Search Associates Internship, anyone?

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jayee
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2016 11:40 am

Search Associates Internship, anyone?

Post by jayee »

Hi! I was wondering if anyone has done an international teaching internship with Search Associates? Could you tell me about your experiences and whether or not you've found it helpful in applying for jobs afterwards?
Monkey
Posts: 74
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2013 2:59 am

Re: Search Associates Internship, anyone?

Post by Monkey »

I did it many moons ago, and overall it was a very good experience. I did it straight out of college, with my new teaching cert in hand. At the time, I didn't know I wanted to pursue IT long-term, so I wasn't worried about future prospects. I just wanted an awesome year in Western Europe. My position as an intern was as an early childhood TA, and since the teacher knew I was a certified teacher myself, she was open enough to turn it into basically a co teaching situation. Not all interns do this. Other interns work in the office, or work as subs, or hop from one role to the next depending on the day and the need. Each school handles the role of an intern differently.

I don't know if the internship really helped my career, but I had a lot of fun! At the end of the year I wanted to stay on, but couldn't do so as a full-time teacher because I lacked 2 years of experience. So I went back home, taught for a few years while getting my M.Ed. Then I hit the IT circuit again. Maybe the internship helped me get my first full-time IT teaching gig, or maybe it was the M.Ed + years of experience in my home country that did it.

Ultimately, I think the benefits of my intern year are a bit nebulous and not easily quantifiable. I made friends, I saw a lot of Europe while earning a (tiny) bit of money, I learned a new language, etc. I'd say the closest thing to career benefits would be that a) I figured out that I wanted to pursue IT while getting a sense of what that life is like from people who'd been doing it, and b) the experience of working with English language learners helped me find a previously unknown passion and a direction for my graduate studies.
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

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Post by PsyGuy »

An Intern class IT is a fully certified DT/IT that generally lacks the 2 years of post certification instructional experience that is the standard bar to entry in IE.
Internship roles vary greatly, some of them are little more than traditional IT appointments at the lowest step on the salary scale. Some of them are glorified TA roles. In general a typical intern package includes salary and no OSH benefits (an LH). Some get OSH benefits but then have greater tasking duties. There can be signifigant variation.
Internship programs are very competitive (at least the true intern programs are), its generally only one position/vacancy school wide, but often these are at upper tier ISs. Be weary of bottom tier ISs that advertise intern vacancies with the intent of cheap labor and/or a student visa.
Internships can lead to full appointments, depending on the needs of the IS and your credentials/qualifications, but most importantly how well you 'fit' within the IS culture, if leadership likes you it very often leads to a full appointment if the IS has a need for the intern.
MartElla
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Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2014 8:15 pm
Location: A long way from home

Re: Search Associates Internship, anyone?

Post by MartElla »

The Upper Tier ISs might have an intern for High School, one for Elementary, one for Middle School. I know of some Tier 1 schools that have hired interns that impressed on a permanent basis. I think they impressed at least as much at fitting in than with the teaching itself. Obviously, they were competent but they also have to thrive in that environment. Some don't, and are found wanting. For others, it's a year abroad and they return home. Some are let go simply because there isn't a position for them, or the school has a better option.

It makes sense for the school to take on interns with talent. They get them on the first step of the salary scale, they can mold them, and they already know that they work well in that particular school.
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