Walk-in Services Intern (Spring 2026)

Scope ofWork:The Walk-In Services team is the first point of contact forthe nearly 2000new walk-in clients who visit the IRC in Silver Springeach year. The team works directly with humanitarian immigrants of varying statuses resettling in the DC Metro areato ensure that they have timely access to both internal and externalprogramming and benefits. This service opportunity will be trained and supervised by anIntake Specialist ortheIntake Coordinator.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct in-person screenings to assess clients fortheir eligibility for referral to internal IRC programmingincluding casework employmentand immigration services & for external publicbenefitsand resources.
• Completeprogramenrollment forms with clients to inform them of their rights and responsibilities & ensure all required client documentation is scanned and electronically on file.
• Assist clients with applying for eligible public benefits including cash assistance and medical insurance.
• Conduct follow-up calls with new potential clients inquiring about IRC services including providing them with walk-in day information rescheduling and responding togeneral inquiries.
• Assist the team with schedulingcontractinterpreters for appointments.
• Regularly track service provision through electronic data entryand organize required client documentation.
• Other dutiesasassigned by theWalk-In Servicesteam.

Learning Objectives:

• Intern will gain USresettlement agency experienceincludingassessinga high volumeand broad range ofnewpotentialclients.
• Intern will acquire knowledge ofinternalprograms and public benefits available to humanitarian immigrants.
• Internwill learn how to communicate with a global population including how to effectively utilizeinterpreters.
• Internwill learntracking andreporting requirements for resettlement agencies and how capturing this data improves services.

Qualifications

• Current undergraduate graduate student or less than 12 months out of school. *
• Minimum24hours per weekthree-monthcommitment and threefull working days per week.
• Proficientdigital literacy skills(e.g. MS Excel Outlook and Word)and the ability to learn new software and tasks.
• Organizedand attentive to detail.
• Ability to work independentlyand multi-task.
• Strong verbal and writtencommunicationskills.
• Interestinworking with humanitarianimmigrants
• Knowledge of or interest in learning about public benefits and other community resources.
• FluencyinFrench Spanish Amharic or other languages spoken by the client base is a plus.

TO APPLY
Click Apply Now at the top of this page. Please attach a resume cover letter and a list of (at least) three references to your application. The deadline to apply is January 5th 2026.

This position is for the Spring semester andrequires a minimum commitment of 24 hours per week. 32 37.5 hours per week preferred. Ability to come in-person to Silver Spring office is required.

Spring 2026 Interns are expected to begin their internship term by attending an in-person intern orientation on January 26th 2026 from 9:15AM-3:30PM.

We currently offer internships during the following semesters:

Spring: January May
Summer: June August
Fall: September December
Internships are typically posted 2-3 months prior to the anticipated start date.

Note: Internships with the IRC in Silver Spring are unpaid. Spring 2026 interns may be eligible for per diem reimbursement at the rate of $15/day to offset the costs of food and travel. For information on scholarship opportunities contact your university or the IRC Silver Spring Community Engagement Coordinator Michalina Kulesza at .

*Candidates applying not enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program and outside of 12 months from graduation are welcome to apply. These candidates will be processed as volunteers.

To protect our clients the IRC requires all selected applicants to complete background checks. We ask that you make a $30 donation to help us cover the associated costs. Currently 87% of our funding goes directly to programming to support our clients and your help to cover this cost will ensure that no funding is directed away from serving our clients. Instructions will be provided after you have been selected to intern or volunteer.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race sex color national origin religion sexual orientation age marital status veteran status disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

The IRC is committed to fostering an accessible workplace. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds experiences and abilities to apply for positions that align with their qualifications and interests. If you are selected for an interview please inform your recruiter if you require any accommodations during the recruitment process. Examples of accommodations may include extended time for interviews or assessments flexible scheduling to accommodate medical appointments or assistance with communication needs. The IRC has offices in many locations each with varying capacities to provide specific accommodations. While we are committed to doing our best to meet your needs please note that certain accommodations may depend on the resources and facilities available at each location. Please know we will carefully consider all requests and make every effort to ensure a supportive and accessible recruitment process.