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Social Development and Foreign Policy Internships
Q: I need to do an internship in the areas of either social development or foreign policy at a NGO or a social organisation, it needs to be in an English speaking country as well, please can you assist with ideas.
A: There are a number of methods in pursuing an internship these days, one of the most popular methods is to apply to a setup or organisation that provides a paid or volunteer internship. The volunteering method obviously is based on the idea that experience is the valued remuneration that you are receiving ahead of a wage or salary of sorts. If you are doing an internship abroad or away from home, some programs often cover your living and day to day costs as well, again a forfeit of a salary may be put forward in this case. Although it is worth a note that some internships expect you to incur all costs involved. The fully funded internship is the “Big Mac” of the internships because you get the combination of work experience and a salary!
The second popular option is to do a paid internship program, whereby you pay for the internship program yourself. There are a number of these on offer at the moment and they are often put forward in conjunction with Gap Year program setups. The key here is to make sure the setup you signup with is legitimate, reputable and organised. There are a number of scam setups so be aware of these and make sure you do your research properly.
Another option is doing an internship program within a university setup in this case you would have to apply to various institutions and inquire whether they cater for this in the area of your interest. This will probably be a focused research student internship of sorts. You can search the FirstStep.me university guide for a list of universities from around the planet!
In terms of social development and foreign policy the internships, there are a few big players in this sector that offer top level internships so getting in is tough. However it is worth a shot to apply! Also apply to a specific research institution within the area of social development and foreign policy is worthwhile which is literally a Google search away depending on the region of your choice.
Check out the following global internship setups as they will either be conducted in an English speaking area or in the language itself. The key is to go the setups main website and check under sections titled “careers’ or “working for…”
UNICEF: You can find a clear outline of the UNICEF internship offering.
The United Nations: A full breakdown of internships at the UN is provided.
WWF: it’s the conservation focused internship mixed with social and foreign policy issues.
European Union: website is a bit complicated but it is possible to track down internship opportunities under their work for the EU section.
If the EU is an option then check out EuroBrussels.com a website dedicated to jobs in International Relations and European Affairs.
Also check out the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) a German setup geared towards International Relations, very cool with an internship program as well!
Oxfam: simple and easy to navigate website to find what you are looking for in terms of internship and career options!
AISEC: probably the best global setup for internships catering for students all around the planet!
Also check out the FirstStep.me internship breakdown of options from around the planet! This also includes reference to websites listing internship opportunities on offer from various setups on the planet.
All the best and good luck the FirstStep.me team!
