Internship Program Coordinator & Cambridge Exam Secretary
(Female, Age 27) from New York, NY
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 27 who works as a Internship Program Coordinator & Cambridge Exam Secretary in New York, NY. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Internship Program Coordinator & Cambridge Exam Secretary |
|---|---|
| Salary | $38,900 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | New York, NY |
| Years Experience | 1 year |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for one of the largest world-wide English language schools. We have branches in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The school serves thousands of young adult and professionals English language learners who can study with us from one week to several months at a time.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Manage internship placement program, liase with host companies and organizations, send student applications to and arrange interviews with potential host offices, teach resume writing and interviewing skills, assist students with editing application materials, creatively solve problems, administer the Cambridge ESOL exams for our center (handle all inquires, payments, exam materials, schedule proctors, etc)
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
2 weeks paid vacation, 3 personal days, 6 days sick leave, health insuracne (no cost but co-pays are 25-45 for service), 401K plan
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
Definitely under compensated!
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes. I work mostly with international students and with various companies all day. I mostly enjoy this central part of my job. Sometimes miscommunication and cultural differences require a bit of patience to navigate which can be tiring.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work mostly independently and have a lot of freedom in how I get my job done. I work with management for some logistics (ie scheduling classrooms, paying proctors, etc.)
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 8
Benefits: 6
Hours: 3
Co-Workers: 4
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 7
Level of Responsibility: 2
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | |
| 8am to 9am | |
| 9am to 10am | I arrive to my office and check my emails. I reply to an agent in Germany to let her know 2 of the students she sent passed the phone interview with me and will be able to complete internships in NYC. At 9:30 I begin teaching a workshop on intercultural communications, interview skills, and how to have a positive internship expeirence. |
| 10am to 11am | The workshop continues. I have 11 students and together we do quizes to raise awareness about cultural differences. Students share their impressions of American culture. I provide information about and discuss how an interview might be and how to answer the questions in a culturally appropriate way. |
| 11am to 12pm | I meet with 3 different students to discuss their resumes and propose possible host companies. I show the students the website for the companies and explain what they have interns do. |
| 12pm to 1pm | I respond to more emails, explaining the resolution of problems. I send resumes to host companies. I conduct a phone interview with a prospective student from Germany to assess their English level and explain the program. |
| 1pm to 2pm | I accompany a student to a meeting with a business organization. We learn about the work they do and what projects they would want the student to do. They ask the student some questions while I observe. They offer the internship to the student and I confirm with them the dates and the schedule. The student is very happy! |
| 2pm to 3pm | I return to the office my subway after having my lunch. I continue to check and respond to emails. |
| 3pm to 4pm | I meet with a young woman from France who is interested in the internship. I send her some information by email and ask her about her interested and dates while taking notes. |
| 4pm to 5pm | An Italian gentleman comes to my office seeking advise for his friend about becoming a real estate agent in the US. Together we do some research on line and I refer him the admissions office at 2 schools in NYC. I type up confirmation letters for internship starting next week and send them to the student and the host company. |
| 5pm to 6pm | I leave the office. |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
My brother sent me a link to the posting from a list serve at his college.
What was the application process?
Resume and cover letter.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I had 2 interviews where I met with different people who explained the role and the school. I was asked more questions in the first interview. the second one was more them selling me on the job.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Tell us about a time you had to solve a problem. Tell us about your intercultural experience. Describe your management style. Why are you interested in the this job. What do you think would be most challenging about it.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not really. The records for the program were not up to date so I wasted a lot of time gathering information about our history with host companies and cold calling trying to build up our out of date contact list.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Ha! Hardly. I basically taught myself through trial and error and very minimal and vague guidance from a supervisor. I did a lot of looking through old documents to understand how things have worked in the past which helped.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Absolutley! I have an anthropology degree and a TESOL certificate (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and I use this education everyday to understand cultural issues, anticipate different expectations depending on a student’s cultural background, and teach English informally in meetings with students.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
Not applicable.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would suggest gaining experience coordinating programs or projects that show you can handle responsibility and details well. Intercultural experience is very important as well and could involve work or education experience in an international setting, living/studying abroad, speaking another language.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
You have to be tactful, a great listener, and able to convince people to go along with your plan. You must be extremely organized and able to balance individual needs with the big picture, ie making each student happy while maitaining positive relationships with host companies and upholding the integrity of the program.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes, you need to understand professionalism and culture.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Smile and they will be happy! Don’t get overwhelmed, every issue can be resolved creatively.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes, I want a career in international education and plan to transistion into international development/humanitarian work where my background will surely be an asset.
What are your current career goals?
To transistion into the humanitarian field in the next year.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
I have learned a lot in every job I’ve had, you are always building a foundation and learning transferable skills.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Teacher Guide/Field Coordinator | 3 summers progressively | comission based 1,000-2,000/month | I started off as a Teacher Guide for 2 summers and moved up to be the regional manager for New England. The job involved running community based home stay programs, recruiting volunteer host families for high school students from China and Japan, running an English summer camp while they are here, and handling various problems (home sickness, host families canceling, etc.) I ran my own group for 2 summers and then managed over ten groups by training local Teacher Guides to do what I did in addition to overseeing all of the groups logictics, travel plans, etc. |
| Prior Job 2 | House Director | 2 years | 28K plus free housing | I managed a residential dorm for first year students at a progressive liberal college. I managed a staff of RAs, organized programs, handled discipline issues, and responded to campus emergencies. Prior to this job I was a youth outreach worker for 1.5 years where I had a case load of homeless and at risk youth I assist with education, mental health, vocational skills, getting housing, and responded to emergencies. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:n/c
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.6 | Smith College | BA Anthropology |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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