Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
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Internships at Global Policy Forum in New York
General Information
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Internships at Global Policy Forum
Global Policy Forum welcomes applications for internships. We encourage qualified undergraduates to apply, as well as graduate students and those between degrees. We welcome students who have studied the United Nations and international organizations, but we consider specialized academic training less important than dedication to GPF’s goals, intelligence and enthusiasm for learning.
GPF is looking for applicants who are students of Political Science, International Relations, International Law, Political Economy or International Public Policy Studies. We especially encourage applications from those with broad international travel and work experience and those with a progressive, egalitarian and global outlook.
A Supportive Environment
GPF provides a very intern-supportive environment. Internships begin with a well-developed orientation process that includes training in web posting, internet research, blurb-writing and GPF program priorities. All interns participate as members of a team and work closely with their supervisors.
The GPF office, located across the street from the UN, provides a pleasant environment, equipped with a high-speed computer network and comfortable facilities. It is an atmosphere low on stress and high on accomplishment and serious purpose. We ask interns to respect GPF's strict working hours Monday to Friday, 9.00 to 5.30.
Weekly staff meetings, feedback meetings and many opportunities for informal discussion help interns learn about all of GPF's programs and provide a perspective on the organization as a whole.
Interns attend a GPF luncheon series, taking place about every two weeks that puts them in touch with other professionals working within the UN system, at UN missions, in NGOs or within academia or journalism. Interns may also get a chance to attend receptions and other functions at the UN, including sessions of the General Assembly and the Security Council. All interns greatly expand their knowledge of the UN and its agencies.
In the office building, a community of many NGOs often cooperate and socialize together. Interns can network with these and other NGOs, as well as UN and mission staff. Interns can take advantage of New York's many cultural and entertainment offerings. They are able to obtain inexpensive tickets to the theater and concerts, low-cost exercise options, tours of the city and other advantages to optimize their life in New York. Interns often socialize outside the office and get to know people in the GPF community.
After leaving GPF, former interns join the GPF alumni network. Through an alumni forum, they can network with other GPF alumni. Interns take advantage of their GPF connections to reach employment and academic goals. GPF Director Jim Paul has written recommendations for jobs, graduate school applications and fellowships for many intern alumni.
Over one hundred talented interns from more than fifty different institutions and thirty different countries have joined GPF at some time since 1997.
Intern Responsibilities
Each intern specializes in one or more well-defined areas, known at GPF as "portfolios." There are a number of such portfolios -- Security Council, Iraq, Empire?, Social and Economic Policy, NGOs, UN Reform, International Justice, UN Finance, Nations & States, and Globalization.
While interns have a variety of different opportunities and experiences, all have a primary responsibility for development of the GPF website in their portfolio area(s). They devote the majority of their time to this activity, in which they function somewhat like the editor of a magazine or newspaper -- finding, selecting and posting information to the site. This is an intense learning experience, involving web research, blurb writing and HTML. Interns also gain deeper knowledge and understanding of the UN, global policy and GPF’s priorities.
In addition to program work, interns devote some time to office tasks, giving them a sense of how GPF works and the team process that draws on many people cooperating. These tasks may include answering the phone, preparing mailings, helping organize meetings, ordering supplies, or just keeping the plants watered or the printer stocked with paper.
Depending on GPF's priorities and interns' capacities, interns may be asked to take on special projects in addition to their other responsibilities. These tasks can include updating or drafting texts on the website, re-arranging or setting up a new sub-section on the website, or researching specific topics.
Interns have made very favorable comments about their internship experience and some have considered their internship a defining moment in their search for a career path and life direction.
What We are Looking For
GPF gets many applications for internships and only well-qualified, highly-motivated applicants are chosen. As a result, the success-rate of the internships is very high.
We select five full-time interns for each of three annual teams -- Summer, Fall and Spring. When we look over an application, we try to fit people's background with our program portfolios and dates. We choose those who we believe to be the most suitable candidates, based on their studies, extracurricular activities, employment and experience through travel or voluntary work.
We look for candidates who are highly talented but who are also ready to do more ordinary tasks with a spirit of enthusiasm and cooperation. We know that interns who are motivated, eager to learn and work hard, often have more successful internships. We value those who work well in a team setting and who gladly lend a hand to fellow interns and staff when needed.
We also look for those who have shown the most active engagement on policy issues parallel to our interests. Those who have been involved in such campus issues as globalization, human rights, fair labor, anti-war movements and the like tend to catch our eye. We look for those who question received ideas and who look inquisitively at dominant institutions.
Time Commitment, Costs, Credit
GPF expects an intern to stay several months. Those who stay longer learn more and have a richer overall experience. We can provide out-of-town candidates with some information on how to find accommodation in New York. We estimate that monthly subsistence expenses (lodging, transport and food) run about $1,000-$1,200. In addition, some provision ($200?) should probably be allowed for miscellaneous expenses, including entertainment. Interns on a very low budget have managed on as little as $800 per month. Those who are lucky enough to find lodging with friends or family can get by on still less.
GPF internships are unpaid. Some interns arrange for subsistence funding from their universities. Some interns raise money from multiple sources by asking local people and institutions for support. Some rely on personal savings and family help. University credit can also sometimes be arranged.
In addition to its full-time program, GPF occasionally offers part-time internships. We expect part-timers to work at least 3 days per week and to devote a full week to training at the start of the internship. Here, too, academic credit is sometimes possible.
Summer internships have a deadline of February 1. Fall and Spring internship have suggested application dates of May 1 and October 1 respectively. Each team has a suggested time period (see application page).
We expect applicants to be thoroughly familiar with the site and to have read carefully many of the analytical essays. We appreciate applications that follow closely our application instructions.
We look forward to hearing from you!
