Hosting an International J-1 Trainee: IT, Accounting, Engineering Hospitality & Retail
Al Lostocco
May 07, 2009
www.internship4america.com
One of the most frequently asked questions by clients is; "Is there anything special I need to do for my trainee, and also is there are any special considerations that I need to be aware of in the day-to-day management of this individual?" By in large the simple answer is that you need to treat this individual in the same manner as you would your other employee´s. That said lets start by discussing what you should do when your new International intern trainee arrives on the first day of work.
Let me refer you back to another article I recently wrote entitled; 7 Secrets to A Successful Orientation With J-1 Visa Interns: Computer, IT, Engineering Internships. In this article I discussed all the important elements of an orientation program, how it should be structured and the importance of making sure that you have your intern sign-off on each element of the orientation. Trust me this will spare you and your company from any misunderstanding later in the training should a situation occur. Assuming you have completed this it is important to get your trainee off on the right foot. The best way to do this is to assign the trainee a mentor right from the start. This should be a person who commands authority and will be the type of person who will be honest, assertive and supportive with the trainee if there is a concern to be addressed. What you do not want is for this person to treat this individual like s/he is something special, an "office pet" and should not be given special considerations beyond what you would do for a new company employee.
The first six (6) to eight (8) weeks for an intern coming from another country are the toughest. You have a variety of issues at play that will be impacting this person starting the moment they get off the plane. Remember that this trainee has been in a state of excitement for months anticipating this internship. Building all kinds of scenarios in his or her mind. This is probably the first time this individual has left their home country. So there is some degree of homesickness that will be happening during this period. Then you have the American mystique, which puts them in a state of awe. Along with all this the individual will be going through "Culture Shock" as s/he deals with different living conditions, different life styles, language difference and different eating habits and foods. On the language front your intern may speak good English but this does not translate into good American English. Keep in mind that we use lots of idioms in our day-to-day communication with one another. So it takes time for a new intern to get accustomed to these differences. Therefore the best thing you can do during this period is to have someone (mentor) available for this individual to communicate with and to talk to who can answer questions and provide guidance. Again this is very different from creating an "office pet" that everyone flaunts over. This sounds harsh but the reality of the matter is if you do not maintain control of the situation you will lose control.
The next thing you need to be sensitive to is that some interns will show up with what we call the "Presidential Attitude". What is this? This is the attitude that I am ready to be the president of the company so why do you have me doing these menial tasks. Keep in mind in some countries if you have attained certain educational credentials than you are immediately treated like you are special. Very different from here in the US where you have to earn respect.
What goes hand-in-hand with this is what we call the "Educational Attitude". This is very similar to the presidential attitude. Often individuals who have an MBA degree display this attitude. This is not exclusive to those with this educational degree. We have observed this same problem with others with advanced degrees. These individuals feel they are above other employees in a department by virtue of their having an MBA. I have seen an individual quit his internship because he was working for an individual who did not have a degree. I guess this same individual would not work for Bill Gates either since he did not graduate. What was sad about this is that the company had plans to expand his training into the management area once he learned the companies business.
It will take about three (3) to four (4) months for the individual to get fully settled in and become productive. What is important is that periodically you review with the intern the training plan and show him or her how you are providing the training you promised. It is very important to the individual that s/he is learning. Keep in mind that every experience is a learning experience. However for an individual with little or no work related experience it is often difficult to see how the tasks s/he is doing is providing a learning experience. So it is in every ones best interest if you make it a point to explain how the function that is being done relates to the overall operation and the success of the business.
Let me reiterate that the problem interns are far and few but precautions are worth taking to minimize potential problems.
If you have any additional questions feel free to contact me directly at lostocco1@internship4america.com. If you would like to review some of my other articles on instituting an internship program you´ll find them listed at www.internship4america.com. If you have had a similar experience I would like to hear about it.
Alexander H. Lostocco
One of the most frequently asked questions by clients is; "Is there anything special I need to do for my trainee, and also is there are any special considerations that I need to be aware of in the day-to-day management of this individual?" By in large the simple answer is that you need to treat this individual in the same manner as you would your other employee´s. That said lets start by discussing what you should do when your new International intern trainee arrives on the first day of work.
Let me refer you back to another article I recently wrote entitled; 7 Secrets to A Successful Orientation With J-1 Visa Interns: Computer, IT, Engineering Internships. In this article I discussed all the important elements of an orientation program, how it should be structured and the importance of making sure that you have your intern sign-off on each element of the orientation. Trust me this will spare you and your company from any misunderstanding later in the training should a situation occur. Assuming you have completed this it is important to get your trainee off on the right foot. The best way to do this is to assign the trainee a mentor right from the start. This should be a person who commands authority and will be the type of person who will be honest, assertive and supportive with the trainee if there is a concern to be addressed. What you do not want is for this person to treat this individual like s/he is something special, an "office pet" and should not be given special considerations beyond what you would do for a new company employee.
The first six (6) to eight (8) weeks for an intern coming from another country are the toughest. You have a variety of issues at play that will be impacting this person starting the moment they get off the plane. Remember that this trainee has been in a state of excitement for months anticipating this internship. Building all kinds of scenarios in his or her mind. This is probably the first time this individual has left their home country. So there is some degree of homesickness that will be happening during this period. Then you have the American mystique, which puts them in a state of awe. Along with all this the individual will be going through "Culture Shock" as s/he deals with different living conditions, different life styles, language difference and different eating habits and foods. On the language front your intern may speak good English but this does not translate into good American English. Keep in mind that we use lots of idioms in our day-to-day communication with one another. So it takes time for a new intern to get accustomed to these differences. Therefore the best thing you can do during this period is to have someone (mentor) available for this individual to communicate with and to talk to who can answer questions and provide guidance. Again this is very different from creating an "office pet" that everyone flaunts over. This sounds harsh but the reality of the matter is if you do not maintain control of the situation you will lose control.
The next thing you need to be sensitive to is that some interns will show up with what we call the "Presidential Attitude". What is this? This is the attitude that I am ready to be the president of the company so why do you have me doing these menial tasks. Keep in mind in some countries if you have attained certain educational credentials than you are immediately treated like you are special. Very different from here in the US where you have to earn respect.
What goes hand-in-hand with this is what we call the "Educational Attitude". This is very similar to the presidential attitude. Often individuals who have an MBA degree display this attitude. This is not exclusive to those with this educational degree. We have observed this same problem with others with advanced degrees. These individuals feel they are above other employees in a department by virtue of their having an MBA. I have seen an individual quit his internship because he was working for an individual who did not have a degree. I guess this same individual would not work for Bill Gates either since he did not graduate. What was sad about this is that the company had plans to expand his training into the management area once he learned the companies business.
It will take about three (3) to four (4) months for the individual to get fully settled in and become productive. What is important is that periodically you review with the intern the training plan and show him or her how you are providing the training you promised. It is very important to the individual that s/he is learning. Keep in mind that every experience is a learning experience. However for an individual with little or no work related experience it is often difficult to see how the tasks s/he is doing is providing a learning experience. So it is in every ones best interest if you make it a point to explain how the function that is being done relates to the overall operation and the success of the business.
Let me reiterate that the problem interns are far and few but precautions are worth taking to minimize potential problems.
If you have any additional questions feel free to contact me directly at lostocco1@internship4america.com. If you would like to review some of my other articles on instituting an internship program you´ll find them listed at www.internship4america.com. If you have had a similar experience I would like to hear about it.
Alexander H. Lostocco
Print
Email
