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SRAS Internships combine language training with real work experience. Most interns will find that their tasks will take advantage of their command of their native language: translating; editing; writing; and communicating with English-speaking contacts are common assignments. At the same time, the work environment is Russian, giving ample opportunity to learn the language of the industry. SRAS offers three types of internships. Our work study programs offer living stipends and discounted tuition. Custom placements are unpaid positions, but offer the student the ability to chose from much wider range of professional fields. Independent placements are available in very rare cases (see below). - Work Study - These are integrated professional/academic programs offered in Moscow on the basis of our Russian Studies Semester. Choose from: Translation, Business, Journalism Cost and deadlines: The student pays discounted tuition for the academic portion of the program. Fees for internship placement are waived. See the links provided above to find more about each individual program, including deadlines. - Custom Placements - These integrated academic programs are offered upon request. Students must enroll for a base academic program (listed right). SRAS will work with you to determine how best to formulate and integrate the internship and academic components to best serve your individual goals and needs. SRAS also provides support during the internship and afterwards (including translating letters of reference and creating other documentation). SRAS has a 99% placement rate for students who have indicated they want to intern in NGOs, law firms, museums, media outlets, or other businesses. Any student that is not placed for any reason is refunded the placement fee in full. Custom placement internships are unpaid. Cost and deadlines: The student pays full tuition for the related academic program (chose from those listed to the right). Internship placement and service fee is an additional $775. Deadline for applying for the internships is the same as the related academic program you choose (and always three months ahead of your intended start date). - Independent Placements - SRAS custom placements (above) are available without an accompanying academic program only if the applicant can prove that he/she meets four conditions. 1) He/she already has housing available in Russia (shown with a letter from a friend or relative that he/she will be staying with). 2) He/she will have appropriate registration in Russia (shown with a letter from the registered owner of the property at which the student will be staying). 3) He/she will already have an appropriate visa or has a Russian passport. 4) He/she has a high level of spoken Russian and qualifications for the position desired. Cost and deadlines: Applications must be received at least three months in advance of the intended start date. Internship placement and service fee is $1295 and includes only placement and support as described in "custom placements" (above). - FAQs -
about both types of internships 1. How do I apply? Click here. Form an account and fill out the online application. Be sure to chose both an academic program and your chosen work study program or a custom-placement internship. Both types require additional application requirements other than those requested on the form. Additional requirements for work study programs are listed on the individual descriptions for each program. Custom placements will additionally require a resume, an additional recommendation from a current or previous employer, and a one-page statement of your professional goals and interests. An SRAS representative will be in contact with you about these. 2. Where are custom placements available? While there is logically a higher concentration of opportunities in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and major CIS cities like Bishkek, SRAS can find placements nearly anywhere it currently offers academic programs. 3. Why are academic courses required with most internships? Russia's labor laws and laws regulating foreigners are stringent. Foreigners must be carefully documented with visa, registration, and migration card. Internships must be documented as educational programs to avoid needing work visas and work permits, which are prohibitively expensive. This documentation can be performed/coordinated by SRAS only if the intern arrives on the basis of a student visa, which, by Russian law, requires that the intern additionally spend time in a university classroom. Interns arriving on the basis of Russian passports or other types of visas can legally coordinate the documentation that SRAS cannot (visa and registration), but SRAS must, for the intern's own safety, still verify that the additional documentation can and will be taken care of. Internships without academic programs are granted only in very rare cases - usually to Russian heritage speakers who hold Russian passports and will stay with relatives while in Russia. 4. What if I want to stay when my internship ends? In some cases, internships may be extended for little or no cost, so long as the academic program is also extended and the related fees paid. Also, as in any internship in any country, there is always the possibility that your internship may turn into a real job offer. The reality of this usually revolves around both your performance and your circumstances — if you already have a degree, are prepared to spend considerable time abroad, what experience you have that a Russian does not, what sort of salary you expect, etc. All of the complexities of job-hunting at home are magnified when considering long-term employment abroad. 5. Can I contact past interns? Yes. Contact us for more information. Past interns say: "During my time at Fort-Ross I learned how to communicate with clients over the phone, which was especially intimidating at first when I was speaking with executives. I also learned how to sell my product over the phone in this case the outsourcing conference. This is very important for me since I am going into personal finance, and I will need to convince people to use my services over those of someone else." – Mike, Interned at Fort Ross Software Development, St. Petersburg. "... and so I was plummeted into translations for museum publications (mostly dictionary based because my Russian skills were far from translation-worthy) that ended up teaching me much more about the language than many of the courses that I attended. I was exposed to the specific museum vocabulary that is relevant to my area of study: Art History. And using my Russian in a working environment was incomparably satisfactory; it gave relevance to many hours of abstract language studying."
– Alice, Interned at the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow "My internship was a great experience. The people I worked with tried to make sure that I got to do what I wanted to, so that I could get what I wanted out of the internship." – Amy, Interned at the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Petersburg (read a full interview with Amy)
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SRAS Work Study: Translation SRAS Work Study: Business SRAS Work Study: Journalism |
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