Adult ESL Classroom Intern

Organizational Description:

Journey's End Refugee Services, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to employ the best-qualified personnel without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, gender identity, marital status, or any other reason prohibited by law. 

Journey’s End Refugee Services, Inc. is a refugee resettlement and immigration services provider for the Western New York Region. Journey’s End works to assist newly arriving refugees to find gainful employment and avoid dependency on social services. 

Hours Required:

10-20 hours per week for 3 months. Hours available between 9-12 M-Th.

Position Description:

Our adult ESL courses focus primarily on conversational English. The goal is to improve speaking skills and to help students engage in the surrounding community. Classes meet Monday-Thursday from 9:00am-12:00pm at the Tri-Main building.

The Intern will support our adult ESL teachers with preparing lesson plans and instructing students. Duties will also include co-evaluation and monitoring of student performance in accordance with classroom teacher's methods. Interns will assist newly arrived English Language Learners (ELL) with literacy skills and language development. Interns will co-plan, prepare and deliver instructional activities that facilitate active learning experiences.

Interns will be expected to establish and communicate clear objectives for all learning activities, prepare classroom for activities and clean up after class is finished, use relevant technology to support instruction, provide appropriate feedback on student work, monitor and encourage individual student progress, work with classroom volunteers to provide small group or one-on-one instruction, and perform other tasks and responsibilities as assigned by cooperating teacher or program coordinator.

This is an unpaid internship. A portion of the intern's time will be dedicated to their personal educational development including a thorough training in Journey's End and its mission.

Requirements:

  • Current graduate or undergraduate student.

  • An interest in teaching and adult education.

  • Desire to work with refugees and other immigrants.

  • Professionalism, dependability, confidentiality, and punctuality.

  • Adaptability to a rapidly changing environment.

  • Effective interpersonal communication skills for working with people from other cultures and with limited English.

  • An interest in the daily functioning of non-profit organizations.

Intern will gain:

  • Teaching and classroom management observational experience.

  • Experience working with the refugee population and learning the concerns and issues thereof.

  • Professional feedback and guidance.

Journey’s End supervisors will:

  • Communicate with intern about learning goals and outcomes.

  • Train and evaluate intern.

  • Provide proof of attendance, if needed.

Interested candidates should email a résume and cover letter to volunteer@jersbuffalo.org. No phone calls please.