Inter-Parliamentary Union Paid Internship in Switzerland 2014 (1,000 Swiss Franc per month).

Application Deadline: 16th May 2014

The Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) is the world organization of parliaments – a global forum for parliamentary dialogue, cooperation and action.

Internship with the IPU provides an opportunity for selected undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students who are pursuing a course of study or work in fields related to the IPU’s mandate and activities to:

• increase their understanding of relevant issues at the international level by involving them directly in the work of the IPU Secretariat and the application of IPU principles, programmes and strategies;
• gain practical work experience related to their academic background or future work in the field related to IPU’s mission.

ELIGIBILITY

In order to be considered for an internship at the IPU, applicants should meet the following requirements and qualifications:

Education

• University degree or final year of undergraduate studies;
• Degrees in disciplines considered relevant to the IPU’s work, e.g. international law, economics, political science, and the social sciences.

Nationality

• Any nationality.

Languages

• Working knowledge, both oral and written, of the IPU’s official languages (English and French).

Skills

• Ability to adapt to an international, multicultural, multilingual environment;
• Good communication skills;
• Ability to work fairly independently or as part of a team;
• Initiative and flexibility.

Other

• Any past work experience and knowledge of IT-related work would be an advantage;
• Close relatives of a serving IPU official are not eligible to apply.

Condition/Expenses:

• The length of an internship should not normally exceed six months.
• Where an intern is not supported by an institution (university, government or otherwise), a stipend to cover basic subsistence costs will be paid. In Geneva, this will amount to SFr. 1,000 per month.
• The cost of travel, insurance and accommodation, as well as living expenses, are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions.
• Interns are responsible for making their own travel arrangements and for obtaining the necessary passport and visa or other documents for entering Switzerland.
• Interns are responsible for arranging their own accommodation.
• IPU does not accept responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during an internship.
• Interns are responsible for procuring and maintaining their own insurance coverage for illness and accidents while they are working at the IPU, and a copy of documentation attesting to such insurance coverage should be provided by each intern on their first day of internship.

Application Deadline:

Candidates are requested to fill out an IPU internship application form and forward it, together with a motivation letter and detailed curriculum vitae/bio-data, to the IPU Secretariat in Geneva. Please note that only selected candidates will be contacted personally.

The duly filled application form and accompanying documents should be sent by post, fax or e-mail to:

 Download Application Form for the IPU Internship

Inter-Parliamentary Union
5, chemin du Pommier
Case postale 330
CH-1218 Le Grand-Saconnex/Geneva
Switzerland

Fax: +41 22 919 41 60
E-mail: postbox@mail.ipu.org

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Internship