Italian internships

The SITE Program (Study, Intercultural Training and Experience) is a paid internship program for English Teaching Assistants in the schools of Lombardy, Italy. It is an excellent opportunity for students or new graduates who wish to get a better understanding of the Italian language and culture while assisting the Italian teachers in their work. The program, established in 2005, promotes linguistic and intercultural exchange within Europe and across the globe. The program is open to B.A. students who are currently completing or have recently completed (within the last 18 months) college level Italian language and culture programs.

Minimum qualifications

A cumulative GPA of 3.25 is required for program consideration.

The motivation and character of the applicant are crucial. The candidate must have excellent communication skills, flexibility, independence, self-training and self-study skills, and willingness and ability to step out of her/his comfort zone.

Preferred qualifications

1. Prior teaching experience to non-native speakers (preferably experience teaching English to ESL students).
2. Status as a B.A. student (Italian major or minor preferred), or status as a recently graduated student (within the past 18 months at the moment of application). In absence of such (preferred) requisites, completion of at least 3 semesters of University level Italian and a minimum of B grades in the courses is required.
3. Experience studying or working abroad, or participation in cross-cultural activities in North America.

The ASU Italian faculty will nominate at least one student to participate in the SITE Program in Lombardy. In order to choose well-qualified candidates, there will be an internal ASU selection process. If you would like to apply to participate, please send the following documents to Juliann Vitullo at Juliann.vitullo@asu.edu:

1. Cover letter or a letter of application stating motivation, interest in the program and a self-introduction (500–700 words, in English or Italian).
2. Unofficial transcript of university grades from the most recent term of study.
3. Writing sample in the form of a 500-word essay in Italian on a topic that will be made public on the SITE Program website (Please note: A high level of proficiency in the Italian language and culture gives preference to those candidates).