Therapeutic Recreation Internship
The Therapeutic Recreation Internship provides students who are majoring in the field of Therapeutic Recreation and seeking the certification from the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) an opportunity to practice the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom to fulfill their school requirements to obtain a degree and to meet NCTRC’s certification requirements.
The internship will provide an effective transition from the classroom to professional setting . The supervised leadership experience provides students with the opportunity to test classroom theories, concepts, and philosophies in realistic situations under the guidance and supervision of dedicated professionals. Furthermore, it provides the intern with a constructive review and evaluation of their skills and competencies allowing realistic direction to further professional development.
Day to Day duties will include but are not limited to:
- Working under the supervision of a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) for the duration of their internship to learn aspects of developing, implementing, and evaluating skill development and theory-based therapeutic recreation programs.
- Supervising participants (youth or adult) involved in program and events, adhering to program and event safety protocols.
- Completing short term and/or long term projects and case studies depending upon their current standing in school (Senior intern – Short -term project, long-term project, and case study; Graduate intern – Long term research/administrative project and case study)
- Providing excellent customer service to internal and external customers both written ad orally.
- Preparing and/or submitting records and reports that are programmatic and administrative.
- May be required to work varied hours, evenings, nights, holidays, and weekend in an outdoor environment in various weather conditions and for extended period of time greater than 8 hours.
Expected Schedule / Hours:
Typical Work week will be 40 hours unless otherwise agreed upon. The schedule will be varied by days, evenings, weekends, and program schedule needs.
Expected Program Dates:
January 25th 2027 – May 7th 2027 (15 weeks, can be adjusted based on school requirements or completion of hours)
Minimum Requirements:
Required Education: Pursuing Therapeutic Recreation degree (BS in Therapeutic Recreation, or Recreation with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation); Must be eligible to sit for the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) upon completion of internship and degree completion.
Additional Requirements:
- Must be able to work independently according to standard procedures and/or written or verbal instructions.
- Must be able to work a varied schedule; days, evenings, weekdays, and weekends to meet operational needs.
- This position will work in an administrative office environment well as outdoors as parks and facilities when assisting operations, programs, events.
- Must follow departmental dress code policy.
Applications close date:
November 15th 2026.
Compensation:
- Undergraduate Freshman / Sophomore: $16.08/HR
- Undergraduate Junior / Senior: $17.14/HR
- Graduate Student: $18.22/HR
Additional requirements:
• DMV Transcript: No
• CDL: No
• Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse: No
• CPS Check: No
• Physical: No
• Respirator: No
• Psychological Screening: No
• Polygraph: No
• At Will: No
The City of Virginia Beach is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
