Now, we have seniors who are in the midst of making decisions about internship. There are certainly a million variables that go into making such a big decision. A bit about how we do internships here at Western Oregon University - Our students do a full time internship during the Spring term of their senior year. That means 350 hours over a 10 week term.
Here is our question to you - where did you do your internship? What did you learn? what do you wish you had done? pros/cons? Other things that our seniors should consider as they are making their decisions?
Thanks for your input!
I did an internship in a K-12 setting for my first ITP. I got placements that were the antithesis of the things I "wanted" (read: felt comfortable in). I learned that the best thing we can do is challenge our comfort boundaries. Internship is a safe place to explore those scary places - do something that scares you while there is a safety net.
ReplyDeleteMy second internship was through WOU with an interpreting agency - I worked both in the office and went out for internship hours with 6-8 different mentors. Again, exploring in a safety net was an important lesson. Also, having too many mentors can become a barrier to developing strong relationships with any of the mentors. Having more than one model is a good thing, having more than one perspective is also useful, however an internship has to have space for safety to ask questions, to develop ways of thinking, to develop a strong relationship that can continue past the formal internship time-period.
The final thing I would add here is that an internship, regardless of where one is placed, how challenging it is, or how relationships develop, is what the INTERN decides to make it. Don't be passive. Don't let other people decide your path. Ask questions. Be an active learner. Take every opportunity you can to get feedback, to discuss issues, to discover who you want to be as an interpreter. Have fun.
Jean Miller
I got to do my internship at a community college and I loved it. I chose that site because I knew I wanted to work in post-secondary settings,I knew I would be seeking work in the area and wanted to develop professional relationships that could possibly lead to work after I graduated. I agree with Jean's statements about doing something that scares you. Internship is a great opportunity to take some risks in safe environment. I will always treasure the relationships I developed during internship. I really enjoyed working with the same staff of interpreters and the same group of consumers every week. A 10 week term was perfect to see my growth and improvement in each setting throughout my time there. I also had the opportunity to attend staff meetings and develop professional relationships not only with my fellow interpreters but with other staff at the college. I could not have asked for a better internship experience, but you should expect that there will be some rough days. I even had a moment where I had to leave a class so I could cry for a minute and came back and jumped back in. But looking back now, I am grateful for those tears and those frustrations. I learned how to stay composed even when I felt like I might fall apart and being resilient is an important part of what we do.
ReplyDeleteYa know,I need some help. I am looking for activities that i can serve deaf people but i acant seem to find any..
ReplyDeleteI did my internship in a k-12 setting in the very hot state of Arizona. It was 100% worth it! In Arizona they have a higher standard for interpreters (they are ahead of the curve it seems). You have to either have your EIPA 3.5 or (any) RID cert. to work in the k-12 setting. You must be certified and have a licensure to freelance or work in the community college settings. I would recommend going somewhere out of your comfort zone. You will learn more and grow a lot as an interpreter if someone isn't right there to hold your hand.
ReplyDeleteI did my internship in a prison. I interpreted with two qualified mentors during the group and individual therapy sessions for sexual offenders.
ReplyDeleteAnd, somehow, i still managed to become an interpreter after that. Twelve years of professional service and counting.....:D