The UK Department for International Development (DFID) is offering two internships opportunities for fresh university graduates to join DFID Ethiopia.
DFID leads the UK’s work to end extreme poverty. We are tackling the global challenges of our time including poverty and disease, mass migration, insecurity and conflict. Our work is building a safer, healthier and more prosperous world for people in developing countries and in the UK too.
Why are we launching an internship programme?
The purpose of the internship positions is to support young people with the potential to make a lasting contribution to Ethiopia’s development. The placement will focus on developing skills and experience in specific parts of our portfolio with the aim of contributing these skills to the broader development sector upon completion of the placement. We are launching an internship programme because:
We want to lead by example: Lack of work experience is among the challenges young graduates face as they enter the workforce. By offering internships – which are critical paths to bridge this transition – DFID Ethiopia hopes to play an exemplary role to other organisations in the sector. We plan to lead by example in communicating the importance of corporate social responsibility in contributing to youth skills and employability.
We want our work to benefit from young people’s insights and we want to infuse our office with insights, energy, out of the box thinking of Ethiopian youth as we strive to make our programmes more effective and relevant to youth.
This position would require a minimum commitment of six (6) months, which could be extended, based on performance and programmatic need, for a longer period of up to a maximum of twelve (12) months. The internship does not guarantee any future employment with DFID.
We are looking for two interns that will support the DFID Ethiopia team in delivering development activities across an exciting and diverse portfolio, with a focus on the following:
Position 1: the successful candidate will be embedded in the governance and economic transformation team focusing on the ‘Civil Society Support’ Programme.
Position 2: the successful candidate will be embedded in the human development team focusing on the ‘Water, Sanitation and Hygiene’ programmes’.
Expected learning outcomes
Upon completion of the internship the trainee is expected to have developed skills that they can use in the wide variety of fields in their future career, particularly in sustainable development, gaining a better understanding of working in an international environment. The position also offers the opportunity to increase skills in communication, participating in programmes and working with others. The internship will also provide structured on the job learning dependent on individual experience and interests.
Compensation package
DFID Ethiopia will provide a modest monthly stipend for successful interns to help cover expenses during the internship period.
Job Requirement
The opportunity is available to new graduates with a minimum of bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.00. The successful intern will have formal or informal experience in:
Delivering results – accepting responsibility for the quality and accuracy of your work; ability to prioritise; good time management; show initiative and handle a variety of tasks.
Working with others – work effectively and supportively in a team; build productive working relationships with team members and work with a diverse range of people
Learning & development – open and flexible approach to new ideas, drawing on them and on experience to improve results; enthusiastic about personal development
This can be demonstrated through work, volunteering, academic or other relevant experience. There is no requirement for formal employment experience.
Skills required
Passion for development
Good IT skills, in particular the MS Office package
Fluency in English (reading, writing and speaking)
Motivated, pro-active, willing to learn and develop