NEADS Internships

About internship opportunities at NEADS:

  • We accept unpaid internships on a case-by-case basis.
  • Interns commute to our Princeton campus throughout the internship, and must provide their own reliable transportation.
  • Internships are typically driven by school requirements, and previous interns have worked towards an end goal of total hours, usually ranging from 120-480 hours. This translates to 20-40 hours per week, for 6-12 weeks.
  • Internships do not include the opportunity to train our dogs or work directly with our training staff.
  • Successfully attending and completing this internship does not signify that the attendee is a service/assistance dog trainer or qualified to train and/or place service/assistance dogs. Assistance Dogs International has specific standards that an individual must meet in order to be an assistance dog trainer – and taking part in this class does not meet these requirements.

Information below pertains to our Hawkins Canine Center (HCC) and Breeding & Puppy Development (BPD) Internships.

  • Candidates should be college juniors or seniors majoring in Animal Behavior or similar fields. NEADS occasionally engages interns in other areas or departments (Development, Communications, or Administration), and interested candidates should submit a proposal to the CEO for consideration.
  • HCC Interns are overseen by the Director of Canine Development, but work on a day-to-day basis with the HCC Assistant Supervisors.
  • HCC Interns work in the Hawkins Canine Center at the NEADS Main Campus with adolescent and adult dogs and includes:
    • Mastering general operations of the facility (cleaning, prep work, and learning the daily routines).
    • Experience is progressive, and begins with daily operations and can work up to dog handling.
    • Learning about the training process of service dogs, how to read dog body language, about canine enrichment, and how to handle dogs according to NEADS standards (which you may find different from your previous experience).
    • Completing a research component in a mutual area of interest.
    • Exposure to other educational opportunities such as sitting in on a client classroom session – if appropriate.
  • BPD Interns are overseen by the Manager of Breeding & Puppy Development, but work on a day-to-day basis with the Assistant Breeding & Puppy Development Coordinator and Nursery Attendants.
  • BPD Interns work in the NEADS Breeding Center at the satellite campus with adult dogs in the breeding colony, broods, and puppies. Duties include:
    • Mastering general operations of the facility (cleaning, laundry/dishes, prep work, and learning the daily routines)
    • Learning about progressive puppy socialization from birth to 8 weeks of age and actively participating in the socialization of puppies
    • Learning about aspects of breeding, medical care, whelping, and other areas that go into creating a strong foundation for service dog training
    • Completing a research component in a mutual area of interest.
    • Exposure to other educational opportunities such as sitting in on a client classroom session – if appropriate.

To apply, please complete this form, making sure to include a cover letter and resume. Please contact us at least 3 months in advance of when you would hope to start.

NEADS Internship Application

NEADS Internship Application

  • Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 512 MB.
    Please submit a PDF of your resume
  • Letters for Hawkins Canine Center can be directed to Kathy Foreman, Director of Canine Development and Breeding and Puppy Development internships can be directed to Kate Albertini, Manager of Breeding and Puppy Development; all other letters can be directed to Audrey Trieschman, Manager of Communications.
    Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 512 MB.