Refugee Barrier Reduction Intern - Fall 2025

Responsibilities

• Provide clients with support in the completion and submission of various applications to assist the reduction of barriers to employment in the United States (childcare voucher applications, SafeLink phone applications, etc.).
• Conduct training on the topics of public transportation, childcare options, digital literacy, and understanding public benefits to reduce barriers to employment.
• Support clients in Job Application Hours to understand the process of applying for jobs in the United States and submit needed employment applications to achieve economic self-sufficiency.
• Coordinate with economic empowerment service teams to support clients over the course of their service provision at the IRC in issues of barrier reduction.
• Engage respectfully with all clients, staff and partners.
• Facilitate and conduct client outings (contingent upon office status) to financial institutions, libraries and various other venues to support client engagement with needed resources.

Requirements

Self-motivated and able to work independently
Excellent communication and writing skills
Works well in a fast-paced environment and adapts quickly to change
Strong interest in refugee and asylee issues
Language skills in Spanish, Amharic, Dari, Pashto, French, Kinyarwanda or Swahili are a plus

Qualifications

Preference to current students and recent graduates*

Learning Objectives

• Gain insights into IRC casework and workforce programs and the process of refugee and asylee integration within the United States.
• Communicate effectively with clients in a global environment and with using interpreters.
• Learn individual coaching techniques to engage and empower adults.

Benefits

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.

Pay

The position is unpaid.

Schedule

Fall 2025 interns may be eligible for per diem reimbursement at the rate of $15/day to offset the costs of food and travel.