The John A. Baker Internship Program

What students say about the Baker Internship Program:

The majority of the work [was] very substantial and I felt .. part of the team… [I was] exposed to real issues in the IR community, had the opportunity to view first-hand the workings of a non-profit organization, and have acquired a great deal of valuable skills.
- Melissa Sims (United States), Spring 2006

Not only is it a great step into the intellectual political realm, but it also provides one with good knowledge of how to work hard in a professional space.
-Lazar Armianov (Bulgaria), Summer 2005

The work that I have performed whilst interning at the Council has been both varied and instructive….  My knowledge of current international issues has been significantly enhanced and my practical skills further improved.
-Tanya Meredith (United Kingdom), Spring 2005 

Positions Open:

The John A. Baker Internship Program offers 10 to 15 volunteer positions during the fall, spring, and summer terms. Interns assist with Council projects, attend briefings and seminars, and complete an independent research project. These positions require a strong interest in international affairs, business, and/or education. Applicants should possess some administrative or office experience. Course credit may be arranged through the student’s academic institution.

Areas of Interest:

• New relationships within Europe and between Europe and North America;
• New relationships among the Asian and Pacific nations, as well as their ties to North America and Europe;
• Opportunities for enhancing global and regional security;
• International education;
• Government and corporate relations;
• International business cooperation; and
• Global interdependence in the arenas of energy, the environment, trade, economic growth and development

Typical Responsibilities:

• Program Management:  The Council runs a wide variety of public events, roundtable discussions, Congressional briefings, and working group meetings.  Interns are generally asked to help send out invitations, to keep track of attendee responses, write summaries, prepare briefing materials, and to help set-up the meeting logistics.  Interns are warmly invited to attend all meetings.
   
• Writing & Editing:  Part of an intern's responsibility is to do research and writing on topics being studied at the Council.  The (typically) short papers help inform our work and may also be distributed to our working groups.  Similarly, we often ask our interns to edit documents written by others at the Council. 
   
• Go to Meetings around D.C., Write Reports:  The Council encourages interns to go to events and meetings in Washington that interest them personally.  Also, we will occasionally ask interns to go to meetings on topics of interest to the Council and then write summaries for our internal use or for distribution to one of our working groups.
   
• Clerical Duties:  All internships -- those offered by the Council being no exception -- require some photocopying, faxing, filing and other clerical work.  However, the burden of this is not particularly heavy at the Council and employees of the Council generally do this work alongside their interns.
   
• The Intern Discussion Series: During the course of their stay at the Council, all interns will choose a speaker to present on a topic interesting to the Intern.  The Intern recruits the speaker, puts together packets on the speaker's background and plans and schedules the actual luncheon discussion.  All of the Council's interns participate in these lectures, and others from the Council are generally invited to join in.

Application Procedure:

To apply, please email a résumé, academic transcript (official, or un-official), brief writing sample (in English; 5 pages maximum) and a short cover letter (including your dates and hours of availability) to: internships@acus.org Additionally, 2 letters of recommendation (either professional or academic) should be sent to: