Internships – April 2013

An experience of real politics and a stepping stone to working in government, academia or consultancy.

An internship at the Constitution Unit is an ideal way for recent graduates to gain experience of work in a think which is also an academic research centre, and to do research which is link to policy. Past interns have included students in their holidays, postgraduates thinking about continuing their studies to Masters or PhD level, and civil and public servants who work for us part-time or on secondment.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants will have a degree or equivalent in Social Studies or Political Science, in Law or in some related subject. The candidates should be highly motivated, have excellent interpersonal skills, be able to work independently and have good analytical and writing skills.

Value & Benefits

Each intern is assigned to one of our researchers to assist them with a single project throughout their three months internship. This gives interns the opportunity to build a close working relationship with their supervisor, get a real feel for the day-to-day process of academic research, give the intern’s research skills a more practical edge and to have real responsibility and independence over their tasks

The work is varied and will be assigned to reflect peoples skills and areas of interest. We very much value the work done by our interns and they are treated as full members of our small and friendly team. We invite the interns to come to our team meetings, contribute to our publications, newsletter and blog, and the whole team work together to organise our regular events and seminars. They get a real taste of what academic and policy research is like, and make an important contribution to our research projects. In return we will provide interns with extra skills, careers advice, and a reference for when they leave.

Duration & Expenses

We advertise for the Internships quarterly and they last for three months, full or part time, and we are flexible in working hours. The positions are voluntary, but the Unit will pay travel costs up to the sum of £250 a month.

Areas of Research

The projects that interns will be working on:

• Special Advisers
• Parliament
• Judicial Independence
• Comparative constitutions
• Constitutional and administrative law

Those wishing to join our team should refer to the research currently undertaken at the Unit and specify which area you might like to contribute to

Application Procedures

Application deadline: 19th Feburary 2013

To make an application please email constitution@ucl.ac.uk with the following documents:

• Your CV
• A covering letter stating why you are a suitable candidate for an internship
• The application form
• A piece of work, for example a recent short essay.

We seek to ensure our internships are open to a wide range of candidates and we particularly welcome applications from black and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within UCL at this level.

*Note to SPP students: Full-time students are not eligible for an internship at the Constitution Unit until their course is completed. Part-time students are eligible at any point.

How long will it take before I hear that I have been selected?

Once we have received all our applications, it will take a minimum of three weeks after the closing date to hear whether you have been selected for an interview.

The offer of any internship is conditional upon you being able to satisfy eligibility criteria to work in the UK.

We strive to contact all applicants to let them know if they have been successful or not.