PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE PAGE CAREFULLY
BEFORE SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2012
The selection process for the US/ICOMOS International Exchange Program is highly competitive; approximately one in five applications is successful. All of the internships in the U.S. are scheduled to run from the beginning of June through August.
READ THE PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The United States Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (US/ICOMOS) is seeking non-U.S. citizen graduate students and young professionals specialized in historic preservation and heritage conservation to participate in an international exchange program in the United States during the
summer of 2007. Participants will be assigned to three-month, practical working internships, under professional supervision, with a public or private nonprofit preservation organization. These positions are for interns with a bachelors degree at minimum in a preservation or conservation- related field: architecture, conservation, landscape architecture, cultural resource management, interpretation, archaeology, industrial archaeology, history or cultural tourism. Applicants whose first language is English, or who can demonstrate a great fluency in the language, may qualify for positions as historians or for projects requiring the preparation of written reports and other materials. Most projects require the production of graphic documentation.
Projects are varied, and correspond to the needs and requirements of the host agencies. The host office defines the project to be completed; an internship is not an independent research opportunity. Applicants may indicate a preference for the type of project they wish to be assigned, but must be willing to accept any position, which may be located anywhere in the U.S. Assignments are made on the basis of the best match between the proposed project and the individual's background and skills, and in consideration of the entire pool of applicants.
This program is an excellent opportunity to learn about the U.S. preservation system, which is a partnership between the public and private sectors, with different roles for each, as well as different levels of national, state and local government responsibility for the preservation of the cultural heritage. It is also an opportunity to make friends and professional contacts with U.S. colleagues while living in the United States for three months.
This program is not a study tour or a preservation course; the internships are based on the principle of hands-on experience, learning by doing. Interns are assigned projects that they are expected to execute and complete with the same degree of professionalism and responsibility as project staff. Interns follow the hours of host office staff, which varies between a 35 and 40 hour week, 5 days a week.
Schedule
Summer internships begin with orientation in Washington, DC and conclude with a final program and reception in Washington. Summer interns must attend the orientation program and the final program in Washington (a requirement of the granting agencies and funders of the program). Any schedule conflicts must be discussed and resolved in advance.
Interns work a 5-DAY WEEK for the ENTIRE DURATION OF THE INTERNSHIP, with the only exceptions being regularly-scheduled holidays in the host country and religious holidays for the intern.
Expenses
Participants in the US/ICOMOS Summer Intern Program are awarded a stipend of approximately for the 12-week period, paid in monthly installments by US/ICOMOS. The stipend is intended to cover the cost of food, incidental expenses and lodging. Lodging will be arranged for interns by the host organization. In some cases, host organizations provide free or reduced-cost housing, in which case the stipend may be reduced.
Interns are required to submit evaluations, reports, slides and photos at specified times in order to receive full payment of their stipend and travel award.
Travel
Participants must pay for travel to, from, and within the United States. All work materials are provided by the host office.
US/ICOMOS does not assume civil or financial responsibility for interns beyond the stipend amount and is not liable for any additional expense. Before leaving their own countries, participants must obtain private health insurance that will cover them during their entire stay in the U.S. US/ICOMOS provides limited, supplementary insurance. Interns are advised also to obtain an international drivers license before leaving home.
Interns are required to submit evaluations, reports, slides and photos at specified times in order to receive full payment of their stipend.
Eligibility
Graduate students and young professionals, fluent in English, are eligible to apply. No spouses or families can be accommodated.
How to Apply
Applicants must submit three (3) copies each of the following:
- The completed Application Form (requires Adobe Reader)
- A 500-word essay in English describing the reasons for wanting to participate in the program and how completion of an internship overseas will contribute to the applicant's career;
- A curriculum vitae
Applicants must also submit one (1) copy of the following:
-
Examples* of work in the applicant's area of specialization, for example:
- Historians - research paper
-
Architects - hand drawn sketches, architectural portfolio with samples of precision drafting and lettering
CAD drawings - label as CAD and provide the following required information
List any CAD college courses or other specialty-skills training courses you have successfully completed
In the case of group projects, authorship of specific designs/drawings must be indicated
*Samples should demonstrate the applicant's skill and fitness to execute work that meets professional standards
-
2 Letters of Recommendation
- one from the ICOMOS National Committee in the applicant's country, if possible, and
- one from a professor or employer attesting to the applicant's professional competency and suitability to represent his/her country. Recommendations should be confidential, in a sealed envelope with the author's signature across the back & flap.
Nota Bene
Applicants are urged to follow these suggestions when preparing their materials. Expensive portfolios and bound projects will not enhance the evaluation of your application.>>Do not submit original drawings or texts; they cannot be returned
>>Do not send slides
>>Drawings should be reduced to standard format, 8.5"x11" and 11"x17", or A3 and A4.
In lieu of an application fee, applicants are urged to join their ICOMOS National Committee.
Applicants will be considered for all positions for which they are qualified. Applicant's apply to the program, not a specific country or internship. However, the application form does allow applicants to indicate countries of preference and, most importantly, indicate if there are any country assignments the application will not accept. The reasons for an applicant's preferences should be given in the essay.
Deadline
All materials should be sent to US/ICOMOS and must be received no later than January 31, 2011. Applicants may be interviewed by a representative of their ICOMOS committee and one or more daytime telephone numbers must be written on the application. No part of the application will be returned.
Notification
Applicants will be notified, where possible, by the end of March whether their application has been have been selected for submission to a host organization (notifications will be sent by email). We do not state which country/host until the host accepted (this is to prevent unnecessary hard feelings, when a host might simply feel the particular skills of the applicant do not match their specific project needs). Participants are selected on the basis of skill, demonstrated commitment to preservation, previous experience and academic concentration in the field. They are also selected on their ability to represent US/ICOMOS and the United States in an exchange program. In addition, participants will be chosen whose skills, training and interest match the needs of the host organizations.
Final notification of acceptance will be made (again by email) as soon as the host organization agrees to accept the intern. An information packet will then be sent out to all successful applicants.
Please note that, on occasion, a selected applicant must cancel before the internship starts and/or new internships are developed after the initial round of review. Therefore, US/ICOMOS will keep all intern applications on file for the duration of the year in case new opportunities arise.
Send completed applications to:
Donald Jones, Director of Programs
US/ICOMOS
401 F Street, NW Suite 331
Washington, DC 20001-2728
Questions about the application process should be directed to:
Tel: 202-842-1866
Fax: 202-842-1861
E-mail: don.jones@usicomos.org
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