NJ Children’s Legal Services Intern (Unpaid)

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 50 countries and more than 25 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: International Rescue Committee (IRC)responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work in more than 40 countries and over 20 U.S. cities, the IRC provides resettlement, education and empowerment support to refugees and displaced people.

SCOPE OF WORK (Children’s Legal Services Intern): The Children’s Legal Services (CLS) program in New Jersey provides legal representation to unaccompanied children. To be eligible for services, unaccompanied children must be under the age of 18 at the time they enter the CLS program, have no immigration status, and, at the same time, have been officially designated as an unaccompanied child by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). We help them understand the immigration systems, prepare them for hearings, evaluate and advise them on the types of immigration applications they can file, and assist them with preparing their filings. Many cases will also involve hearings in New Jersey state court, and we provide preparation and representation for those hearings as well. 

This is an unpaid internship but may be pursued for academic credit. If you are planning to obtain academic credit through the position, please indicate this in your cover letter.

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

COMMITMENT: 12-16 hours per week for 12 weeks. Hybrid schedule. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 

PREFERRED:

• Bilingual in Spanish/English highly preferred, but not required.

• Equivalent work experience working with children and or serving low-to-moderate income immigrant populations (including refugees, asylum seekers, etc.)

REQUIREMENTS: 

• Enrollment or recent graduation from an undergraduate or graduate degree program.

• Deep commitment to immigrant rights.

• Motivated, flexible, manages time effectively,and can work independently as well as within a team dynamic.

• IRC orientation and full background check (Live Scan & HireRight) required. 

IRC leading the way From Harm to Home.

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.