Ministry of External Affairs

***

Revised Internship Policy of MEA

April 2019

About the Programme: The internship programme in the Ministry of External Affairs will provide an opportunity for budding scholars with an excellent opportunity to familiarize themselves with the process of foreign policy formulation and the functioning of the Government of India. Divisions are encouraged to engage interns with an aim to benefit the Ministry as well as these scholars, many of whom may aspire for a career in diplomacy.

1. Location: The internship with the Ministry can either be at Headquarters or in Missions / Posts.

2. Eligibility:

(i) Internship at MEA Headquarters would be open to Indian citizens only. At Missions / Posts, foreign nationals may also be engaged for internship with prior approval of the Ministry. Internship shall not be permitted to the following: (a) a foreign national seeking internship in an MEA establishment / office within India. (b) a foreign national who is not the citizen of the country where she / he is intending to intern. (c) a Non-Resident Indian (including OCI and PIO) seeking internship in an Indian Mission / Post in a country where she / he is seeking internship but does not ‘ordinarily reside’.

(ii) An intern will be required to work only on-site (within Ministry premises). Off-site internship is not available at Headquarters / Missions / Posts. For internship at Headquarters and in Missions / Posts, an applicant should possess a graduate degree or should at least have completed the penultimate year of an undergraduate course before the commencement of internship. Preference may be given to applicants with excellent academic track record from institutions of repute and credible recommendations from faculty who have taught / guided them in the past, and also to research scholars. An intern must not have attained the age of 30 years on the date of application. All applicants must be encouraged to apply at least four months in advance of the proposed time of internship with the Ministry / Mission / Post.

3. Duration: The duration of the internship would be for a minimum period of one month and a maximum of six months. Extension may be granted on a case to case basis with Administration's concurrence. However, no extension in tenure may be granted to interns in Missions / Posts.

4. Selection Procedure:

At Headquarters:

i) Application: The applications in prescribed format (Annexure I), along with other necessary documents listed in Annexure II, shall be sent to Joint Secretary (Administration) with copy to US (FSP).

ii) Nodal Division: Administration Division shall be the nodal Division to receive, screen and shortlist the applications and forward the selected ones to appropriate Divisions of the Ministry.

iii) Acknowledgement to be sent: An acknowledgement shall be sent by Administration Division to each applicant within four working days of receipt of the application. For applicants who are not Indian nationals and OCIs (for internship at Headquarters) the application will not be accepted and the same may be communicated to them along with an acknowledgement.

iv) Selection Committee: A selection committee comprising of US (FSP), US(BOS) and AO(PA-II) shall conduct a preliminary screening and recommend applicants, based on the applicants' profile and research interests, for approval of JS (AD). The Committee shall be reconstituted from time to time.

v) Administration Division shall attach the interns to various Divisions in consultation with HODs concerned. Each Division may nominate a nodal officer for Interns.

vi) An intern shall be provided space/facilities in MEA premises by Establishment Division.

vii) If the applicant's profile is not found suitable, Administration Division shall respond to the applicant accordingly at the earliest.

In Missions / Posts:

(i) Application: Copy of the applications in prescribed format (Annexure I), along with other necessary documents listed in Annexure II, along with HOM / HOP’s recommendations shall be sent to Joint Secretary (Administration) and with a copy to US (FSP).

(ii) Acknowledgement to be sent: An acknowledgement shall be sent by the Mission / Post to each applicant within 4 working days of receipt of the application. If an application is not found suitable by the Mission, the same may be conveyed by the Mission / Post to the application within five days of receipt of application.

(iii) HOM / HOP shall be responsible to do a ‘due diligence’ which would comprise a discreet report obtained from two referees (preferably of Indian origin, wherever possible) about character and antecedents of a prospective intern. The application for internship along with the Security Questionnaire may be sent to the Ministry for obtaining final approval.

(iv) Missions / Posts may provide appropriate space / facility to the intern(s) within the Mission / Post. Not more than two interns may be engaged at any point of time.

(v) HOM / HOPs should ensure that interns have no access to any classified / sensitive information under any circumstances.

5. Security Clearance

For interns at Headquarters: Upon selection, the applicant shall submit, to Administration Division, fully filled Internship Security Questionnaire-A (ISQ-A) which the Division shall forward to Bureau of Security (BOS) for obtaining security clearance. The intern would be allowed to join after verification of documents related to identity proof including Passport / Aadhar Card / Voter ID / PAN Card / Driving License / Ration Card etc., and, a recommendation letter from the Head of an established educational institution on the official letterhead.

For interns in Missions/Posts: Upon selection, the applicant shall submit fully filled Internship Security Questionnaire-B (ISQ-B) for Non-Resident Indians seeking internship in a Mission/Post where they ordinarily reside or Internship Security Questionnaire-C (ISQ-C) for Foreign Nationals seeking internship in a Mission / Post in a country which they are citizens of. HOM/HOP shall be responsible to do a ‘due diligence’ which would comprise a discreet report obtained from two referees (preferably of Indian origin, wherever possible) about character and antecedents of the prospective intern. The referees would be faculty members or colleagues who know the prospective intern sufficiently well to comment about his/her formal and informal membership of groups and associations that are not known to be favorably aligned to India’s national interest. The referees themselves should be known to the Mission/Post and should be reliable. No intern should be appointed without prior permission of the Ministry.

6. Processing time: The applications are to be received in Administration Division at least four months in advance of the proposed date of internship, as BoS requires approximately three months for examination / verification.

7. Do’s and Don’ts: HOD / HOM / HOP should ensure that interns do not have access to any classified information in the Ministry / Mission / Post.

8. Internship programme and feedback: The internship programme at headquarters includes attachment with one of the Divisions in the Ministry. It will also include a briefing session with Administration Division on the structure and functioning of the Ministry. In Missions / Posts abroad, HOM / HOPs should ensure that interns are given an insight into the organization and functioning of the Ministry and working of the various Wings of Indian Missions / Posts.

9. Termination of internship: Ministry / Mission / Post may terminate engagement of intern at any point without assigning any reason, if they deem it necessary.

10. Miscellaneous: Internship programme shall neither be an employment nor the assurance of any employment with the Ministry. No financial remuneration shall be paid to the interns. However, the Ministry / Mission / Post shall provide necessary logistics support to interns taking into account their functional requirements. A certificate will be issued by the HOC in Missions and DS / US (FSP) in Ministry on successful completion of the internship by the interns.

*****