Top Ten Reasons to Intern

The Henry J. and Erna D. Leir Global Internship Program offers those initiating a career in human-animal interaction and nature-based programs numerous opportunities. Here’s the top ten reasons why you should consider interning at Green Chimneys:

  1. Gain Experience Employers value experience, but getting a “foot in the door” in any profession or field can be challenging. Our internship provides a low-risk entry into a professional arena. Once completed, you have demonstrated experience for the next step in your career path.
  2. Move Up The best interns are always in a good position to move into full-time jobs. Demonstrating that they are a good fit with the organization can give an intern a decided advantage over more experienced applicants from the outside. Half of our farm staff started as interns!
  3. Find Your Calling Our internship can lay to rest any illusions about what human-animal interventions entail. Experience the hidden challenges and hardships this career choice can bring, in addition to the rewarding positives.
  4. Build Contacts Our interns can build professional relationships and have access to top mentors. These contacts can be excellent resources for career guidance, providing references and building your network.
  5. Move from Theory to Practice Our internship is based on practical work with animal-assisted interventions. Interns learn while doing, working directly with our students in the various nature-based areas.
  6. For the Heck of It Did you just graduate college, are you retired, want to change careers? If you have the time, we have the internship.
  7. A Personal Journey Do you have a career that does not fulfill you emotionally or spiritually? Applicants like this often choose our internship to personally grow and find a more enriching career.
  8. Academic Credit Students in psychology, teaching, equine science and related fields can get academic credit for our practical internship.
  9. Apprenticeship Requirement In order to become a certified instructor with the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship Intl. (PATH Intl.) one has to mentor under an existing instructor and must demonstrate set hours of teaching prior to attending a certification workshop. This can be done during our internship.
  10. International Experience Is it your dream to come to the United States and learn about what we do? There are special international visas that allow some students to intern with organizations like ours.