The German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) has about 200 employees in Research, Policy Advice, Training and Service Facilities. Two-thirds of them work as researchers. IDOS pursues an interdisciplinary approach.
On a regular basis, IDOS offers job positions within its research programmes, at irregular intervals also within the service facilities. IDOS has been involved in vocational training since 2003. The Institute trains young people to become Office Communication Managers (Kaufleute für Bürokommunikation).
IDOS also provides opportunities to do internships for German or international university students. Please directly apply with the respective research programme you are interested in. You can choose between the following programmes: Inter- and transnational cooperation, Transformation of Economic and Social Systems, Environmental Governance, Transformation of political (dis-)order.
Students must be in a master's programme for the duration of the internship. In the communications team, applications from students from bachelor's programmes are also taken into account.
The German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) promotes equal opportunities for women and men, and the reconciliation of work and family life. Since 2012, IDOS has been awarded the certificate berufundfamilie for its family-friendly personnel policy on a regular basis. Respective offers include special flexi-days for employees with small children, flexible workplace solutions and additional services such as family-related allowances for childcare costs.
Internships in the Research programmes
Content: Interns have the possibility to deepen their existing knowledge in the field of development policy by means of application-oriented questions. They are involved as much as possible in the current research and consultancy projects conducted by their respective intern advisor. Their responsibilities may include doing literature and Internet research, the evaluation of documents and the preparation of short research or consulting papers. It is common also that interns complete a literature survey relating to a relevant topic in the field of development policy.
Requirements: Specialization is not required, however we do generally receive applications from students from the following disciplines: Economics, Political Science/International Relations, Sociology, Regional Science, Geography and Sociology. Particular interest and basic knowledge in the field of development policy and/or global governance is a prerequisite. We do expect fluency in English; further languages are highly welcome.
The Research Programmes can only consider applications from students with a strong background in the fields of current or future research projects.
Internships in Training
Content: Internships in the field of training enable a special link between academia and practice. The focus is on helping to organise and run the MGG Academy, the academic-scientific part of the Managing Global Governance (MGG) programme, or the BMZ African-German Leadership Academy (African Academy), which IDOS runs on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Each year, one internship is offered in the MGG Academy from mid-July to early December and one in the African Academy from February to July.
The interns are in regular contact with the participants of the respective academy and take on partial tasks within the framework of individual modules (e.g. organisation and accompaniment of the study trip to international organisations, as well as seminar assistance) and support with participant management. Within the framework of the internship, time is available to follow the courses within the framework of the respective academy.
If you have any questions, please contact Judith Böckle (MGG Academy Coordinator) or Julia Osada (African Academy Coordinator).
Internships in the Communications Team
At present, the Communication department does not offer internships
Content: Internships in the Communications Team offer a good opportunity to get to know instruments and modes of science communication and public relations at the interface of research and politics. Tasks require excellent communication skills.
Interns will learn to apply their knowledge in editing texts, how to maintain and produce content for social media channels, how to interact with journalists, they will assist in covering events, prepare presentations, compilng the press review as well as other tasks to be agreed on. Ethical aspects of public relations will also play a role.
Requirements: You should be a student in the field of political science and/or journalism/communication, Applications of students on a Bachelor degree will also be considered. Good knowledge in the field of development policy and of the relevant current political debates is essential as well as experience with Web 2.0-applications (Social Media).
Application Procedure
Interested students should directly apply to the Team Assistance of the Research Programme in which they wish to complete their internship or to the Head of Communications respectively. E-mails without department specification will not be considered.
Please send your complete application (in German or English), including the standard documents (i.e. CV, cover letter, copies of diplomas, research work, publications) via e-mail only. The CV should provide all relevant information, including the specialisation of the degree and a brief overview on internships already completed (if applicable). Your core subjects and experiences should match the fields of work of the department you apply to. We advise to not send your application more than 3-6 months in advance.
Conditions
The internship takes place in the building of IDOS in Bonn. Internships are not offered abroad. Most internships last about 8-12 weeks. Another length of time can be arranged on an individual basis. The internships at IDOS will be paid with a monthly allowance of 300 Euros. Interns are responsible for making their own housing arrangements. The IDOS has no housing facilities available and cannot assist in these matters.
A letter of reference is provided after the internship.