STUDENT (British, Male): Ms. Hendricks, right?
ADVISER (Australian, Female): Yes. What can I do for you?
STUDENT: Hi. I’m Brian Green and I’m an undergraduate student in the education department. I was told to speak to you about internship programmes.
ADVISER: All right. Would you mind telling me what kind of education you’re studying?
STUDENT: Primary. I aim to be a primary school teacher someday.
ADVISER: Brilliant. And you are in what year?
STUDENT: Third. That’s, um, that’s why I need to do an internship. It’s part of our fourth year curriculum.
ADVISER: Yes, that’s right. Will you want to do your internship in the autumn or…?
STUDENT: The spring, actually. I have units that I need to take in the first term of the year because they are, uh, only offered at that time.
ADVISER: OK. Do you plan to do your internship here in Australia, or somewhere overseas?
STUDENT: Somewhere in North America would be lovely. I’ve wanted to go to the United States my entire life, but the opportunity has never come up.
ADVISER: I’ll see what I can do, but visas for the U.S. are difficult to get. And internship positions there are competitive for overseas students. I’d consider Canada if I were you.
STUDENT: Ah, OK. I’ll keep that in mind. Um, by the way, how long exactly do the internship placements last?
ADVISER: Around four months. But they can be extended up to six if you like.
STUDENT: Are there any benefits to that?
ADVISER: Well, just getting the extra time under your belt. The longer the placement, the better it looks on your CV to potential employers. You’re probably going to get more out of it if you stay longer as well. It takes time to get to know the ropes of a place.
EXAMINEE GETS A 30 SECOND BREAK TO REVIEW THE QUESTIONS FOR THE SECOND PART OF DIALOGUE B
ADVISER: Now, more important is where you do your internship. For students such as yourself doing courses in education, we have some excellent options in North America. In, in Canada we have a partnership with the British Columbia Ministry of Education. So students can get placements in public schools throughout the province.
STUDENT: British Columbia?
ADVISER: That’s the province on the West Coast of Canada.
STUDENT: That’s…is that where Vancouver is?
ADVISER: Yes, exactly.
STUDENT: OK.
ADIVSER: So, public schools are one option. But we also have some great connections with private schools in the U.S.
STUDENT: Where in the U.S.?
ADVISER: New York, Seattle, and Chicago.
STUDENT: New York sounds great. I have a second cousin who lives there, I believe.
ADVISER: You’ll want to apply early to get into that program. I’d recommend putting your application package together by September. It’s a very competitive placement, as you can imagine.
STUDENT: I’m sure everyone wants to be in that city.
ADVISER: That’s part of it. But I think also the private schools there are of quite high quality compared to other places. But then again, you come from London, and they have some very fine private institutions as well.
STUDENT: What about alternative schools? The ones that cater to homeless youth, or minority youth.
ADIVSER: Hmm. I think that Chicago is where you could find such places. I know they have some government-sponsored initiatives in that city that are quite well known.
STUDENT: Are those placements competitive?
ADVISER: Not really. They usually have 15 spots each year, and we almost never fill them up completely. I’m not sure why, but I venture it has to do with the high crime rates in those areas. I think most people are a bit frightened to live there.
STUDENT: That actually appeals to me the most. Can I have more information on those placements?