Early Childhood (Education/Social Services) Internships

I love that we maintain a flexible work schedule and are given the opportunities to take on job responsibilities outside of our job description. My cooking skills are put to good use when we cooked for the children and facilitated a “tutoring and feeding program” for them. I am glad that my years of cooking experience did not fail me and managed to help me in these times. IGS stayed true to its brand that “Meaningful travel starts here”!

The educational facility to which we were assigned to, treated us like their own employed teachers. They asked us about our opinions and original ideas on how to best help the children. It was particularly helpful for me as a future educator, because my critical thinking skills are tested. I also discovered the art of communicating with people of different cultures, since my fellow interns are from different continents and from all walks of life.

What I enjoyed the most during my internship was when I helped plan the children’s field trip in the home of their national hero. We supervised the children on the excursions and made sure that they learn about the hero’s brave acts and heroic life. In the process, I also learned how to be more patient with kids and the importance of “buddy system” for kids not to be lost. It was very challenging but I really really enjoyed spending time with these cute kids.

During my internship with IGS, I was assigned to create reading programs and scripts that are tailored to the needs of the children. My grandmom used to tell me a short story about three ducks, and I used that as main characters in my scripts. The kids loved it! It feels like home away from home. I cannot wait to tell my other co-teachers about this program. I am sure they’ll love it as much as I did.

As a Family Life and Child Development Major, this internship made us involved in traditional day-care settings, educating and taking care of cute children ages three to six. We facilitate all aspects of the students’ day and act as their second moms. I was attached to one of the students, named Katy, and she was even crying when we have to leave. After the IGS internship, Katy’s mom and I became friends on social media and Katy and I usually do videochats once a week. What a charming kid!

On my first day in Sydney I was wandering around what was soon to become my neighborhood. After a few days, my roommates and I talked about the range of architecture and culture the city seemed to capture. The definition of a melting pot: home to a large Asian population, European, and some Americans. The food, the buildings, the languages are all a mix. What really struck me in my time there was the plight of the Aboriginal people. The drastic loss of these people and their culture is what has inspired me to learn some of the real history of the area. In a recent trip to the Blue Mountains we spoke to an Aboriginal briefly and observed traditional Dreamtime dances and rituals. There are so many things to appreciate about the land, and that goes hand in hand with appreciating the culture and survival of the Aboriginal peoples. At Grotto Point, I viewed cave art made 40,000 years ago. The engravings are not colorful and loud artwork, but rather very simple marks that almost felt like evidence. They are outlined symbols of fish, water, and land. I am so lucky I stumbled on to this native history during my short time here.

I chose Intern Down Under because it was the perfect “next step” before solo travel. With Intern Down Under, I chose how to spend my free time without relying on supervisors to do that for me. Before our internships started, we had a five-day orientation period. My favorite part of the orientation in Auckland was going to Piha Beach. For my Auckland internship, I worked at Talented Tots–an early learning childcare center. What I enjoyed most about Auckland in general was the location of our apartment. We were right in the central business district and less than a 5-minute walk from all the best shops and restaurants. What I like the most about Sydney is the food! Intern Down Under helped prepare me for my future. I hadn’t felt that amount of freedom, and I loved it! I am really preparing to take care of myself. I planned my own weekend trips and excursions which taught me how to handle unexpected situations and problems as they arise. I also learned to live with other people from different backgrounds and how to do so while causing as little conflict as possible.