Take the time to read through our internship guidelines and see if a WLC internship abroad would be a good fit for you!
The Form
All students taking part in an internship must complete the INTERNSHIP / CO-OP LEARNING CONTRACT (Link to PDF) with a faculty sponsor.
The Definition
An internship is supervised experiential learning which offers you the opportunity to work in a career related position part time while you complete your university studies. In order for a job to be considered an internship, it must meet the following three criteria:
- The experience must be meaningful as related to your degree or subject area.
- You must be provided with supervision and training.
- You must be provided with evaluation or feedback on your professional or skills development.
The Time Commitment
The internship experience required a student to work for a minimum of 4 weeks and a maximum of one semester. Students are required to work a minimum of 40 work hours for 1 credit; a minimum of 85 work hours for 2 credits; a minimum of 130 work hours for 3 credits During a semester this normally means working 8-12 hours a week.
The Money
Each employer is different in its salary policy for interns. Many internships are paid positions, particularly in the fields of computer science, technology, business, engineering, and MIS. However, in the fields of social services and education, many of the internships do not provide a salary. Internships abroad vary.
The Credit
You can receive academic credit for your internship experience if you complete a Learning Contract signed by you, your employer, your faculty sponsor, and the internship coordinator in WLC. The Learning Contract lists the tasks in which you will be involved on the job; stipulates what the learning objectives of your work experience are; and identifies the method of evaluation (e.g., keeping a journal, preparing a research paper, giving a presentation, etc.) agreed to by your faculty sponsor. At the end of your employment, your supervisor must submit to the university an assessment of your professional development. In addition to the Learning Contract, you must register and pay fees for the appropriate amount of academic credit (Chinese, French, German, Russian, Spanish 499), regardless of whether or not you are receiving a salary as part of the internship.
A quick note:Only foreign language majors or minors with at least a 2.5 GPA and 9 credits at the 300 level in the corresponding language are eligible to enroll in Chinese, French, German, Russian, Spanish 499 or WLC 499.
The Fields
The availability of internships in foreign languages is growing, particularly in the translation and interpretation areas, in the field of social services and medicine, and other areas abroad. Spanish language skills continue to be in highest demand, but opportunity exists for students in Chinese, French, German, Russian, and Portuguese. Generally, students can earn internship experience and academic credit by enrolling in an internship as part of a study abroad program. For more information on how to combine study abroad with an internship, talk with a director of a program abroad in your language area.
Additional Information
Students may also seek out their own internship and work with a faculty internship coordinator. For more information about internship opportunities in foreign languages, speak one of the following internship coordinators and/or download the internship Learning Contract: For Spanish contact Professor Julie Wilhelm, 3102 Pearson (jwilhelm@iastate.edu/294-8186). For Chinese, French, German or Russian contact Professor Megan Myers (mjmyers@iastate.edu/294-2306)
Helpful Links
LAS Career Services
Engineering Career Services
International Engineering Programs
Business Career Services
CALS Career Services