Education Services (ESOL) Internship

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. Interns can also expect to spend some time each week supporting their office's front desk, assisting the Office Manager and learning to better navigate the services at the Institute.

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

Summer Internship: June 1, 2026 through August 28, 2026
(Applications requested by May 2, 2026; considered thereafter until positions are filled)

First consideration is given to applicants that can commit at least 12 hours (IINE-Lowell or IINE-Manchester internships) or 16 hours (IINE-Boston internships) over the course of one of the semesters 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.

Education Services Internship Overview

IINE’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program serves clients ages 18+ through student-centered and experiential techniques. Interns serve as coaches to help clients gain beginning English skills that will allow them to secure jobs, advance in their careers, enter training programs, or further their education. ESOL classes are held weekday mornings and evenings. All ESOL interns will be supervised by the ESOL Instructor and can expect to gain valuable experience developing and implementing lesson plans, conducting workshops, and tutoring students.

Reports To: ESOL Instructor
Location: Lowell, MA

Key Responsibilities:

• Help facilitate orientations for newly arrived refugee clients.
• Assist teachers with instruction in the ESOL classes
  • Tutor students one-on-one
• Assist the ESOL Instructor in updating client records

Provide general administrative assistance to the ESOL Program teams

Qualifications:

• Interest in international, refugee, asylee, and/or immigrant issues
• Language skills in Spanish, Haitian Creole, French, Ukrainian, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, and/or Arabic strongly preferred
• Patience speaking with non-native English speaks/non-English speakers
• Professionalism, discretion, and maturity in dealing with confidential information
• Tutoring or teaching experience, especially in small groups or on a one-on-one basis
  • Experience teaching or tutoring adult learners preferred
  • Participation in education-focused programs and English-teaching certifications (TEFL, TESL, TESOL) given first consideration
• Language skills in Arabic, Dari, Pashto, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Somali, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, or Haitian Creole preferred
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines

Learning Objectives:

1. Prepare and facilitate student-centered classroom instruction for adult continuing education programs
2. Identify and employ best practices to communicate with ESOL students of all levels
3. Gain multi-level classroom management skills
4. Identify and access community resources and services, particularly those that cater to the needs of refugees and immigrants.
5. Identify best practices associated with business management related to both non-profits and for-profits
6. Understand the US Refugee Resettlement program, as well as what part the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and resettlement agencies like the International Institute of New England play in receiving and integrating refugees.
7. Respectfully express and engage with ideas and values in a multilingual environment.