Internships
Students should seek internships while you are in school. Internships are often unpaid, but they give you valuable experience of work and human relations outside of school. Additionally, they sometimes serve as an important stepping stone to more desirable positions. Why not try an internship before you graduate? The following are examples of places to apply for internships.
Pacific and Asian Affairs Council (PAAC)
1601 East-West Road, 4th Floor
Honolulu, HI 96848
Email: admin@paachawaii.com
The Pacific and Asian Affairs Council, as part of the World Affairs Council of America (WACA), promotes an awareness and understanding of foreign affairs issues with special attention to Hawaii’s role in the Asia-Pacific regions. PAAC has provided international education to more than 71,000 high school students and 76,000 individuals attending community college programs statewide since 1954. It has also brought substantive and critical issues of foreign affairs to Hawai‘i through its programs, such as Speaker Forums, International Visitor Leadership Program, UHCC International Affairs Outreach Program, and High School Global Education Program.
Internship information is available on the web.
Pacific Forum Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)
Based in Honolulu, the Pacific Forum CSIS is a non-profit, private, foreign policy research institute that operates as the Asia Pacific arm of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. It collaborates with an extensive network of research institutes around the Pacific Rim, drawing on Asian perspectives and disseminating its projects’ findings and recommendations to opinion leaders, governments, and publics through an active outreach program.
The Pacific Forum CSIS runs the Hawai‘i Emerging Leaders Program, that meets monthly. Email Joni Caminos for more information.
Also, CSIS in Washington, D.C. offers full and part-time internships in the fall, spring, and summer for undergraduates, advanced students, and recent graduates who are interested in gaining practical experience in public policy. Interns participate in a variety of activities that support individual programs, including research, writing, and project development. Although mostly unpaid, interns can apply for stipends based on demonstrated financial need. Information about internships can be found on the CSIS website.
Fulbright Program
Graduating U.S. students can apply for full or partial Fulbright grants for English Teaching Assistantships and Critical Language Enhancement Awards.
Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program
Probably the most prestigious training and development program available in the federal government, the PMF program provides selected graduate students with a two-year fellowship that offers extensive formal classroom training and rotational assignment opportunities. It involves the Department of State and many other federal agencies in the training process and often leads to permanent jobs in the U.S. government.
Government Jobs
The U.S. government is in need of BA/MA holders with knowledge of Asia and Pacific regions and their languages. Government positions often require security clearance, so there may be a long waiting period until you actually get hired for the desired position. They may be worth the wait as they offer good benefits.
Joint Intelligence Center Pacific (JICPAC)
Located at Pearl Harbor, JICPAC provides all source intelligence to planners and policy makers in the Pacific Command’s area of responsibility. It primarily seeks LINK intelligence specialists (analysts) , but has occasional openings for administrative or technical support positions such as computer and visual information specialists.
U.S. Department of State
The U.S. Department of State hires Foreign Service, Civil Service, and student employees to work at offices in the U.S. and over 265 posts abroad. This is a web site worth viewing.
Bureau of Diplomatic Security
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security under the Department of State hires Special Agents and Diplomatic Couriers. An Asian Studies BA graduate works as a Special Agent and is currently stationed in Los Angeles.
Education
Many instructional faculty positions in higher education require PhDs in relevant fields. Before you make a decision to pursue a PhD at UH or elsewhere, you may want to check the following web sites and find out about the job market. Also note that many non-teaching jobs exist in higher education and some don’t require PhDs.
Institutional Vacancies in Asian Studies
This site is maintained through the International Institute of Asian Studies. Check the site map under institutional vacancies.
Association for Asian Studies
New listings will be posted by the first and third MONDAY of each month. In order to view the current job listings, you must be a current AAS member.
University of Hawai‘i
Employment listings in the University of Hawai‘i System.
The Chronicle of Higher Education Career Network
Free listings of close to 1000 faculty and research positions in the fields of humanities, social sciences, science, technology and professional fields. You will also find listed administrative and executive positions, as well as positions outside academe. Search options include position classification, geographic region, and keyword. New listings are posted every Friday.
Job Hunt
Features positions in academia, companies, and information from recruiting agencies. There are also links to university career resource centers around the country.
American Anthropological Association
The Association maintains several listings of job opportunities.
Jobs Abroad
Some of our graduates get employed in Asia, primarily to teach English. Opportunities to teach English are abound in Asia. Many countries welcome native English speakers as language teachers, and they typically do not require a degree in English or Education. Some of the following web sites list non-teaching jobs as well.
JET (Japan Exchange and Teach) Programme
Administered by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Japanese embassies and consulates. A position on the JET Programme is contracted employment at a host institution doing work that is assigned to you by your employer.
Japan Times Classified Job Search
Korea Job Link
Park English Recruitment Agency, Inc.
Run by experienced ESL teachers, this Korean-American company places native-English-speaking university graduates in language teaching positions in Korean schools.
English Program in Korea (EPIK)
Teach Abroad
This web site leads you to teaching positions in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand among others.
Other Useful Web Sites
For all types of jobs in Hawai‘i and the U.S., try the following web sites.