INTERN / SHORT-TERM WORKER POLICY

The South Pacific New Zealand & Australian Church Planting Policy for interns. South Pacific teams are always excited to partner with interns who want to serve God in the Oceania context. There are several guidelines designed to help you in making preparations, as well as helping the trip run as smoothly as possible. Please look over these procedures and feel free to contact John Woodward if you have any questions or comments (jwoodward@newinternational.org)

INTERNS

South Pacific teams look forward to hosting interns who desire to partner in ministry with them and gain ministry experience in a New Zealand or Australian context. You will find some guidelines for the internship experience below.

What is an intern?

    • Must be 18 years old or older.
    • An intern is a temporary staff member of a given team, on either a part-time or full-time basis.
    • Interns are involved with a team for the dual purpose of on-the-field training and benefiting the team ministries.
    • Interns will be provided with hands-on ministry experience in at least one ministry area.
    • Internships will be granted for a set time frame, which should fall within the following parameters (unless special circumstances are to be considered):
        •  Minimum: 10 weeks
      •  Maximum: 1 year
  • Interns are accountable to the staff member to whom they are assigned, to the team as a whole, and to the church leadership.

Special Note: Interns are placed only when our staff in New Zealand and Australia have need for help. You may be declined due to lack of available placement opportunities.

How will internships be funded?

  • In order for South Pacific to give the opportunity for interns to partner in the work of our ministry, each intern will have to raise his/her own funding to cover all costs for the trip.
  • South Pacific will assist in giving an accurate understanding of the costs involved so that the intern will be prepared and aware to raise all funds possible.
  • The team will assist the intern in finding accommodation for his/her time. However, the funding of accommodation will be the intern’s responsibility.
  • Raising funds is a large part of life for many church planters and missionaries. South Pacific believes that this process is beneficial for all of its interns and integral to the overall experience.

Who can be an intern?

  • Every intern who wants to work with a South Pacific team will need to fill out an application form.
  • Each intern will work with his/her mentor to develop a plan of study/work which will be approved by the South Pacific team, and signed by the South Pacific team member, the intern, and, where applicable, the organization or school responsible for the intern.
  • All applicants will be responsible for setting up an interview with the mentoring staff member, via internet or phone call.
  • The South Pacific team reserves the right to accept or reject interns for any reason.

When can an intern come?

  • Potential interns may apply for a specific time period, but it must be approved by the South Pacific team.
  • Applications must be submitted at least 6 months prior to internship start date.

Estimated Trip Cost

  • Costs will vary due to exchange rates, plane tickets, length of trip, etc., but we estimate that a 14-day trip within New Zealand or Australia will cost approximately USD $1,000 per person plus airfare.
  •  Flights $2,000
  •  Food $ 300
  •  Transport/Accom. $ 400
  •  Cultural Activities $ 100
  •  Project Supplies $ 200
  •  Items such as souvenirs, sightseeing activities and luxury food items are not included in the trip cost and must be purchased with the short-term team members’ own money.

Training

  •  Pre-field training is required for all Interns.
  •  We highly recommend that you use Essential Training Topics:
  •  Fundraising (if applicable)
  •  Pre-field Paperwork (Passports, Visas, Applications, etc.)
  •  Becoming Cross-Cultural (Culture Shock, Cross-cultural communication, etc.)
  •  Preparing Your Testimony (especially important as New Zealand is an English-speaking culture)
  •  Travel/Packing/Health Issues (Travel Tips, What to Pack, Crisis/Contingency Plans, etc.)
  •  Debriefing & Reentry (Leaving the Field, Prepping the Families of Team Members, What to Do Next, etc.)

PLEASE BE AWARE…

Traveling internationally is an increasingly difficult undertaking, especially with a large group of people. The following guidelines will help you to prevent some common travel complications. Additional guidelines should be reviewed with the entire team during pre-field training (see Short-Term Mission Trip Policy for details):
The Following websites may be helpful when traveling internationally:
You can download U.S. Passport applications at http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.
You can register your trip at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/registration/registration_1186.html.

Even with a valid passport, a criminal record or previous denial of admission into any country may prevent admission into the country upon arrival in New Zealand and Australia.
Please make sure that all trip participants are aware of any potential restrictions, and that an FBI clearance is obtained if
necessary. For details, please see http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/emergencies/emergencies_1201.html.

Many Short-Term trip organizers choose to purchase travel insurance either on a team-wide or individual basis.
You can get more information and purchase travel insurance through these websites (these companies specialize in insuring missionaries and short-term teams):
Insurance Consultants International www.globalhealthinsurance.com
Insurance Services of America www.missionaryhealth.com
Overseas Protection Plan www.otpplan.com

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