Interview and article by Caitlin Arnold ’11 with Jeffrey Cason
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ANA TSIKHELASHVILI IS
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR and Director of the Middlebury C.V. Starr School in Russia, which is comprised of programs in Moscow, Irkutsk, and Yaroslavl. She has been working with the School since 1997, helping provide students with immersion opportunities in Russia. Through the School in Russia she hopes to allow students the chance to improve their language skills and gain a deeper understanding of Russian culture. One important opportunity for Middlebury students who choose to study in Russia is the chance to apply to work at an internship. According to Dr. Tsikhelashvili, “during 2007-2008 around one third of the students studying abroad in Russia decided to participate in internships.” These internships cover a wide range of disciplines and take place in a number of different areas of Russia. Where a student decides to work can have a big impact on their experience and what they get out of the internship. For example, students working in Moscow are more likely to be interns for larger international corporations. The Moscow internships tend to most closely resemble what would be considered an internship in the
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United States. On the other hand, students working in provincial areas will likely work in less traditional job environments. Students working in Yaroslavl and Irkutsk tend to gain more language experience, though they often work in a somewhat less structured environment. The Middlebury School in Russia offers access to a wide variety of internship opportunities. Dr. Tsikhelashvili discussed a number of positions held by students over the years; “One student worked in Irkutsk with an organization called Environmental Baikal Waste. Another worked with the Red Cross to develop AIDS awareness programs for high schools and grade schools.” Other students at the Middlebury School in Russia have taken the opportunity to work for companies such as the New York Times or organizations such as the YMCA. Alisa Ballard, who worked at an internship at the Nicholas Roerich Museum in Moscow remembers the most valuable part of her internship was, “getting to experience firsthand the language and culture of a truly Russian workplace.” In the past student internships have ranged from teaching positions at elementary schools to research work for local NGOs.
Students applying for an internship may decide if they want their work to count as a course credit. If so, they are allowed to substitute the internship for a class, (taking 4 courses instead of 5). For the internship to count as a course credit students are expected to complete a number of additional requirements. These include keeping a journal of their daily work and writing a research paper (in Russian) relating to their internship. Students receiving course credit for an internship are expected to work around 15 hours a week at the internship.. Students who take an internship for credit will also be graded on the work they do in the internship. Internships can serve as a valuable tool for students hoping to get the most out of their study abroad experience. In addition to providing a more diverse exposure to the Russian language, they also allow for important cultural experiences and valuable job training. Like all things though, the value of the internship will depend on the amount of effort and energy students are willing to put into their work. “In Russia a lot depends on how students present themselves and show initiative,” according to Dr. Tsikhelashvili. P