INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Many international and multinational organizations have internships or clerkships.  Some are only available to citizens of member states.  This guide lists agencies that would hire US citizens.  If you are a citizen of a country that belongs to a regional or international group of which the US is not a member, such as the Council of Europe or the African Union you should look into opportunities with these organizations.  A good website that lists many international organizations is

http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/International_Organizations

Inter-American Court of Human Rights

http://www.corteidh.or.cr/

The Court offers internships in the Legal Department housed in San Jose, Costa Rica.  Interns may be given a caseload and/or projects of research and investigations and will study and systematize legal documents and evidence in cases before the Court.  Candidates will also develop research for the judges of the Court, its Secretaries, and lawyers.  Candidates must be law students with an interest in the protection and furtherance of human rights.  Knowledge of the various systems of human rights protection is highly desirable.  Fluency in both Spanish and English both oral and written is essential.  Internships are unpaid.  Details on how to apply for and the length of the       internships  are not currently on the Court’s website.  Interested students should contact the Court for more information.

The Organization of American States

http://www.oas.org/

The Organization of American States, based in Washington, DC has an established student intern program.  Positions are available in the Legal Secretariat and in the Legal Services offices as well as in other divisions of the OAS.  The program is unpaid, but competitive.  Students must have at least a 3.0 GPA, a good command of two of the four official languages of the Organization  (English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish).  Interns are required to attend a mandatory cycle of weekly meetings with Senior Officials to provide them with a clear insight into overall OAS activities.  Students should go to the website to request an application form.  The deadline for summer internships is March 15.  Internships are also available during the academic year.

The European Commission

http://europe.eu.int/comm/stages/info/index_en.htm

The European Commission offers two five-month periods of in-service training (stages) for young university graduates and public service employees from the member states of the European Union and to a number of nationals from non-member countries.  These training periods involve work experience in one of the Commission’s departments and run from 1 March and 1 October each year.  It is difficult to give an exact description of the type of work given to trainees (stagiaires) but it would normally be equivalent to that given to junior executive-grade officials.  Most trainees are paid a grant and their travel expenses are also reimbursed.  Applicants must indicate which Directorate General or Service they wish to work in. 

Full information and a downloadable application form are available at the above website.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Parliamentary Assembly Research Assistant Program

http://www.naa.be/info/stagiaires.html

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly usually employs six Research Assistants from NATO nations each year.  In general, three of these start in early February and finish in June.  The second group starts in August and finishes in late November or mid-December.  The Assembly gives some preference to candidates who have not yet gained experience in other international organizations.  This is not a rigid rule, but the intention is to select promising candidates whose CVs will be enhanced by their first experience in an international organization.  The Assembly is divided into five committees: Civil Dimension of Security, Defense and Security, Economics and Security, Political, and Science and Technology.  The full Assembly meets twice a year in a different member country.  The internship is based at the International Secretariat of the Assembly in Brussels.  The main task of research assistants is to contribute to the research necessary for the drafting of the Assembly reports.  There is a 25,000 Belgian Franc stipend per month and accommodation is provided free of charge.  Candidates should have a first degree and an advanced degree (such as Master’s or J.D.) in Political Science, International Relations or related subjects.  Applicants should be fluent in either English or French.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

http://www.osce.org/employment/internship_n.php3

The OSCE offers a limited number of places for interns, which are filled subject to current needs and facilities of various Departments.  Internships usually last between two and six months.  The OSCE does not financially support interns.  Students in the final year of higher education at graduate or postgraduate level, or recent graduates are eligible.  Applicants must be citizens of OSCE participating States.  Interns can work in the OSCE’s several locations:

• Office of the Secretary General in – the External Co-operation Section, the Press and Public Information Section, the Internal Oversight Section, the Legal Services, and the Gender Adviser
• Office of the Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities
• Conflict Prevention Center
• Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
• Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in Warsaw, Poland
• High Commissioner on National Minorities in The Hague, Netherlands

The World Trade Organization

http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/vacan_e/intern_e.htm

The WTO Secretariat maintains a limited internship program for post-graduate university students wishing to gain practical experience and deeper knowledge of the multilateral trading system.  Only a limited number of such internships are available.  All Divisions of the WTO have “legal” work, however, the Legal Division only takes students who already have their first legal degree if you are an LLM or a student considering a post-graduate Bates you can apply for the Legal          Division.  Applicants send an application form downloadable from the above website to the      Personnel Division, if their qualifications are acceptable they are put on a roster, that is               distributed to all Divisions, from which interns are selected.  Once you are on the roster it is      recommended that you try and get in contact with people in the Division you want to work for.  This may be difficult since the WTO does not post employee information.  Prof. Howse is a good resource for information on the WTO and students who have done these internships in the past may be willing to assist.  Dean Gordan may have their information on file.

The International Labor Organization

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/pers/vacancy/intern.htm

Students who are undertaking advanced studies in a technical field of interest to the ILO, such as employment, economics and statistics, labor law and labor relations, social security and conditions of work, management development, small industry development, occupational safety and health, vocational rehabilitation, vocational training, gender and development studies, elimination of child labor, and social protection are invited to apply for an internship at an ILO regional office or in the headquarters in Geneva.  Students must be at least 20 and not older than 35.      Candidates for Geneva can fill out an on-line Personal History form available at the above        website.  Candidates for regional offices must contact them directly.  The deadline for summer  internships is March 1.  Internships are also available during the year.  The application deadline is typically three months before the expected start of the internship.

The United Nations

http://www.un.org/depts/OHRM/intern.htm

The United Nations has a variety of agencies that deal with international development (UNDP),   international trade (UNCTAD), refugee law (UNHCR), human rights (UNHCHR), and international law (ILC, ICJ, Law of the Sea Tribunal, etc…)  Information on all of these agencies can be found through the main UN website gateway.  Many of them have internships (unpaid) in New York,   Geneva, or Vienna.