DCDC Internship programme

Overview

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 eight 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 2022 summer internship is eight weeks long, starting from 11 July. Interns work 37 hours per week and pay is £9.50 an hour (National Living Wage).

In line with DCDC’s new ways of working, the internship will have a hybrid working pattern with some time spent in the office and some time spent working remotely (from home).

There will be in office working at the start and end of the internship, and at other times by mutual agreement between interns and their assigned desk officer. Accommodation will be provided on-site at Shrivenham, for no cost, during periods that interns are expected in the office.

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 and this should be reflected in your application.

To apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter before 19 March 2022.

After a paper sift, shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in April and successful candidates informed by 30 April 2022.

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 and residency restrictions that may apply. You will need to have the right to work in the UK and have a UK bank account and National Insurance number.