Internship FAQ

What kind of work will I be doing?
Interns typically assist in activities such as after-school tutoring programs, co-teaching in a COTN school, assisting with a COTN Feeding Program, hosting short-term teams, preparing sponsorship profiles, village Ministry Program, running sports/craft/music clubs, teaching health care classes, planning and running a one-week summer camp, teaching computer, English or sewing lessons or assisting with home maintenance.

What are the dates for the Summer Internship? Are they flexible?
Please see the Current Internship Opportunities page. No, dates are not flexible. All interns must arrive and depart on the scheduled date. Special exceptions will not be made for weddings or graduations.

What is the cost on the Summer Internship?
Please see the Current Internship Opportunities page. Costs vary by country.

How many interns will be in each country?
Interns are grouped in teams of ten Interns plus two Intern Leaders. The number of Intern Teams in any country varies.

Do I need a passport? A visa?
Yes, passports are required for travel to any COTN Internship country. Visas are required in Sierra Leone and Uganda. Each intern is responsible for the additional cost of purchasing a passport and visa.

What vaccinations are recommended by COTN? Do I need to get a rabies vaccination?
COTN recommends that you consult your local health department or family physician to determine what vaccinations will be needed. In order for Malawi Interns to go on safari, you must have a yellow-fever vaccine.

Payment? Checks? Online? Intern code?
Interns may submit payments by cash, check or credit card. All checks should be made payable to COTN and should be sent to:

COTN
P.O. Box 3970
Silverdale, WA 98383

with your Intern code listed on the memo line. Supporters may also make payments online using your assigned Intern code.

When do I need to send out my support letters?
Summer Interns should plan on sending out support letters in early March. Once accepted, you will receive your application packet the first week of March. This packet will have useful information in preparing your letters. However, don’t wait until then to start gathering addresses.

Will there be training? What kind?
Yes, there will be training. If you are coming with a university or church group your group may provide pre-trip training. All Interns are also required to participate in COTN’s online training beginning April 1st. Once in-country all Interns will receive an in-depth orientation.

Will I have medical insurance?
Any Intern that travels with COTN is required to have medical evacuation insurance in case of major medical needs, in which case they would be airlifted out to the nearest country with full medical care available. The premium for this insurance is included in the cost of your trip; however the $250 deductible is not covered.

What medical services will be available to the interns?
COTN is affiliated with reliable medical clinics in each of the country in which Interns serve. In addition, we have trained nurses on staff in most countries.

Is there safe drinking water?
Yes. Interns generally drink store-bought, bottled water. If not store-bought, drinking water is boiled and filtered.

Where do interns live? What are the conditions like?
Please visit the individual country pages to learn more about the in-country programs.

What is the average temperature in the summer?
Please visit the Worldbank site for each country to learn more about the country’s climate and geography.

Will the interns need to sleep underneath mosquito netting?
In any African country, Interns will be given nets to sleep under…and expected to use them every night.

Is there a dress code for interns?
Yes. Once accepted you will learn more about the dress code for each country in our COTN Intern Manual.

Do I have to be a Christian to serve as an Intern?
Yes. We require that our Interns have a solid relationship with Christ.

Will there be contact between Interns and the sick children?
Yes, there will be some contact—it cannot be avoided when working with children in the U.S. or abroad. Interns will not be expected to care for sick children. Part of the COTN Intern orientation will cover how to stay healthy and avoid getting sick.

If there is any indication of civil unrest, what does COTN do to remove the interns from Sierra Leone?
COTN has a full evacuation plan in place and at the first sign of serious unrest. Our first line of action would be to charter a helicopter to the Freetown National Airport or if necessary to Conakry, Guinea and arrange travel home from there. Keep in mind there has been no major unrest in the country since the UN declared peace in January of 2002. UNIOSIL, a peace building mission, is still active in the country and will be there to help monitor the civil situation and provide us with weekly updates.

What is the difference between an Intern and an Associate?
An Intern is a college-age student who is participating in a more structured eight-week program with direct oversight and a significant amount of team activities. An Associate is 21 years of age or older and serves in-country for one year with little structure and significantly less oversight.