Internship Program Summer 2026

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:

• Spring Internship: June 1,2026 through mid-August 2026

(Applications requested by May 2, 2026, considered thereafter until positions are filled)

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 Manchester, NH office are required.

Education Services Teaching Internship Overview

IINE’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program serves clients ages 18+ who are committed to taking their next college and career steps in the United States. This internship is designed to balance interaction with IINE students, IINE teachers, and IINE admin, granting insight into how our educational programs run from both a classroom perspective and a nonprofit organizational perspective. ESOL is taught in a College and Career Readiness context; the program is student-centered and experiential. Interns serve as coaches to help clients learn basic self-sufficiency skills, get jobs, get better jobs, enter training programs, or further their education. ESOL classes are held weekday mornings, afternoons, and evenings. All Education Services Teaching interns will be supervised by an experienced ESOL Instructor and can expect to gain valuable experience developing both individual lesson plans and unit-length curriculum, teaching lessons online and in person, conducting assessments and interpreting scores, and tutoring students.

Reports To: ESOL Instructor or Lead ESOL Instructor

Location: Manchester, NH (hybrid format)

Key Responsibilities:

• Attend weekly Education Program meetings
• Assist teachers with instruction in classrooms, particularly in literacy class
• Coach students on career, education, and civic engagement goals
• Attend field trips with instructors and students in the community
• Help proctor, evaluate, and record English assessments for students
• Facilitate one-on-one orientation for newly arrived refugee clients
• Assist instructor with developing individualized learning plans for students
• Develop lessons supporting learning objectives from employers for workplace literacy contextualized instruction
• Assist the Education administrative staff in updating client records

Qualifications:

• Interest in international, refugee, asylee, and/or immigrant issues
• Patience speaking with non-native English speakers / second language-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 (standard), Arabic (Darija), French, Haitian Creole, Spanish, Ukrainian, Portuguese, Somali, Swahili, and Nepali preferred
• Highly organized with great attention to detail and ability to handle multiple tasks
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Zoom, and OneDrive/SharePoint
• Evening availability for ESOL course assistance desirable

Learning Objectives:

1. Prepare and facilitate classroom instruction for adult continuing education programs.
2. Identify and employ best practices to communicate with beginner-level ESOL students.
3. Become familiar with the best practices and progress milestones used in Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) and Workplace Literacy (WPL) programs.
4. Certify to administer standardized tests approved by the National Reporting System (NRS) and become familiar with score ranges and level descriptors in order to inform placement decisions and track student progress.
5. Identify and access community resources and services, particularly those that cater to the needs of refugees and immigrants.
6. Understand the US Refugee Resettlement program, as well as what part VOLAGs and resettlement agencies like the International Institute of New England play in receiving and integrating refugees.

Respectfully express and engage with ideas and values in a multicultural, multilingual envir