There are many reasons why you might want to conduct an internship in the field of international development. Perhaps you’re interested in learning more about a particular region or country, or gaining first-hand experience of the work that goes into developing and implementing international aid projects. Alternatively, you may be looking to boost your employability prospects by adding some relevant work experience to your CV.
Whatever your motivation, an internship in international development can be a highly rewarding and beneficial experience. Below we have compiled a list of top international development internships for your consideration.
Asian Development Bank Internship
This internship program offers a learning opportunity that is project-based to give grad students the opportunity to gain experience by working through various research assignments. The internship allows chances to work in a major group geared toward international development in a collaborative environment of professionals from more than 50 countries. Doing so offers a more thorough understanding of the process of financial development. While doing so, interns will also be contributing to the ongoing work of the organization they are working under.
Internships are offered twice a year to anyone who: considers themselves self-motivated and open minded; is looking to expand their knowledge of their field of interest; is currently enrolled in a Master’s or Ph.D. program; and is involved in academic study in a relevant field. Professional experience and a proficiency in English are also required. In order to apply for the internship, candidates must apply online by the deadline for the desired internship timeline.
GIZ Internships – Paid International Development Internships in Germany
If your passion is to improve upon the state of the world, working with GIZ is an excellent place to start. GIZ is an organization that strives to provide modern solutions to modern problems faced all around the world, acting globally to advise the changing of policies and develop solutions at community and governmental levels. Acquiring an internship with GIZ helps to teach potential candidates what it is like to work in the diverse environment of GIZ, giving you a head start into working for one of the many divisions of the organization in Germany and around the world.
When working as an intern for GIZ, you will be entrusted with various tasks that you will be responsible for carrying out on your own through the processes and inventive measures that GIZ is characterized by. There will be a mentor to assist and guide you, but you are given the freedom to come up with your own solutions through both your hands-on experience, as well as your theoretical knowledge from working in similar fields before coming to GIZ.
The internship programs typically average between three to six months, although GIZ is sometimes open to creating a shorter assignment period depending on the individual situation. These internships are open to those who are currently students in a college or university, as well as applicants who have graduated in the last six months.
Internship programmes with GIZ give students the chance to work abroad in different locations around the world wherever there are GIZ offices present. Students and graduates alike can both take part in these programmes for as few as three months and as long as six months, although, as stated, the graduates must apply within the six month time frame that directly follows their graduation and obtaining their degree. When an internship with GIZ is accepted, candidates will work in a diverse, intercultural environment that will help prepare them for interacting with sector-specific work that they are interested in, as well as giving them a chance to become thoroughly familiarized with the regional issues that are unique to different locations that they hope to work in.
The main goal of the GIZ programmes are to help you learn about the cooperative developmental goals and methods both in the general sense and in the specific type of work that GIZ does with its various partner companies. Once the internship has been completed, you will be responsible for writing a report that will detail your overall experiences in the internship programme as well as the outcomes that you have achieved. This report may also be used toward a basis for your dissertation.