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What do interns bring to your organization?

Interns bring cutting-edge skills and fresh perspectives into operational settings. All interns are computer-trained, and many are multi-lingual. The majority have had prior work experience.

As Friedman School students, they share key characteristics such as creativity, focus, discipline, and the strong desire to learn, contribute and succeed in their chosen environments.

For sponsors such as your organization, these internships can serve many purposes:

  • Help to fill short-term project needs with qualified persons without having to engage them in longer-term employment.
  • Fill employment niches that otherwise might stay empty, particularly in summer months.
  • Bring unique types of expertise to your organization.
  • Provide opportunities for specialized work that might otherwise not take place.

Some interns have been asked to stay on by their hosting agencies to complete work still underway at the end of the internship period. In such cases, students defer the second year of study and return to the Friedman School later, enriched and energized by experiences vital to their future careers.

Requirements for hosting an intern

  • Students must intern with accredited organizations and institutions engaged in activities related to their program of study. These may be NGOs, departments of national governments, small commercial farms, community-based agriculture programs, non-profit bodies, think tanks or private consultancy organizations.
  • Most interns are available for a period between mid-May and mid-August. Internships during the rest of the year or for a more extended period can also be considered as options for some students.
  • The internship should include a minimum of 320 hours of on-site work. Plus an additional 50 hours or so available to the student for write-up, reporting and other activities.
  • Some agencies cover travel costs and a basic stipend for living expenses. In other cases the school offers some support for travel, and other arrangements needed to be made for living preparation.
  • The internship experience is most valuable to both student and hosting institution when expectations are defined ahead of time. A letter stating all details of the internship agreement—including timing, location, expected work responsibilities, stipend, direct supervisor and other contact information—should be delivered to the prospective internship no later than one month before the start-date of the internship. (The intern is responsible for collecting all internal Friedman School sign-offs.)

Contact the internship program

For more information regarding the Friedman School internship program and how to recruit interns for your organization, please contact:

Timothy Griffin, AFE Program Director

Email: timothy.griffin@tufts.edu
Phone: (617) 636-3613
Fax: (617) 636-3727
150 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111
USA

Beatrice Lorge Rogers, FPAN Program Director

Email: beatrice.rogers@tufts.edu
Phone: (617) 636-3703
Fax: (617) 636-3794
150 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111
USA

Patrick Webb, Dean of Academic Affairs

Email: patrick.webb@tufts.edu
Phone: (617) 636-3779
Fax: (617) 636-3781
150 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111
USA

Peter Walker, Feinstein International Center Program Director

Email: peter.walker@tufts.edu
Phone: (617) 627-3361
Fax: (617) 627-3428
200 Boston Ave
Suite 4800 
Medford, MA 02155
USA

Jennifer Hashley (domestic programs), New Entry Sustainable Farming Project Director

Email: jennifer.hashley@tufts.edu

Phone: (617) 636-3793
Fax: (617) 636-3737
150 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111
USA