Program Benefits & Administration Intern (IINE Lowell)

Fall 2025 Program Benefits & Administration Intern (IINE Lowell)

The International Institute of New England is a 501(c)(3) non-profit serving refugees and immigrants in Boston, MA, Lowell, MA, and Manchester, NH. The Institute offers internships to students, graduate students, and recent graduates with demonstrated interest or experience in supporting refugee, asylee, and immigrant populations. Each internship includes an educational component, through which interns contextualize their experience and reflect on their service.

All internships are unpaid and correspond roughly with the US semester system:

• Fall Internship: September through December 2025.

First consideration is given to applicants that can commit at least 16 hours per week over the course of the semester outlined above. Applicants are encouraged to apply regardless of whether their schedule fits the semester system; IINE makes exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Slots fill quickly and candidates are encouraged to apply earlier than the requested date above.

Please note that this internship will be a hybrid format, meaning that some in-person hours at our Lowell, MA office are required.

Program Benefits & Administration Internship Overview

IINE supports public benefits, including the Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) program from the state of Massachusetts. The objectives of the Program Benefits & Administration Intern are to:

1. Distributing Refugee Cash Assistance checks in a timely and efficient manner
2. Increase the enrollment of clients into the data-entry system Apricot and update client contact information
3. Develop the initial organization and creation of client files and binders
4. Encourage refugees to reach out to IINE when troubleshooting the receipt of Refugee Cash Assistance benefits

Reports to: Program Administration Assistant

Location: Lowell, MA

Key Responsibilities:

The Program Benefits & Administration Intern assists in the general administration tasks relating to the Refugee Cash Assistance program, provide support to clients to update their contact information, and assist with data entry. The intern will:

• Support in mailing Refugee Cash Assistance checks to current clients
• Close Refugee Cash Assistance cases for clients who have timed out, moved out of start, or are no longer eligible for the benefit
• Conduct regular check-ins over-the-phone to update clients contact information, mailing addresses, and to communicate when documents needs to be picked up from the office
• Support in creating new client binders for newly arrived refugees
• Work within Apricot to complete data entry for newly arrived clients and households
• Help with various other tasks as needed

Qualifications:

• Interest in international, refugee, asylee, and/or immigrant issues
• Patience speaking with non-native English speaks/non-English speakers
• Professionalism, discretion, and maturity in dealing with confidential information
• Language skills in Haitian Creole, French, or Spanish preferred
• Highly organized with great attention to detail
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook

Learning Objectives:

1. Develop an understanding of public benefits, including Refugee Cash Assistance
2. Recognize common challenges faced by refugees who receive Refugee Cash Assistance
3. Identify best practices associated with case management, conducting client phone calls, and confidentiality
4. Capture important information from check-ins and meetings in concise case notes
5. Grow skillset within administrative tasks
6. Respectfully express and engage with ideas and values in a multicultural, multilingual environment.