Intern FAQ
Thank you for your interest in supporting The Avery Center with your time and expertise! Our internship program is only available to current students (undergrad or graduate). Students must have a university requirement for an internship and a pre-set amount of hours to contribute each week. Some interns work for us full-time during their clinical semester, and other interns track nine hours a week while maintain full-time classes. All internships are unpaid, but most students receive college credit for their hours.
Our interns are divided into two separate teams: research and service. The service team typically attracts students from Human Services and Social Work majors. These interns work with the Job Program, Care Package Program, Day Center, and other operational projects. These interns have direct contact with our service recipients and are supervised by our Director of Services.
Our research interns are supervised by our Director of Research, in collaboration with their university advisor. These interns participate in all levels of research from conducting interviews, data collection, analysis, and project deliverables. Research projects have previously focused on mapping legal services, monitoring trafficking activity, interviewing survivors about services, and demand reduction strategies. The projects are always rotating and there is flexibility to incorporate your own research interests.
"I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated the opportunity to do an internship with you! I didn’t know anything about this topic before the internship and I really learned a lot. Thank you for sharing your personal story and helping me understand this part of the world. I think that the work you are doing is very important and I loved being a part of it!"
—Jenna | Intern with The Avery Center
Internship Program Applications and Onboarding
All intern applicants (regardless of service or research) are required to undergo the following process.
Step 1: Submit an online application.
This includes links for a background check, confidential agreement, and photo release form. A self-paid background check is required for all The Avery Center volunteers age 18 and above. By covering this cost, you are supporting the work we are doing. If you already have a background check from university applications, you are welcome to submit a prior one. Please keep in mind that criminal history is not an automatic disqualifier to working with us.
Step 2: Wait for background check clearance.
It may take 7-14 business days for us to receive the completed results of your background check back. Once your clearance has come through, you will be emailed by a member of The Avery Center staff to schedule an interview.
Step 3: Internship Program Interview
Interns will interview with either our Director of Services or Director of Research, depending on which team you would like to be a part of.
Step 4: Notification and Onboarding
If you are accepted to the internship program, you will receive access to a link with all of our onboarding materials. Visit the onboarding page and complete the training materials before your first day on-site. This includes mandatory information about our organization and optional resources for further self-learning. From start to finish, you can expect to spend about 2 hours to onboard as an intern with us. This time will count towards your hours for the first week interning.
Thank you for your interest in working with The Avery Center!