Internship positions - Montesquieu Institute

In order to fulfil the internship positions, the Montesquieu Institute is looking for:

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  Academic students (also applies for the position of student assistent): Motivated BA and MA students, who study international/European law, constitutional law, public law, political science, public management, history, European studies or communication science.
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  Students of Higher Vocational Education institutes: Motivated students within Higher Vocational Education, who study international law, history, European law and policy, public management or journalism.

Students are expected to be able to prove that they have studied several aspects of the EU and its institutions. Journalism students must be far advanced in their study programme, so that they are able to perform informational activities and to draw up documents independently.

The Montesquieu Institute offers both trainee and employment positions in a dynamic and academic environment in the centre of the Dutch and European political and parliamentary world. As the activities of the Montesquieu Institutes will extent, intensive contact with Dutch and European universities and research institutes, parliaments of several EU member states, the European Parliament (EP), the European Commission (EC) and other European institutions will be sought.

Internship possibility for a research project at the Montesquieu Institute

The MI offers graduate students in public administration, political sciences and European Studies the possibility to participate in a research project focusing on political and social agenda setting. This research examines the long term developments concerning the political attention to certain policies or political themes. The research project consists of a comparison of different countries as well as a focus on the European level.  

The research consists of a theoretical and methodological approach and the collecting of empirical data guided by a supervisor. Under some conditions participation in this project can be combined with a master thesis project. Each research project will be conducted in small groups with a project supervisor.

Participation in this research project will take up 15 to 20 hours each week. Working hours are flexible which allows a combination of work and study.  The internship will last at a minimum of 3 months. In addition it is also possible to participate in this project after graduation, as part of a working experience focused on research.  Financial compensation for participation in this research project is available.

More information on the international research project of political agenda setting can be found here.

Editorial websites

PDC one of the partners of Montesquieu Institute, is responsible for editing MI's website and intranet. In addition PDC manages a central database on European issues and Parliament (both Dutch and European), frequently used for the MI site. To view the sites, visit www.europa-nu.nl and www.parlement.com. Interns will take on a role in the editorial team, working in the central database. They will process, code, and encrypt daily news, current issues, and background information via a content management system. 

Concrete activities can include:

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  coding and encrypting related policy areas to incoming news on Europe and related national political and social developments
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  writing short, summarized news articles
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  customizing and re-writing editorial dossiers
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  bringing to the attention historical and background dossiers that are missing or lacking information, and thereby collecting information on these subjects and making new (digital) dossiers. 

Supporting educational activities and conferences 

The MI organizes both independent and cooperative conferences, symposia, master classes, summer schools, and lecture series. Interns can be involved by helping to organize these activities, and in following helping to implement them.

Supporting research activities

Interns can also be involved with research tasks, though within limited amounts. At the moment there are a few different research projects under way. More information about this can be found under the heading Research. The possibility to involve an intern in one of these projects is dependent on the phase of the research and from the location it stems from. Your request can be brought to the attention of the researcher in charge. 

General requirements

Students are expected to possess the following qualities:

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  Be able and willing to work both independently and in a team
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  Perform both scientific and organisational activities
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  Have a critical view on Europe
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  Be both Diplomatic and assertive
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  Be fluent in Dutch and English (writing, reading and speaking) and preferably in a third European language

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  The duration of an internship is a minimum of 4 months, 32 hours per week
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  The intern will be given a work contract and receive reimbursement
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  The intern will be assigned a supervisor,  a staff member of the MI
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  The intern and their university study program are responsible for the management of the internship evaluation and/or thesis
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  Internship evaluations and theses may be published on the MI website if they are eligible to enter the Montesquieu Awards prizes
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  The location of the internship is at the MI office in the The Hague (for research internships the location may vary) 

Are you interested in an internship position at the MI? Please send us your motivation letter and CV to, info@montesquieu-instituut.nl