STUDENT (British, Male): Ms. Hendricks, right?
ADVISER (Australian,
Female): Yes. What can I
do for you?
STUDENT: Hi. I’m Brian Green and I’m an undergraduate
student in the education department. I was told to speak to you about
internship programmes.
ADVISER: All right. Would you mind telling me what kind of
education you’re studying?
STUDENT: Primary. I aim to be a primary school teacher
someday.
ADVISER: Brilliant. And you are in what year?
STUDENT: Third. That’s, um, that’s why I need to do an
internship. It’s part of our fourth year curriculum.
ADVISER: Yes, that’s right. Will you want to do your
internship in the autumn or…?
STUDENT: The spring, actually. I have units that I need to
take in the first term of the year because they are, uh, only offered at that
time.
ADVISER: OK. Do you plan to do your internship here in
Australia, or somewhere overseas?
STUDENT: Somewhere in North America would be lovely. I’ve
wanted to go to the United States my entire life, but the opportunity has never
come up.
ADVISER: I’ll see what I can do, but visas for the U.S. are
difficult to get. And internship positions there are competitive for overseas
students. I’d consider Canada if I were you.
STUDENT: Ah, OK. I’ll keep that in mind. Um, by the way,
how long exactly do the internship placements last?
ADVISER: Around four months. But they can be extended up to
six if you like.
STUDENT: Are there any benefits to that?
ADVISER: Well, just getting the extra time under your belt.
The longer the placement, the better it looks on your CV to potential
employers. You’re probably going to get more out of it if you stay longer as
well. It takes time to get to know the ropes of a place.
EXAMINEE
GETS A 30 SECOND BREAK TO REVIEW THE QUESTIONS FOR THE SECOND PART OF DIALOGUE
B
ADVISER: Now, more important is where you do your
internship. For students such as yourself doing courses in education, we have
some excellent options in North America. In Canada, we have a partnership with
the British Columbia Ministry of Education. So students can get placements in
public schools throughout the province.
STUDENT: British Columbia?
ADVISER: That’s the province on the West Coast of Canada.
STUDENT: That’s…is that where Vancouver is?
ADVISER: Yes, exactly.
STUDENT: OK.
ADIVSER: So, public schools are one option. But we also
have some great connections with private schools in the U.S.
STUDENT: Where in the U.S.?
ADVISER: New York, Seattle, and Chicago.
STUDENT: New York sounds great. I have a second cousin who
lives there, I believe.
ADVISER: You’ll want to apply early to get into that
program. I’d recommend putting your application package together by September.
It’s a very competitive placement, as you can imagine.
STUDENT: I’m sure everyone wants to be in that city.
ADVISER: That’s part of it. But I think also the private
schools there are of quite high quality compared to other places. But then
again, you come from London, and they have some very fine private institutions
as well.
STUDENT: What about alternative schools? The ones that
cater to homeless youth, or minority youth.
ADIVSER: Hmm. I think that Chicago is where you could find
such places. I know they have some government-sponsored initiatives in that
city that are quite well known.
STUDENT: Are those placements competitive?
ADVISER: Not really. They usually have 15 spots each year,
and we almost never fill them up completely. I’m not sure why, but I venture it
has to do with the high crime rates in those areas. I think most people are a
bit frightened to live there.
STUDENT: That actually appeals to
me the most. Can I have more information on those placements?