Internships and Work Abroad

Numerous opportunities exist for Augustana Students to utilize and to improve their foreign language skills while working or gaining professional experience abroad.

COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO PLAN TO WORK OVERSEAS

A recent survey¹ conducted of all college students revealed some interesting results. Of those students planning to work overseas:

• 16.8% were non-foreign-language majors who had not studied a foreign language

• 27.9% were non-foreign-language majors who had taken some language classes

• 79.2% were foreign language majors

¹John Watzke (2000). "Student Transitions from the High School Classroom to the College Major:  Implications for Reform" ADFL Bulletin. 31(3): 51.

OPPORTUNITIES TO TEACH ON CAMPUS

Language majors can gain valuable teaching experience and earn a salary by serving as instructors in Augustana College's K-6 Foreign Language Exploratory (FLEX) program. The ten-week sessions introduce young children to foreign languages and cultures. Students interested in applying for instructor positions should contact Donn Grinager, Director of International Programs at Augustana College.

OPPORTUNITIES TO TEACH ABROAD

• FRANCE: The French Ministry of National Education offers between 300 and 400 teaching assistantships each year to American graduate and undergraduate students, under 30 years of age, who are majoring in French and who desire to teach English at the primary or secondary level in France. Assistants spend approximately 12 hours per week teaching, from roughly Oct. 1-April 30, and receive a monthly salary of approximately 930.00 US$. Students do not need a teaching specialization, certificate, or education degree; the sole requirement is a French major. Augustana students interested in this opportunity can contact Professor Fish, visit the web-site of the Ambassade de France, or write to The French Cultural Service in New York city for information on the Assistantship Program: new-york.culture@diplomatie.fr.

• GERMANY: A unique opportunity exists for Augustana students to receive a teaching assistantship at one of three high schools in Germany: Neuendettelsau, Potsdam, or Schloss Salem. The Schule Schloss Salem is a co-educational boarding school which offers the German Abitur as well as an International Baccalaureate. Salem's three campuses are beautifully located in Southern Germany near Lake Constance. The Neuendettelsau program has been in existence for more than thirty years. The Potsdam program is organized through Augustana and the Sister Cities Association of Sioux Falls and has become very popular. Students interested in this opportunity should contact Professor Lhotzky.

OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK ABROAD THROUGH CIEE

The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) provides opportunities for students to work for a semester or summer in a foreign country. For more information on the CIEE work abroad program contact Donn Grinager, Director of International Programs, Augustana College or visit the CIEE Web Page

IMPORTANT WORK ABROAD LINKS

• Careers for Foreign Language Majors

• Work Abroad Resources and Internet Resources

• International and Internet Resources

• International Career Resources

• Overseas Jobs

• Bilingual Jobs & Careers

INTERNSHIPS

Several opportunities exist for students to use their language skills by participating in an internship program either with a company or organization with international interests in the US, or with a company or organization abroad.

• Houghton Mifflin Company's College Division offers a limited number of summer internship positions in several of its departments: Editorial, Marketing and Advertising, Art and Design, Production, Rights and Permissions, Custom Publishing, and Software Development. Editorial interns work in specific discipline areas (e.g. Modern Languages). For more info., visit the Company's Internship web-page.

• Aftercollege maintains a large list of internships by discipline and by state.

• Global Crossroads offers international volunteer opportunities.

• Global Service Corps offers volunteer abroad, internship abroad, and work abroad opportunities.

PEACE CORPS

The Peace Corps offers exciting, challenging and rewarding work opportunities abroad to foreign language majors. Peace Corps representatives visit Augustana each year to talk with students.

•  www.augie.edu/dept/mdfl/work.html  •