Policy internship at the Netherlands Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh (for Dutch citizens only)

netherlandsandyou.nl

image from, with caption:

Azure, billetty Or a lion with a coronet Or armed and langued Gules holding in his dexter paw a sword Argent hilted Or and in the sinister paw seven arrows Argent pointed and bound together Or. [The seven arrows stand for the seven provinces of the Union of Utrecht.] The shield is crowned with the (Dutch) royal crown and supported by two lions Or armed and langued gules. They stand on a scroll Azure with the text (Or) "Je Maintiendrai" (French for "I will maintain".)

News item | 06-02-2019 | 07:37

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands offers an internship position to university and higher education students who are interested in foreign policy, international trade and development cooperation in Bangladesh. Interns will be working in the economic or the political section of the Embassy in Dhaka. The internship is part of your present university or higher education. You will learn while you work and acquire new knowledge and skills in practice, in the fascinating and energetic environment Dhaka provides.

Work environment

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Dhaka represents and looks after the interests of The Netherlands in Bangladesh in a wide range of areas. The Embassy actively contributes as a partner in and of Bangladesh to promotion of sustainable socio-economic development. The core tasks of the Embassy are political affairs and human rights, including humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees, and economic affairs, linking trade and investment to the priority themes in development cooperation (mainly water management and agriculture, and sustainable economic development). The bilateral development co-operation relationship is transitioning from aid to trade, which offers a dynamic working environment, open for innovative approaches.

The Netherlands Embassy has a professional and diverse workforce dedicated to delivering to a high standard, often under pressure and in a challenging environment. As an intern you will experience working at a Dutch embassy abroad, while developing your networking, teamwork, diplomatic, communication, organizing competencies and writing skills.

Working in Bangladesh is fascinating and challenging. The country has high ambitions, but is challenged by political, human rights and social-economic development choices. Bangladesh is a densely-populated, secular state with a Muslim majority population. Its citizens have always showed an immense resilience to overcome natural disasters and other setbacks. Dhaka is developing fast; traffic jams and air pollution are negative side effects. The international community is closely knit and you will be able to use international club facilities (sport, leisure and recreation) close to the Embassy.

Scope of work

Political internship

The political, press and cultural department actively follows the political situation in Bangladesh, maintains a political network and communicates and reports where necessary. The main areas of work are democratic developments; human rights, including rights for women; support to the Rohingya refugees, press and public diplomacy [JB emphasis] activities; cultural cooperation; and promoting rule of law in Bangladesh.

Economic internship

In the economic department trade and investment are linked to the priority sectors water and food security. The department actively promotes trade and economic relations between The Netherlands and Bangladesh and reports about trends and opportunities to Dutch entrepreneurs and ministries in The Hague. Important activities are in the textile sector, Delta Plan developments, cooperation in agri- and horticulture and the ‘blue economy’ (marine and maritime development).

Requirements

As an intern you:

• Are in the second half of a relevant (university or higher education) study and interested in political, economic and development issues in Bangladesh. Interns need to have the Dutch citizenship.
• Have affinity with and some knowledge of Bangladesh and the areas the Embassy is working in.
• Have good communication, representative and analytical skills.
• Are eager to learn, an enthusiastic team player, showing initiative and have an independent and proactive attitude.
• Are capable to quickly write substantive texts, in English and Dutch. Fluency in English is required, this is the formal language at the Embassy in Dhaka. Bengali and Dutch are also spoken.
• You will work across a range of departments and with different communications tools. You might be working on internal and external communications, or on visits, campaigns, trade promotion or Holland branding, organizing events and using public relations and low cost media.
• Will visit partner organizations, projects, companies, cultural events, etc.
• Have a flexible attitude, necessary to cope with the diverse tasks and developments and the versatile and demanding environment in Bangladesh. Your freedom of movement can be sometimes limited, due to some security restrictions and serious traffic congestions. You show perseverance and an ability to adapt to these circumstances.
• Will work 36 hours per week for 6 weeks (minimum) to 6 months (maximum). The internship preferably starts in April 2019.
• Can combine the work with formal study requirements (i.e. fieldwork, research, or reporting). Your study goals and tasks will be defined before the start of the internship. Mentors from both sides (Embassy and University) will be assigned.

Your internship in Dhaka

Internships are unpaid, for study credits only. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs does provide a stipend per month.

The Netherlands Embassy is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, or other category protected by law.

You’ll have a unique chance to work on issues that really matter, and to gain a broad experience in and outside the Embassy. You will not only learn about Dutch international policies but help to implement these. What are you waiting for?

How to apply

Please send a mail to the Embassy with your resume and motivation letter: to DHA-OS@minbuza.nl and mention ‘Internship’ or ‘Stage’ with your name in the subject line.

It takes about 8-9 weeks to administer your application, do start in time. After approval of your application the internship could start within 1 month.

Signing a vow of secrecy and having a certificate of good conduct are mandatory before starting.

This site (in Dutch) includes further data on the conditions for an internship at an Embassy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Deadline for applications is 15 March 2019.