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World Heritage USA, the United States Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, is seeking graduate students and emerging professionals specialized in historic preservation and heritage conservation to participate in an International Exchange Program (IEP) during the summer of 2023. Interns will be assigned to a 10-12 week, practical working internship, under professional supervision, with a public or private nonprofit heritage organization. These positions are for interns with an undergraduate degree in a preservation or conservation related field such as history, architecture, archaeology, conservation, art history, cultural resource management, or cultural tourism.
IEP projects are varied and correspond to the needs and requirements of the host organizations. The host 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 world. Assignments are made on the basis of the best match between the proposed project and the applicant’s background and skills.
By participating in the IEP, interns gain international experience at an early stage in their careers, broadening their worldview and preparing them for success in multicultural environments. In addition to strengthening professional heritage skills, the IEP fosters lifelong relationships between participants and their host organizations, creating a global network of heritage professionals. These connections have resulted in continued collaboration between people, communities, and organizations on heritage projects around the world.
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 vary between 35- and 40-hours, 5 days per week (with the exception of holidays).