Internship Guide
Getting an internship can be a difficult and daunting process. While its difficult enough to meet all the application requirements, go for interviews and wait unnervingly for your acceptance, finding the opportunities can be the hardest part—especially for an interdisciplinary degree like IR.
The purpose of this guide is to guide you through the process of finding internships. This guide will provide information and links on internships programs, outline some places that often offer internships, help you create your own internship and provide some tips, tricks and advice from fellow students.
It is our hope at the IRSociety and Mentorship that you can supplement your academic degree with rewarding co curricular experiences whether it is involvement with clubs like the IRSociety, research or internships. This guide is to help you get there and have a successful undergraduate career.
Please keep in mind information and opportunities in this guide are not the opinion or the responsibility of the IR society. We cannot vet the opportunities that we have found for you in the guide and cannot be held responsible for any problems or accidents that arise from the internship you choose or apply to. It is our hope that you will properly and responsibly weigh the costs & benefits and check the credentials of the internship you choose.
We wish you successful internship hunting and hope you have a great experience with whatever you do!
Sincerely,
Mentorship Program & The International Relations Society
Index
- Internship Programs/ Opportunities
- Organizations that often offer Internships
- Third Party Internship Opportunity Lists
- Create Your Own Internship
- Tips, tricks & important info
Internship Programs/Internships
Often, organizations will offer internships on a by need or case-by-case basis. However there are also many organizations that offer consistent, yearly internships. This section of the guide will outline some of the ones that we have found and will provide some basic information that we have found about them. If you are interested in any of them follow the provided link and research them before you apply or accept. We have not approved the legitimacy of these internships nor do we specifically endorse any of them. Information in the below profiles are from the websites or paraphrased.
Federal Service Work Experience Program (FSWEP)
Organization: Canadian Federal Government
Type: Government Work
Official Description: Students are assigned by the program to various government institutions including many that deal with IR such as DFATD. Where students are assigned is semi random but takes into account their application information.
Paid/Unpaid:Paid
Application Criterion: Online Application
Location: Varies (in Canada)
Term: Varies
Deadline: Rolling Basis
URL:
Application URL: - res
Canadian Embassy (Washington) Internship
Organization: Canadian Foreign Service, Canadian Embassy (Washington)
Type: Government (Foreign Affairs)
Official Description: The Embassy of Canada’s Internship Program provides students with an opportunity to be involved in governmental affairs and to develop an understanding of the Canada–U.S. bilateral relationship. We match internship applicants with positions that correspond to their education and interests.
Paid/Unpaid: Unpaid
Application Criterion: Reliability Screening, CV, Letter of Interest, Academic transcript, TWO letters of recommendation
Location: Washington
Term:Winter/Spring:January – May, Summer:May – August, Autumn:September – December
Deadline: Varies by term
URL:
Application URL:
Canadian Embassy/Consulates in China
Organization: Canadian Foreign Service, Canadian Embassies and Consulates in China
Type:Government- Foreign Affairs
Official Description:Internship opportunities at Canadian missions in China provide successful candidates with an opportunity to be involved in governmental affairs and to develop skills. There is flexibility to make the duration of the internship shorter or longer relationship. The Internships are six months in duration. In some cases, understanding of the Canada-China bilateral than six months
Paid/Unpaid:Unpaid
Application Criterion:Apply through University, CV, Cover Letter, and Candidate
Internship Form
Location:Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Guangzhou
Term: 6 months, different seasons
Deadline: The universities should suggest candidates by March 1st, 2013
URL: of uaiea/docs/WorkAbroad-CanadianMissionsChinaENG-InfoSheet.pdf
US Consulate Internships- Canada
Organization: US Consulates
Type: Various Internship Positions at US Consulates (General/Trade/Events)
Official Description:The Foreign National Student Intern Program is designed for students who are non-U.S. citizens seeking internships with the U.S. Mission in Canada. This program benefits both the Mission and students by providing the Foreign National student with valuable experience in an Embassy environment and by assisting the Mission in accomplishing their goals. Interns will not receive compensation, benefits or have any future employment rights.
Paid/Unpaid:Unpaid
Application Criterion:18; enrolled in university; in good academic standing; Application From; Resume; Transcript; statement of interest form.
Location:Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary
Term:Seasonal
Deadline:Varies
URL:
Application URL:
Council on Foreign Relations Volunteer Internships (Various)
Organization:Council on Foreign Relations
Type: Think Tank
Official Description:The Council on Foreign Relations’ Internship Program offers outstanding volunteer opportunities for college students, graduate students, and graduates focusing on international relations and who are pursuing a career in foreign policy or a related field.
Paid/Unpaid:Unpaid
Application Criterion:
Location:Washington or New York
Term:Varies
Deadline:Varies
URL:
Editorial Researcher
Organization: Foreign Policy Magazine
Type: Research/Writing
Official Description:Regularly contribute toPassport, the blog by the editors ofFP;Fact-check articles and work with writers to ensure accuracy; Proofread articles;Propose and develop story videos for upcoming issues; Researchers may have the opportunity to write and work with an editor on at least one short piece for the print magazine;
Paid/Unpaid: Paid
Application Criteria:Must have course work or job experience in international relations, political science, journalism, history, or economics; Must have outstanding research and writing skills; CV; Resume; Writing Sample; Letter of Recommendation.
Location: Washington
Term:10-12 weeks
Deadline: TBA
URL: - sthash.ZztoDZxM.dpbs
Editorial Internship
Organization: Foreign Affairs
Type:Research and Writing
Description:The Academic Year Internship is a full-time paid position in New York City offering exceptional training in serious journalism. The intern works as an assistant editor with substantial responsibility.
Paid/Unpaid:Paid
Application Criterion:Previous interns have included recent graduates from undergraduate and master’s programs. Candidates should have a serious interest in international relations, a flair for writing, and a facility with the English language; cover letter; CV; Three Writing Samples; Three letters of recommendation.
Location:New York City
Term: Academic Year
Deadline:Feb. 3.. 2014
URL:
Internship CSIS
Organization: Centre for Strategic and International Studies
Type: Think Tank
Description:Interns participate in a variety of activities that support individual programs, including research, writing, and project development.
Paid/Unpaid: Unpaid
Application Criterion: Must be at least a college junior in good standing, an advanced student or a recent graduate.Must have at least a 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) or equivalent from a non-U.S. Must be eligible to work in the United States.Online Application.
Location: Washington DC
Term: Seasonal
Deadline: March 14, 2014: for summer
URL:
Application URL:
Atlantic Council Internship
Organization: Atlantic Council
Type: Think Tank
Description:The Atlantic Council of Canada provides a forum for Canadians to learn about and discuss Canada’s role in NATO and our contribution to international trade, peace and security. The Council offers internship opportunities for young Canadians between the ages of 18 and 30. The goal of this program is to help students and recent graduates transition from post secondary education to productive work in the field of international affairs and international trade. Additionally, this program is designed to help Canadian youth move from part-time or underemployment to rewarding careers with an international focus.
Paid/unpaid: Unpaid
Application Criterion:CV, A covering motivational letter explaining your interest in an internship at the ACC, The names and contact information of three references, A writing sample of 1000 words on international affairs or a related field
Location: Toronto
Term:Seasonal
Deadline: Varies
URL:
Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights
Organization: MIGS
Type: Think Tank
Description:Social Media Intern- See Site for Details
Paid/Unpaid: Unpaid
Application Criterion: see posting
Location:Montreal
Term:Ongoing
Deadline:not specified
URL:
Trade Internship- Taipei
Organization: Cdn Trade Office-Taipei
Type:Govn't- FA
Description: The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) seeks an intern in the Trade and Investment (TD) Section to begin in July/August 2013. The CTOT represents Canada in Taiwan in the absence of official relations and is staffed by officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). This internship will provide the successful candidate with an in‐depth understanding of how an overseas mission puts Canadian diplomacy into practice.
Paid/Unpaid: Unpaid
Application Criterion: (1) applicant summary form; (2) CV, maximum 2 pages; (3) formal statement of interest – strictly one page – stating why you are interested and why you would make a good candidate; (4) complete and updated unofficial transcript.
Location: Taipei
Term: Summer- 6months
Deadline: June 7, 2013, 5:00 PM
URL:
General Intern- CTOT Taipei
Organization:Cdn Trade Office-Taipei
Type:Govn't- FA
Description:The General Relations (GR) Section is responsible for providing wide‐angle, integrated policy advice and analysis on the full range of bilateral issues between Canada and Taiwan. It also provides mission-wide communications services, organizes public affairs activities, develops programming on public policy issues and promotes Canadian education and youth exchanges. An intern in the GR Section will: monitor Taiwan’s political and economic landscape, drafting timely reports on trends and events affecting Canada’s bilateral interests/activities in Taiwan; conduct advanced research covering various issues of interest including governance and democratic development, human rights (incl. LGBT issues), domestic politics, and security issues; create content, monitor and seek ways of improving the mission’s social media platform and other communications tools; assist with the planning and delivery of all aspects of incoming visits and mission events; develop special projects and perform other duties as required.
Paid/Unpaid: Unpaid
Application Criterion: (1) applicant summary form; (2) CV, maximum 2 pages; (3) formal statement of interest – strictly one page – stating why you are interested and why you would make a good candidate; (4) complete and updated unofficial transcript.
Location: Taipei
Term:Summer- 6months
Deadline: June 7, 2013, 5:00 PM
URL:
Other:
Here is a list of other internships that are also offered quite regularly. Again we are not responsible for the content or the internships on these websites.
WHO Internship Program and Employment:
Carter Centre for Peace Internship Program:
World Bank Internships/Jobs:
World Policy Internships:
International Organization for Migration Internships:
Parliamentary Guide Program:
Conservative Party Internship Program
Liberal Party Internship Program
Federal Parliamentary Internship Program
Ontario Legislature Internship Programme
List of US State Department Internships in Canada:
Carnegie Council Internships
Lists
Here are a number of lists that also cover internships that relate to International Relations. They may contain a lot of useful leads and will help with your research. Please note that the IR Society is not and cannot be responsible for what is on these third party sites and lists; some may have useless, false or dangerous information. Please use caution and your own research when applying to any internship. Not included in this list is a great resource, which is the UofT Career Centre they post a significant amount of internship opportunities and jobs. Also great to look for are Work Study opportunities that provide you with a paid internship and works around your school and study schedule.
Mount Allison University List
UofTPoliSci Department
United Nations Opportunities (Usually for Grad Students)
UCalgary Internship List
DFATD International Youth Internships
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Kellogg University Internship List
Opportunities with the NDP Party
List of Canadian Policy Internships (PDF)
Centre for International Relations and Politics Internships List
Canadian Careers List of Internships/Jobs for Youth
Create Your Own Internship
Many places don’t have an internship program or publically publicize Internship programs, however you can still pursue internships at these organizations. If you are going to do this make sure you do it in a responsible and respectful manner. Send or hand in your CV and cover letter to the appropriate person (you estimate) at the organization. In your cover letter, e-mail or conversation inquire about you interning there and provide some ideas of how you can help and what skills you can bring to them. The better you can tell them about your skills and how you can fit in and help the stronger chance you will have of them thinking of how they can use you. Keep in mind that by creating your own internship there is often no budget to pay you, at least initially. Some locations that this could be useful to do this for are: Consulates, think tanks, smaller companies and firms etc.
See Andrea Simonitis’ advice in the following section for more details.
Here are Some Tips and Tricks from your Fellow Students:
Excerpts from the November 15, 2013: find an Internship Seminar
All Opinions expressed by these students are from their presentations and you should follow the advice at your own risk.
Hayden Rodenkirchen:
3 main points in searching for an internship:
- Cast a wide net:
- Don’t limit yourself to the positions you see posted. Even if internships aren’t posted, reach out to organizations if you think you could add value to the organization.
- Spend time determining what you want out of your experience
- If you know what you’re searching for, it’s easier to communicate your qualifications
- Knowing what you want makes it easier for employers to hire you
- Allows you to be confident and assured applicant.
- Make sure you have prioritized and are able to answer whether you’ll take an internship.
- Figure out how you can add value to an organization
- At school we work on an input level: handing things in.
- Internships work on an output level so you need to show how your work can benefit the organization.
If you can legitimately add value to an organization, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t sent them an email even if they don’t advertise an internship or you don’t exactly fit the requirements.
-Don’t prioritize the urgent over the important in your search for internships. Don’t immediately settle for something you haven’t thought through. Take the time to assess the pros and cons of different internships and see how you can leverage them into your future career
KaleemHawa:
Couple of tips for finding an internship:
- Recognize large organizations are bureaucratic and they will not always post all opportunities available. Worthwhile endeavor to reach out to these organizations. Make sure to reply to emails and also ask them to recommend other opportunities or someone else for you to talk to.
- What can you bring to the table?
- You can get skills training outside of the classroom.
- Writing experience is exceptionally important. Prove you have writing and editing experience.
- Language experience is also important: if you only speak one language, invest time in learning other languages. Also gives you greater access to journals as a researcher.
- Know about the organization that you are applying for:
- Use papers to focus on what you are interested in working on.
- Talk to people who have had similar experiences in the same organization.
- Actually focus on your GPAs.
- There’s a temptation to spread yourself to thin in university, but employers tend to focus on what criteria they’re familiar with such as your GPA.
- Especially in courses most relevant to your area of interest, make sure your grades are good.
Andrea Simonits
-Some tips on how to get an internship that doesn’t exist…
- Just because you are in Canada doesn’t mean you can’t have an international experience, apply to consulates of different nations.
- Check your resources and examine different avenues to find an internship.
- Look at who is working at embassy offices and reach out to people who are actually there.
- Research employers just as much as they research you.
- Make sure you become familiar with the customs of international embassies.
- Adapt to the organization: language is very important especially for embassies of different nations.
- Don’t be afraid to follow up with an organization if they don’t reply…often they won’t have received your email or it may have been lost in the shuffle.
- Don’t be too picky about the position you want.
- You may think you are over-qualified, but experience is always valuable and your responsibilities will escalate fairly quickly
- Focus on your university achievements instead of high school distinctions.
- Don’t just say what you’ve done in the past, also say what you are going to do for the organization.
- Apply directly to an organization, visit the consulate, and know the people you are talking to. Make a personal connection with your potential employers.
Other Resources:
- It seems basic but: GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND, it is a great starting point
- Go talk to the career center and they will help you with leads and with actually getting the job (Interview prep, CV & resume writing etc.)
- Some organizations have job boards on their sites:
- Two great ones:
- Canadian International Council
- Munk School
- Talk to friends, especially older or more experienced ones, they can help you because they have gone through the same process
- ASK THE IR SOCIETY!
- E-mail us at
- Come talk to us in person at IR Society or Mentorship events
- Come to Mentorship events, especially those about Careers or Internships
- Ask you Mentor if you are in the Mentorship Program
Choosing the Right Internship