Fall 2026 Adult Education Intern - UNPAID

About the role

The IRC’s Adult Education Intern assists refugee and immigrant adults in ESL classes to develop the language skills critical for success. The classes aim to build vocabulary and communication skills, convey skills necessary for the American workforce, and impart information about integral life skills and systems so that clients can be successful and productive members of their communities, that they can be civically engaged, and so that they can pursue career pathways of their choice.

Responsibilities

• Teach groups of students in multi-level classes following curriculum developed by lead instructor.
• Aid instructor in developing and implementing multi-level comprehension and literacy activities.
• Support outside-of-class functions of the Adult Education program in recruitment and outreach, intake and orientation, classroom support, and retention and follow-up activities.
• Support program activities by researching new curriculum content and preparing educational materials as requested by instructor.
• Submit intern hours on volunteer dashboard.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Strong communication skills: communication between instructors and fellow class assistants before, during, and after classes, and communication with adult Education language learners during classes.
• Availability for at least 9 hours of class time per week.
• An interest in or experience with teaching in generally and teaching ESL specifically.
• An interest in working closely with a diverse population of adults.
• Comfortable in working in a cross-cultural environment, in-person, online, and over the phone, with adult learners, sometimes with little or no English proficiency.
• Comfortable in working with a variable number of students (individually and in groups).
• Ability to work in a collaborative environment and in co-teaching.
• Comfortable in adapting learning activities with limited notice.
• Fluent in spoken and written English.
• Bi-lingual abilities are not necessary but can be a plus.

Requirements

• Must submit intern hours on volunteer portal.
• Must pass a background check.
• Commitment of 9 hours per week for a minimum of 3 consecutive months.
• Must be at least 18 years old.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.
• Note: We are unable to provide sponsorship for a US work authorization.

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.