Employment & Skill-Building Intern (Spring 2027)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Scope of Work: 

The Refugee TANF Coordination Program (RTCP) specializes in providing holistic services to humanitarian immigrant parents receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The goal of the program is threefold: 1) assist households in maintaining compliance with their TANF benefits, 2) reduce barriers to self-sufficiency and employment, such as language or cultural barriers, for both spouses if a two-parent household and 3) assist the employment ready spouse(s) in securing full-time employment. The intern will work directly under the supervision of one of the RTCP employment specialists.  

Responsibilities:  

• Assess new clients through creating their individual initial employment plan and pre-employment budget.  

• Conduct bulk Zoom or in-person skill-building or information sessions, including on job readiness, interviews, digital literacy, public transport, childcare options, driver’s licenses, GED courses and credential evaluation.  

• Assist clients with public benefit application follow-up, calls to external service providers and referrals to internal and external services.  

• Create individualized resumes and cover letters, assist with finding job leads and complete job applications with clients.  

• Strategically research potential employer partners and conduct outreach.  

• Regularly track service provision through electronic data entry and organize required client documentation.  

• Other duties assigned by the RTCP team. 

Learning Objectives:  

• Intern will gain US resettlement agency experience in assessing new clients.  

• Intern will learn how to train and communicate with varied stakeholders, including how to effectively utilize interpreters.  

• Intern will acquire knowledge of programs and public benefits available to humanitarian immigrants.  

• Intern will learn how to effectively create resumes and job search for clients.  

• Intern will gain skills in strategic research and outreach strategies.  

• Intern will learn reporting requirements for resettlement agencies and how capturing this data improves services.  

Qualifications 

• Current undergraduate, graduate student or less than 12 months out of school. *  

• Minimum 24 hours per week, three-month commitment and three full working days per week; full-time 32-40 hours per week highly preferred.  

• Strong digital literacy skills and the ability to learn new software and tasks.  

• Organized and attentive to detail.  

• Ability to work independently and multi-task.  

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.  

• Experience or interest in conducting trainings.  

• Interest in working in a global environment  refugee and humanitarian populations.  

• Fluency in Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian, Spanish, Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda, Tigrinya, or Amharic is a plus.  

• Access to an insured vehicle preferred, but not required.  

TO APPLY
Click Apply Now at the top of this page. Please attach a resume, cover letter and list of (at least) three references to your application. The deadline for applying is 01/04/2027.

This position is for the Fall semester and requires a minimum commitment of 24 hours per week. Ability to work in-person at the Silver Spring office and at a minimum of 15 hours per week is required.

Spring 2027 interns are expected to begin their internship term by attending an in-person intern orientation on Jan 25th, 2027, from 9:15AM-3:30PM.

We currently offer internships during the following semesters:

Spring: January – May
Summer: June – August
Fall: September – December

Internships are typically posted 2-3 months prior to the anticipated start date.

Note: Internships with the IRC in Silver Spring are unpaid. Spring 2027 interns may be eligible for per diem reimbursement at the rate of $15/day to offset the costs of food and travel. For information on scholarship opportunities, contact your university or the IRC Silver Spring Community Engagement Coordinator Lalah Ehrari atLalah.Ehrari@rescue.org.

*Candidates applying not enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program and outside of 12 months from graduation are welcome to apply. These candidates will be processed as volunteers. 

To protect our clients, the IRC requires all selected applicants to complete background checks. We ask that you make a $30 donation to help us cover the associated costs. Currently, 87% of our funding goes directly to programming to support our clients, and your help to cover this cost will ensure that no funding is directed away from serving our clients. Instructions will be provided after you have been selected to intern or volunteer. 

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law

Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

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Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.