S T U D Y I N G & W O R K I N G A B R O A D
INTERNSHIPS AND JOBS: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - Updated July, 2007
The ISPA exchange committee (technically an “interest group”) is a fairly informal committee originally begun to help ISPA members get in touch with colleagues interested in informal exchange experiences.
We do not sponsor any specific programs for internships or listings of job openings.
However, now that we have a website, I get many requests from people (mostly American) who are not members of ISPA but are looking for internship or job opportunities. I am sorry to say that I cannot offer much specific help for these requests.
I WELCOME anyone to share practical experiences in or advice about these situations so I can include it here as well. PLEASE contact me for additions or corrections to what follows. If you are a student looking for an international internship, please read the information below. Please do not email me until you have talked to your supervisor and you know a complete list of activities and supervision/ documentation needed for the internship (or practicum) experience to be accepted for course requirements in your program.
I would like to work with university trainers in school psychology programs to see if practicum or internship exchange experiences could be coordinated between countries. This could be started as a short term “study visit” exchange between students and grow into something more formal (possibly an independent study).
We all have a to learn from each other in this world where we can communicate (in words and sounds and pictures) across thousands of miles in a few seconds.
Joanne Wasco, jcwasco@sbcglobal.net
Noting that I am NOT an expert, here are some ideas to consider:
Internships: THE PROBLEMS
*The first difficulty of getting an international internship is to get
approval from YOUR university supervisor. Many internship programs require
specific certification of their on-site supervisor (such as NASP or APA
approval in USA) which is not often available in other countries. As noted
above, get specifics from your supervisor!
*The syllabus and/or required experiences of your internship program may not fit what a school psychologist actually does in other countries. In some countries, school psychologists “float” among many (10-20) schools and work mainly as teacher consultants rather than provide primarily direct service to individual students. This may not provide proficiency in the evaluation/assessment/report writing/legal aspects of the work that are likely to be part of the internship requirement of some other countries. All of these aspects of the school psychology profession may be seen/experienced quite differently in different cultures.
*Internships may not be paid. In some countries, if a person has passed the rigorous requirements of getting into a university, they will continue to get a stipend for living expenses if an internship is a requirement of their university program. These stipends aren’t available for visitors.
*Language fluency
is critical.
Internships:
THE ADVICE
*Consider doing a 2-6 week practicum experience, possibly even as an independent
study. Obviously pre-approval from your supervisor would be necessary
here too, but the requirements may be a bit looser. This would give you
experience/contacts that you may be able to build into an internship if
you could work out the other issues. If not, it would still provide great
insight into the international aspects of school psychology.
*Practicum experiences must also be worked out individually, so it is
crucial to know what activities / supervision are required to be accepted
in YOUR program by YOUR supervisor. Again, please do not email me until
you have specific information from your supervisor on what must be documented
for it to count toward your program requirements.
>>You may be able to audit a university course as part of this experience.
*If you want to forge ahead with an international internship, try contacting universities in the countries of interest to see if an exchange could be arranged. Your own university may have “partnership” programs already established in other areas of study. These may be the best ones to try. Obviously, this presumes that your university supervisor would be willing to participate. Be sure you know exactly what must be covered in your internship and how it will be documented by a supervisor from another country BEFORE you start your contacts.
*If your supervisor doesn’t want to be involved in an exchange, but has approved a plan for you to implement, contact the national school psychology organization in the country of interest. I would also be glad to post your internship proposal on the ISPA website and in the ISPA newsletter. Virtually all of the countries that have national school psychology organizations have newsletters that go out to members. You could ask to have your request for an internship included in their publication to members.
*Specifically for Americans, if you have any interest in working in military schools, the American Department of Defense (DOD) approves a few internships in schools attached to military bases overseas. I believe you must agree to work as a school psychologist for the DOD for a couple of years. I am not familiar with school psychologist’s work options in military schools from other countries and would greatly appreciate information!
>>>Join ISPA – the student rate is cheap, the World-Go-Round (our newsletter) has information about school psychology around the globe (including national association contacts), and members are REALLY INTERESTED in international cooperation.
Jobs in other countries –
the problems
*Credentials, language fluency, and work experience are often not interchangeable
between national education systems. Some countries, including many English-speaking
ones, are moving to a doctoral requirement for school or educational psychologists.
They require a specific number of years of teaching experience as well
as school psychology certification.
*You will likely need a visa to work in another country, which may be available only if there is a shortage of school psychologists in the country.
Jobs in other countries –
the advice
*As above, contact the countries in which you are interested via their
national school psychology organization for specifics on what kind of
credentials are needed and what kind of realistic job opportunities are
available. Be prepared to visit personally to do some of the research
and legwork.
*Consider applying to international
schools in the countries of interest. Organizations of international schools
include:
Peterson’s <Petersons.com>
European Council of International Schools <ecis.org>
New England Association of Schools and Colleges <neasc.org/>
The largest, <Petersons.com>,
lists accredited international schools by country/geographic areas. Although
many of these schools do not advertise for a school psychologist specifically,
the bigger ones may split roles/job descriptions. Those most likely to
do this are ones who have a lot of American or western European students:
their parents are expecting services similar to schools in the home country.
(I personally know of several American school psychologists who have worked
in international schools with job descriptions that included teaching
psychology in the high school, helping students apply to colleges, and
guidance or counseling groups as well as more assessment –oriented
school psychology roles.)
For Americans, the job fairs specifically for international schools are
always recommended as the best place to begin. You can start by reading
the first person accounts of getting jobs in international schools in
the November / December 2004 issue of Transitions Abroad magazine and
another in the January, 2007 issue. Personal emails of the authors accompany
these articles. Note that many larger libraries subscribe and may have
back issues; check out their website.)
*For participating European countries and Americans, the Fulbright program for year long teacher exchanges includes school psychologists. An American has to pair up to exchange jobs with someone from another approved country who will do their job in the USA. Check out their website: <http://www.iie.org/Template.cfm?section=Fulbright1ulbrightexchange.org>
*As noted above, the American DOD schools hire American school psychologists. An active ISPA member is a school psychologist in Japan and can offer personal advice. You can reach Charles at <charles_willa29@hotmail.com>
Different, better, or first person advice to add to this FAQ posting is very welcome. Let me know what you think. Thanks. Joanne <jcwasco@sbcglobal.net>
Click here to read an article on Teaching in American and international schools abroad, by Jim Ambrose
Exchange Committee Report, August, 2007.