Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC) runs a paid internship programme open to any Masters-level (post-graduate) that provides experience of working in government on major strategic issues.

Applications are now closed for 2021.

Overview

As the MOD’s internal think-tank, DCDC runs a paid internship programme open to any Masters-level (post-graduate) students. This is designed to bring recent academic research and practice to support DCDC outputs and to give interns the experience of working in government on major strategic issues.

The programme helps DCDC to strengthen our diversity of thinking which is essential to our work, supporting research and analysis on a wide range of defence and security policy areas.

Details

The internship programme opens for applications in February, with interns joining DCDC in the summer, usually for around six weeks. Interns will support DCDC in a wide range of areas such as;

  • supporting DCDC’s work on the Strategic Trends Programme, including research, data-gathering, data analysis and writing support on strategy papers for the Seventh Edition of Global Strategic Trends
  • supporting other DCDC projects, providing research papers and analysis to assist in the development of our thinking and providing critical challenge to widen perspectives of future challenges
  • supporting the research and production of short occasional papers and think-pieces in support of MOD Head Office and wider government, and on the selection and preparation of background reading papers for the UK Strategy Forum
  • supporting DCDC’s Analysis and Research Team in their work providing the empirical evidence to support DCDC products. This may include involvement in a wide range of analysis and experimentation activities, including: data analysis, information graphics, red teaming; war gaming; synthesising operational lessons; identifying trends; developing thought-provoking insight; and challenging thinking.

Detailed briefings on these tasks, including length, scope and depth, will be given at the beginning of the internship.

The internship is of flexible length (usually six weeks but to be agreed before starting), starting between July and September. Interns work 37 hours per week and pay is £8.72 an hour (National Living Wage).

Note, the internship is usually hosted at DCDC but due to the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the internship for 2021 will be held virtually with all interns working from home.

Application process

Applicants must either hold a Masters-level qualification or be working on one. There are no requirements on study area, however an interest in Defence and/or international affairs is essential.

To apply please submit your CV and a covering letter before 19 March 2021.

After a paper sift, shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in April and successful candidates informed by 30 April 2021.

All successful candidates will be security checked before joining. Interns are employed as civil servants, on a fixed-term, non-standard appointment. There are nationality restrictions, you will need to have the right to work in the UK and have a UK bank account and National Insurance number.

To submit your application or if you have any questions on the programme, please contact us at: [email protected].

Published 26 February 2021
Last updated 26 March 2021 + show all updates

  1. Added notice to the page explaining that Applications for 2021 are now closed.

  2. First published.

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