury College School in Latin America (Chile and Mexico) -Jeff Stevenson, Director
Tel: 011-56-2-233-9076; jstevens@middlebury.edu
Middlebury College School in Russia - Nana Tsikhelashvili, Director
Tel/Fax 011-7-495-251-8786; ntsikhel@middlebury.edu
Middlebury College School in Spain - Kim Griffin, Director; Teresa Cordóva, Coordinator
Tel: 011-34-91-319-81-88; Fax: 011-34-91-310-00-36; kgriffin@middlebury.edu; cordova@middlebury.edu