Refugee Walk-in Services Intern - Spring 2025 - International Rescue Committee : Job Details

Requisition ID: req55593Job Title: Refugee Walk-in Services Intern - Spring 2025Sector: Social WorkEmployment Category: InternEmployment Type: Full-TimeLocation: Silver Spring, MD USAJob DescriptionBackground: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities to restore safety, dignity and hope, the IRC leads the way from harm to home. Domestically, our 26 offices across the U.S. ensure new arrivals have food, shelter, and clothing, and work with refugees to help them gain self-sufficiency. Scope of Work: The Walk-In Services team is the first point of contact for the nearly 2,000 new walk-in clients who visit the IRC in Silver Spring each year. The team works directly with new refugees, asylees, parolees, and other humanitarian immigrants resettling in the DC Metro area, including Haitian, Ukrainian, Latin American, African, and Middle Eastern individuals, to ensure that they have timely access to both internal and external programming and benefits. This position will report to an Intake Specialist or the Intake Coordinator. Responsibilities:

• Conduct in-person screenings to assess clients for their eligibility for referral to internal IRC programming, including casework, employment, and immigration services & for external public benefits and resources.
• Complete program enrollment forms with clients to inform them of their rights and responsibilities & ensure all required client documentation is scanned and electronically on file.
• Assist clients with applying for eligible public benefits, including cash assistance and medical insurance.
• Conduct follow-up calls with new potential clients inquiring about IRC services, including providing them with walk-in day information, rescheduling, and responding to general inquiries.
• Assist the team with scheduling contract interpreters for appointments.
• Regularly track service provision through electronic data entry and organize required client documentation.
• Other duties as assigned by the Walk-In Services team.

Learning Objectives:

• Intern will gain US resettlement agency experience, including assessing a high volume and diversity of new potential clients.
• Intern will acquire knowledge of internal programs and public benefits available to humanitarian immigrants.
• Intern will learn how to communicate with a diverse population, including how to effectively utilize interpreters.
• Intern will learn tracking and 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.
• Proficient digital literacy skills (e.g., MS Excel, Outlook, and Word) 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.
• Interest in working with refugee and humanitarian populations.
• Knowledge of or interest in learning about public benefits and other community resources.
• Fluency in Haitian Creole, French, Spanish, Amharic, or Ukrainian is a plus.

TO APPLYClick 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 to apply is January 6, 2025.This position is for Spring 2025 and requires a minimum commitment of 4 months, at least 24 hours per week. 32 - 37.5 hours per week preferred. Spring 2025 Interns are expected to begin their internship term by attending an in-person intern orientation on January 27th, 2025 from 9:15AM-3:30PM. We currently offerinternships during the following semesters:Spring: January - MaySummer: June- AugustFall: September - DecemberInternships are typically posted 2-3 months prior to theanticipated start date.Note: Internships with the IRC in Silver Spring are unpaid. Spring 2025 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 intern coordinator at [email protected].*Candidates applying who are not currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, or are outside 12 months of their graduation 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 leading the way from harm to home.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.If you need assistance in the application or hiring process to accommodate a disability, you may request an accommodation at any time. Please contact Talent Acquisitions at [email protected]. As required by law, the IRC will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with a known disability.