Jobs Working with Refugees in the US

There are several ways to work with refugees, either as a volunteer or intern, or by making a career out of it. We will focus on how to find a job working with refugees who have already been resettled here in the United States. There are several resources for working with refugees outside the country as well, and a good place to start looking for positions out of the country is by searching the websites of one of the non-profits that works with refugees, such as the International Rescue Committee.

The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants is a not-profit dedicated to refugees. Their website is sort of like a clearing house of information regarding most aspects of refugee resettlement and their lives before arriving in the United States. The site recommended a few ways to find a career working with refugees, and here are a few of them.

Probably the best way to begin is to seek out the nearest resettlement office of a resettlement agency in your area and ask for ways to help. This can be anything from helping find donations for refugee apartments to taking refugees grocery shopping once a week. Being a cultural mentor for a family will give you priceless knowledge of the struggles that refugees face upon their resettlement. Refugee resettlement offices will also need lots of administrative support, so if you can answer the phones for a few hours once a week or help plan a fundraiser, you'll be in the hub of the resettlement office and helping case managers do their job more effectively. You can also volunteer as an interpreter for refugees in the courts, for hospitals, clinics, or to translate flyers and brochures. Adult education centers in your community most likely have English as a Second Language programs, and you can serve as a volunteer teacher's aide for those classes, too. Check in your area to see if there is a non-profit like Intercambio (See resources for link.) that promotes cultural exchange and provides low-cost English classes and tutoring.

Clinics, hospitals, police, schools, etc. are often in great need of translators and interpreters for refugees. Contact them to see if they have any such positions open. Communities may have entire departments or programs devoted to working with immigrants and refugees as well. At the state level, there is a good chance of finding a refugee office, too. The food stamp or welfare office may even have a sub-office working with refugees. School districts hire English as a Second Language teachers to teach refugees English to children and adults, and there may be positions open to work with refugees as counselors.

If you're ready to pursue a career with refugees after serving as a volunteer or intern for a while, you can search large non-profit organizations' websites that work with refugees. There are about ten resettlement agencies in the U.S., and many of them also have operations overseas. InterAction is a large group of non-profits that work domestically and internationally in development and humanitarian assistance, and they also have great resources for finding a job.

Some universities are now offering degrees in non-profit management and refugee studies, or even opportunities to learn how to work with immigrant communities by doing social work. Regis University offers a completely online Master's of Non-Profit Management degree that will provide necessary business and leadership skills in the refugee resettlement field.

So, be creative and proactive. Search out every opportunity and follow-up on each one to find a career in the most rewarding human services field.