Employment & Skill-Building Intern (Fall 2026)

About the role

The Refugee TANF Coordination Program (RTCP) specializes in providing holistic services to humanitarian immigrant parents receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The goal of the program is threefold: assist households in maintaining compliance with their TANF benefits, reduce barriers to self-sufficiency and employment, such as language or cultural barriers, for both spouses if a two-parent household, and assist the employment-ready spouse(s) in securing full-time employment.

Responsibilities

• Assess new clients through creating their individual initial employment plan and pre-employment budget.
• Conduct bulk Zoom or in-person skill-building or information sessions, including on job readiness, interviews, digital literacy, public transport, childcare options, driver’s licenses, GED courses and credential evaluation.
• Absorb clients with public benefit application follow-up, calls to external service providers and referrals to internal and external services.
• Create individualized resumes and cover letters, assist with finding job leads and complete job applications with clients.
• Strategically research potential employer partners and conduct outreach.
• Regularly track service provision through electronic data entry and organize required client documentation.
• Other duties assigned by the RTCP team.

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.
• Strong digital literacy skills 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.
• Experience or interest in conducting trainings.
• Interest in working in a global environment refugee and humanitarian populations.
• Fluency in Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian, Spanish, Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda, Tigrinya, or Amharic is a plus.
• Access to an insured vehicle preferred, but not required.

Learning Objectives

• Intern will gain US resettlement agency experience in assessing new clients.
• Intern will learn how to train and communicate with varied stakeholders, including how to effectively utilize interpreters.
• Intern will acquire knowledge of programs and public benefits available to humanitarian immigrants.
• Intern will learn how to effectively create resumes and job search for clients.
• Intern will gain skills in strategic research and outreach strategies.
• Intern will learn reporting requirements for resettlement agencies and how capturing this data improves services.

How to Apply

To apply, click Apply Now at the top of this page. Please attach a resume, cover letter, and a list of (at least) three references to your application. The deadline to apply is August 21st, 2026. This position is for the Fall semester and requires a minimum commitment of 24 hours per week. Ability to work in-person at the Silver Spring office and at a minimum of 15 hours per week is required. Fall 2026 interns are expected to begin their internship term by attending an in-person intern orientation on September 7th, 2026 from 9:15AM-3:30PM. We Currently Offer Internships During The Following Semesters Spring: January – May Summer: June – August Fall: September – December Internships are typically posted 2-3 months prior to the anticipated start date. Note: Internships with the IRC in Silver Spring are unpaid. Fall 2026 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 Community Engagement Coordinator Michalina Kulesza at michalina.kulesza@rescue.org. Candidates applying not enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program and outside of 12 months from graduation are welcome to apply. These candidates 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.

Professional Standards

All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

US Benefits

In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $163 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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.