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Refugee Walk-in Services Intern - Spring 2025

Silver Spring MD

  • Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
  • Location: Silver Spring MD
  • Grade: Internship - Internship
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Refugee rights and well-being
  • Closing Date: 2025-01-06

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Background: 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 newrefugees, asylees, parolees, and other humanitarian immigrantsresettling 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, includingassessing 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.

Minimum 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 APPLY

Click 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 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. 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 Michalina.Kulesza@Rescue.org.

*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 IRC.Recruitment@rescue.org. As required by law, the IRC will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with a known disability.


Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.
We do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.