Duties of Interns
Instructional Interns participate in the teaching process as members of the instructional staff. Through this practicum, they have the opportunity to gain documented experience in various aspects of the teaching process. The specific responsibilities should be determined in detail, and specified in writing, before the internship begins. Examples include meeting with students during office hours, attending staff meetings, grading factual quizzes or checking homework, conducting discussion groups or conversation practice or other types of class meetings, preparing slides or handouts or other instructional material, developing or evaluating multimedia materials such as websites or assisting instructors in using materials, and so forth. All Instructional Interns are expected to maintain professionalism in the performance of their responsibilities. Absolutely no violation of professional ethics or confidentiality will be tolerated.

Quick Facts about the Internship
1. The Chinese internship counts toward the Chinese minor requirement. A successful internship experience on your C.V. will also be looked at positively by graduate school admission committees and potential employers.

2. The internship is an official course (LA 496) offered by the Chinese program. The standard number of credits is 3, which entails a minimum of 9 hours of work per week. Under exceptional circumstances, you may take the course for less or more credits (that correspond to less or more hours of work). For example, if you take the course for 4 credits, you need to plan ahead and set aside 12 hours of work per week for this course. See the Courses section for detail.

3. You will receive a letter grade for the course. As with any other course you are taking, you have the responsibility to buy the textbooks. If you do not wish to buy personal copies of the books, you may share the books with other interns or your friends, as long as you have access to the materials when you are at work.

4. NOT ALL INTERNS AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE AN A FOR THE COURSE. LIKE OTHER COURSES, STUDENTS MAY FAIL THE INTERNSHIP COURSE IF THEY DO NOT MEET THE COURSE REQUIREMENTS.

5. You will work closely with the teaching team. Duties vary from preparation of teaching materials, maintaining the program and course websites, developing an online digital archive of textual/audio/visual materials for instructors, planning field trips or enrichment activities, to working as peer tutors and conversation partners.

6. Interns are required to write an end-of-sememster self-evaluation of their work. They will also receive evaluations from their supervisor so that problems can be corrected early on. Good communication helps the students avoid unpleasant surprises at the end of the semester.

7. Interns do NOT teach any classes. They work for the Chinese program, not for any particular instructor. Interns may, however, be invited to the class on an occasional basis, such as to introduce themselves to the students so that students know who they are and when their peer tutoring hours are. Interns may also, from time to time, be invited to class to assist in classroom activities for particularly large classes, to talk about their experiences studying abroad, or to share tips about mastering Chinese.

Experience
Click here to read previous interns' comments.

Eligibility
Any full-time Penn State undergraduates in good standing who is approved by the Department. Usually, but not always, interns are students who are Chinese Minors or majoring in the Department of Comparative Literature or have taken courses in the Department. This is an undergraduate internship program.

Qualifications
1. Registered, full-time Penn State - University Park undergraduate students in good academic standing (demonstrated by the transcript; unofficial transcript acceptable)

2. An appropriate level of linguistic and cultural proficiency in Mandarin Chinese (including speaking, writing, reading, and listening). Interns are a resource for all students registered in all Chinese courses; therefore, the interns need to be able to handle questions from students at the level(s) of class assigned to the interns. *Note: Certain positions do not require a high level of proficiency in Chinese, such as the webmaster or cultural event coordinator.

3. Excellent communication and management skills; enthusiastic about languages and cultures and motivated to help other students master Chinese.

4. Has a good understanding of professional ethics and be able to conducts oneself professionally.

5. An understanding of and willingness to promote the Program visions and teaching methods: the teaching and learning of Chinese language and culture of the Chinese-speaking world in a supportive, immersive (Chinese-speaking) environment. Both simplified and traditional Chinese are taught, with an emphasis on diversity issues within and beyond the Chinese-speaking world.

6. Experience studying abroad (especially in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Macau) desirable.

7. Previous experience in a teaching (tutor) position desirable

8. Computer skills (ANGEL, WORD, PowerPoint, DreamWeaver, Photoshop, audio/video digitization, use of scanner, etc.) preferable but not required. Willingness to learn new skills is crucial. Chinese typing skill highly desirable.

Characteristics of Successful Interns
We have had a very diverse group of interns with a variety of majors, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Non-native speakers and those who do not have family background in Chinese are especially encouraged to apply.

Note: Native speakers do not always make good language teachers. Being a successful intern and peer tutor takes time and a willingness to learn. Successful interns possess some common characteristics, including:

They come to meetings on time, respond to emails from supervisors in a time and professional manner.

They pay attention to and follow instructions; they participate actively in the program.

They cooperate and contribute in a positive manner.

They understand the Chinese Program's goals and help to promote a heterogeneous understanding of "China."

They work with other interns and the students in class and are team players.

They are patient because they accept the fact that learning a foreign language takes time. They also understand that errors are part of the learning process.

They don't overextend themselves with other activities and courses.

They understand that how well they do (in the internship program) depends on how much they put into their own work. They take responsibility for their own work.

How to apply
Select an appropriate form, print it out, and follow the instructions on the form. Apply by August 20 for fall semester internship and by November 15 for spring semester internship.

Chinese Internship Application Forms:
Simplifed-Character Version
Traditional-Character Version

Application Guidelines
Students interested in developing management and teaching skills, and working with the Chinese program teaching team are invited to apply.

You need to select the appropriate form (either simplified or traditional Chinese), fill it out carefully, and submit it to Ms. Liana Chen's mail box in 311 Burrowes. Be sure you are consistent in the script you choose when writing in Chinese; do not mix simplified with traditional characters.

If you are short listed, you will be invited to an interview. Final decisions will be made before the semester begins. It is to your advantage to submit your application at your earliest convenience. Be advised that competition for the positions is likely to be keen, especially for spring semester when the enrollment goes down. The number of intern positions the program is able to offer depends on the number of students enrolled.

NOTE: Native or heritage speakers do not necessarily make good interns and tutors. It takes professional training to become a good teacher of a foreign language, not just native fluency. Statistically, those who want to be an intern simply because they speak Chinese and think the internship will earn them an easy A are less likely to be admitted to the internship program. Further, this type of students are less likely to succeed as a Chinese minor or an intern.

Do the instructional interns receive credit?
Usually, yes. Some interns prefer not to sign up for credit, but most choose credits under LA 496 or CHNS 596. The number of credits depends upon the amount of time involved. As a general guideline, 1 credit = about three hours of time commitment per week.

How are Instructional Interns supervised?
Each intern works with the instructor(s) of the class(es) for which the internship duties are performed. In some cases, there is also a course supervisor or coordinator. General expectations are set by the Department's Handbook for Instructors. Interns should obtain a copy of this booklet and follow all applicable aspects. Interns who are conducting classes or discussion-groups should be observed in class by their supervisor at least twice per semester. Feedback, evaluations, and frequent advice from supervisors are necessary in order for Interns to have good opportunities for professional growth.

How are Instructional Interns graded?
As with the other academic credits, internship credits are graded according to the quality of the work performed with reference to the assignments given. Assessment of quality may include the supervisor's judgment of the promptness and accuracy of grading quizzes; student-evaluation forms (SRTE's or other forms) for tutorial hours conducted by the interns; the usefulness of contributions to staff meetings, and so forth. For an A, Interns are expected to perform all assigned duties reliably, professionally, and at consistently high quality. A- represents generally fine work, grades in the B range represent good work but with room for improvement, a grade in the C range might reflect satisfactory contributions in some respects but a significant problem in performance, etc. Grades of A are frequeny, but not automatic - they must be earned, just as in other courses.

At mid-semester, interns will be advised (in writing) of the supervisor's evaluation, including the grade so far, and given guidance in how to improve their performance if necessary.

See the grading criteria on the Internship Evaluation Form.