Internship benefits / incentives

Internship benefits / incentives

Internship benefits/incentives

Housing and living

All international interns are provided with housing with basic amenities during their internship in India. A room is usually shared by two to three interns. The accommodation is either in the organisation hostel or with a home-stay family. The hostels usually are independent flats / apartments / houses located near the project work sites where interns work. Interns live and work together with other interns from around the world.

Interns live in urban or peri-urban rural villages near to district headquarters. There are nearby grocery and convenience shops. All  centres have a hospital / mall / restaurants within about 10 to 45 minutes of the living / work facilities. At few places, one may have to heat water manually and take a bucket-mug bath as the automatic warm water shower may not be functional. Hygiene standards may be relatively low compared to the west but have been found to be comfortable.

Food

Interns get freshly cooked food / meals cooked by the family or / and the facility caretaker at the living facilities close to the workplace. Interns can also cook for themselves in the kitchen in the intern house with / without assistance of the caretaker/cook. Interns also go out for some meals / weekends to eat locally at the local restaurants.

Transport

Every intern is reimbursed for work place local travels in general class bus or train, as and when pre-approved.

Communications

Free internet is available facility. Additionally a local mobile phone SIM cards with daily 1.5 GB phone internet data is provided to all interns as an additional incentive. Interns are required to bring their own laptop and mobile phones.

Holidays

Interns do plan and take time off individually or at-times in groups to support each other and share the costs on weekends or holidays travel. Also you will be entitled to one week holiday after every 2 months of work.

Training and development

As part of our internship program, all interns are able to undertake a 6 to 12 week experiential learning course related to your project or interest area (includes pre/post internship orientation).

CIEEL India courses are designed to develop experiential knowledge and conceptual understanding to topics that are specifically related to EduCARE India’s field work.  The purpose of these courses is to support the integration of theory and practice whilst fostering personal and professional development, and innovation at work-place.  Through participating in organised community engagement activities, you will gain a better understanding of the course content and gain a broader appreciation of the topic overall.  These courses are an integrated part of many an EduCARE India projects and internships.

A short pre-arrival online induction course is also available for all confirmed interns which covers detailed information about the organisation, Indian culture, cultural integration and adaption and project management tools.

Publications

Interns have the opportunity to have their internship reports or field work research published in our online journal.

The Journal of Intercultural Experiential Education and Learning (JIEEL) is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal presenting a diverse range of articles in subject areas such as experiential learning, learning through work-based internship, volunteer work, service learning, grassroots-level sustainable development experiences, therapeutic applications, research and theory, the creative arts, cross-cultural and Eco-travelling, outdoor adventure programming, and much more.

JiEEL is a yearly publication for university students, development workers, interns, volunteers and eco-travellers.

Career progression

We allow interns to work on more than one project. Interns may apply for a (Asst) Project Manager position and progress to become a Project Manager. Individuals can apply to become a paid Fellow after 6-months of internship for a 1-year extended contract that can start after 6-months duration of stay with the approval of the Executive Committee. The selection is based on one’s workplace conduct, performance, management and leadership abilities.

Fellowships

The title fellow is used for participants in our 1-2 year professional development fellowship program who already possess some level of academic or professional expertise that will serve our non-profit and social enterprise missions.  Interns may apply for a one year fellowship award after successfully completing 3 to 6 months of unpaid internship.

Our fellows are experienced graduates or fresh post-graduates who have shown their commitment and alignment with the organisation and its philosophy throughout a 3 to 6 month internship with us.  They are given a monthly stipend limited by the government rules for covering the living expenses, including accommodation and food. The first three months of Fellowship are probationary. Additional incentives can be drawn from our affiliate ecoproductstore / ecotravel social enterprise promotion and sales online that includes paid cultural-tour to some travel sites in India, reimbursement of 1-year visa extension fee, basic insurance and return home actual economy ticket fare expenses limited to $600 (calculated 3-months in advance).

Founded in 2011, the Fellowship Program is a premier program for youth leadership and social service for enrolled EduCARE India internship participants or alumni. These Fellowships offer first-hand working experience to a select motivated and aligned young women / men at the managerial levels of the NGO social enterprise and sustainable development organisation.