Summer 2024: Microenterprise Intern (Unpaid)

Requisition ID: req51044

Job Title: Summer 2024: Microenterprise Intern (Unpaid)

Sector: Employment

Employment Category: Intern

Employment Type: Part-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: San Diego, CA USA

Work Arrangement: Fully Remote

Job Description

*Please note: this is an unpaid internship. This position is anticipated to start in May 2024.* 

IRC IN SAN DIEGO BACKGROUND: Founded in 1933, the IRC is a leading organization providing relief, protection, and resettlement services for refugees and victims of oppression throughout the U.S. IRC in San Diego has resettled over 31,000 refugees to San Diego County over the past 48 years and provides numerous program services. In San Diego, the IRC opened its doors in 1975 and has grown to serve approximately 7,000 refugee and immigrant individuals from 115 countries of origin each year through 5 different departments. 

The IRC in San Diego has provided training, technical assistance, and loans to refugee and low-income entrepreneurs for nearly 15 years. 

SCOPE OF INTERN WORK: As part of the Microenterprise program, IRC’s In-Home Childcare Licensing Program offers refugees the opportunity to become a licensed in-home family service provider. Through a three week comprehensive program, participants gain the necessary knowledge and skills in order to become licensed and start a family childcare business. Participants learn about business basics such as book keeping, financial management and marketing, how to submit the license, as well as health, nutrition, and other childcare topics. 

The Microenterprise Program Intern will provide both administrative and direct service support to the in-home childcare licensing program.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide assistance enrolling in-home child care entrepreneurs into the program
• Assist with intake and support of walk-in clients
• Support the business counselor in the preparation of applications for the childcare license
• Conduct quality assurance tasks including self-audits
• Provide assistance monitoring the childcare program by conducting follow up assessments and gathering data on outcomes
• Enter data and track outcomes through the IRC’s Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) database
• Provide support facilitating and coordination trainings
• Conduct outreach and participate in public events as needed

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Gain insight into the implementation of a microenterprise program and the workings of serving in-home family childcare providers (FCP)
• Learn about the needs of refugee childcare entrepreneurs
• Learn how microenterprise programs track outcomes and measure success

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS:

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or certificate program
• Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline (business, economics, finance, social sciences or outstanding current undergraduate pursuing a relevant degree.)
• Experience with both administrative work and direct service with diverse populations
• Excellent organization skills, strong communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to effectively collaborate
• English fluency required, proficiency in a refugee language (Arabic, Farsi, Swahili) a plus
• Time Commitment: 4 months, 10-20 hours per day

This position reports directly to the Child Care Business Counselor. 

Compensation: This is an unpaid internship opportunity. 

Working Environment:

• The Microenterprise Program Internship is a remote position.
• San Diego Office hours are scheduled Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm PST. The internship will run from May 6, 2024 to August 6, 2024.

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.