Page Allen
2/8/2010
Rohler

Orientation Speech

Good afternoon everyone. My name is Rachel Young and I would like to thank all of you for coming out. Being that this is a paid internship, I would truly like to thank you on the behalf of the entire Humane Society of the United States. It is because of ambitious interns like yourself that the Humane Society is able to produce some of the best and most dedicated employees in the country. You are now part of one of the largest organizations in the United States. Your efforts will be felt and appreciated by both humans and animals alike as you complete some of the most rewarding work possible. And hey, it isn’t too bad of a gig to get paid while you’re at it!

With that being said, I’d like to get started on information regarding your training as Humane Society interns. The training period for an internship is seven days. Animals are in need each and every day so, as a result, we do work on the weekends so be prepared for that. Training will start on Monday the 22^nd. On Monday, each of you is to arrive 20 minutes prior to 8 o’clock for sign-in. It is on sign-in day that you will be assigned to an Intern leader and be split into 4 groups based on your interests and skills assessment that you took prior to being selected as an intern. These four groups will consist of adoption efforts, fundraising, vet care/grooming, and animal training. Your assessment test determined which one of the four groups is best suited for you and you will find out your group on Monday so get excited! For the remaining six days of your week long training in your respective group, you are to arrive at 8 o’clock each morning with a working mentality. Each group will meet and work from 8 am until 4 pm each day for the training session. Once split into your group, your Intern leader will go over each day’s tasks and goals in detail.

A basic breakfast will be provided at 8:30 each morning which will include things like fresh fruit, toast, bagels and cream cheese, cereal, milk, coffee, orange juice – your basic hotel continental breakfast. If this does not tickle your fancy, please make your own accommodations before coming to work. Lunch will be provided each day at 12:30. Here at the Humane Society we serve different items each day. Lunch will be set up buffet style and both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items will be available. We feel quite confident that you will be able to satisfy your every need with what our lunch has to offer.

Okay, moving on. The dress code is as follows. Long hair should be pulled back and out of face, no jewelry allowed beyond stud earrings and wedding bands. You should wear a short or long sleeved shirt that you wouldn’t mind if it got ruined. Comfortable jeans, dickies, or scrubs are allowed. Shoes must be close-toed and comfortable because you will be standing and running around all day. Keep it simple, comfortable, and functional. This is manual labor, hands-on, messy work. These are not desk jobs and we are not running a fashion show here.

Now the part you have all been waiting for – paychecks! Here at the Humane Society, our interns have a flat rate of pay regardless of what group you are assigned to. Each group provides exceptional, essential care in the running of the organization; therefore, each group is treated and paid equally. Interns will be paid $11.00 per hour for this week of training and $10.00 per hour for the course of the internship itself. These hourly rates are subject to taxes. You will receive your training paycheck at the end of the seven days. Beyond that, Interns get paid bi-weekly on Thursdays via direct deposit to their checking account.

If you are not able to make it to any of the training sessions or if you are going to be running late, please call our director, Jason Smith, and let him know in advance. His number, as well as other vital numbers, e-mail addresses, and contact info is listed on the green handout you were given at the beginning of the session. I hope that you all are excited to be here because we are certainly excited to see fresh faces ready to make a difference! If you have any questions or concerns, please come and speak to me or any of the other employees in this room. Thank you again for your interest in helping out this amazing organization and we will look forward to working with you this week.