Internship Opportunities

St. John’s is proud to offer unpaid internship opportunities during the semester and summer months. In the past, students have worked at government offices, local universities, private companies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Please note that the purpose of the internship is primarily language acquisition and that placement options are limited, so it may not be possible to place students at locations of their professional interest.

Students in this program will work under the direct guidance of a supervisor from the sponsoring organization who will report to the Faculty Coordinator. In turn, the supervisor may ask to visit the student at the job site at the convenience of the sponsoring organization and will complete an evaluation form at the end of the internship.

The Faculty Coordinator will contact students within one week of arrival to discuss progress, and will also contact the interns’ on-site supervisors to ensure the quality of the experience.

Internship Program Requirements
Prerequisites
Junior Status
Italian Level IV Completed (ITA 2040 or above)
Registration in “International Internship-Italy: LLT 4980”
Pre-Approval of the Faculty Coordinator (prior to departure for study abroad), who will interview each candidate in Italian to determine eligibility

Semester Internships (6 credits)*
375 hours at job site (25 hours/week x 15 weeks)
90 hours of journaling
65 hours spent on term paper
Total Commitment: 530 hours

*Note: You may need to take distance-learning classes in order to meet the in-person requirements of the internships and maintain full-time status. In addition, please note that you can be registered for no more than two Rome-based courses and must ensure that your class schedule allows appropriate, uninterrupted time for the internship—5 consecutive hours per day, Monday through Friday.

Summer Internships (3 credits/1 month)**
130 hours at job site
45 hours of journaling
30 hours spent on term paper
Total Commitment: 205 hours

**Students participating in summer internship opportunities will be required to pay the summer program fee and for three credits of tuition. These fees include the housing, field trips, and excursions of the summer program.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall Semester:  May 31
  • Spring Semester: October 15
  • Summer Session: April 1

Course Requirements
1. Journal Assignment
Students are required to keep a daily journal, written in Italian, which should include:
           - A record of the dates and times of each work period
           - A record of assignments and pertinent details of each work period
           - Examples of pertinent material collected during the internship
           - An ongoing assessment of the learning experience
2. Final reflection paper on the internship experience, written in Italian (4-5 pages).
3. Successful completion of required hours at work site, as detailed above.

Grading
The Faculty Coordinator, in consultation with the on-site supervisor, will determine the final grade. Grades are determined according to the following breakdown:

• Work Performance—50%
• Daily Journal—20%
• Final Term Paper (on overall experience)—30%

Next Steps
If you are interested an Italian language internship, please follow these instructions:

1. Include the Italian Language Internship course (LLT 4980) on your registration request through UIS or, for visiting students, via the paper application. For more information on applying, click here.
2. Email a completed internship application, resume, and cover letter—all in Italian—to Erin Nester, Assistant Director of the Rome campus. Prof. Nicolò Tartaglia will review your materials and contact you to schedule an interview.
3. If you are approved, Prof. Tartaglia will arrange an internship with on-site contacts.
4. When you arrive in Rome, the campus staff will assist you with the logistics of your internship (e.g., setting a meeting time with the internship supervisor, providing information on travelling to your work site).