Internship Policy :

A comprehensive review of Ministry’s internship policy published in August 2016 has been undertaken with an aim to bring in more focus on MEA; provide more value to the interns; ensure better gender inclusivity and increase diversity in terms of qualifications and domicile amongst the cohort of interns engaged by the Ministry. No change in existing policy for internships at Missions / Posts abroad is proposed under this review.

Eligibility

2. Internships at MEA headquarters shall be open to Indian citizens with a minimum educational qualification of a graduate degree , BE / Btech ( all Branches ) from a recognized university and a maximum age of 25 years as on 31 December of the year of internship.

Intake and duration

2. Every year, internships will be offered in two terms of six months each viz. January – June and July – December. A maximum of thirty interns will be engaged by the Ministry during each term. Each intern will be engaged for a maximum period of three months.

Diversity

2. In line with the goal of taking the Ministry and foreign policy closer to the people from all parts of the country, all efforts will be made to ensure increased diversity amongst the group of interns in each term with respect to gender, underprivileged sections, geographical domicile and representation from both urban and rural areas. Youngsters from districts under the Transformation of Aspirational Districts Programme (TADP) shall be given priority in the selection process.

Selection

2. The selection process will be fully online at www.internship.mea.gov.in with applications, scrutiny, selection, allocation of Division, notification, extension and certification to be managed on a dedicated internship portal of the Ministry. Each candidate needs to register on the internship portal and obtain access credentials to participate in the process.
3. The selection process will consist of two stages viz. Preliminary Screening and Personal Interview. The process will follow a ‘quota cum weightage’ system whereby applicants belonging to 14 States and 4 Union Territories will be considered in each term as per the table below:

Term States Union Territories

7. As per the above table, in each term, there may be 2 interns from each of the 14 States and 2 interns from the 4 Union Territories put together, with 30% – 50% being filled by women candidates. Weightage will be based on academic performance assessed by percentage of marks obtained in +2 and graduation exams.

8. Candidates should apply online. State-wise merit lists will be prepared – separately for male and female candidates – by elimination based on academic performance in +2 and graduation exams. Priority will be given to applicants from TADP districts. The total number of candidates called for interview will be three times the interns to be engaged in each term.
9. Candidates selected in the merit lists will be called for personal interview to be conducted by videoconferencing. A maximum of 30 candidates will be selected from the interview process and offered internships. If any selected candidates opt out, the next candidates in the merit list will be offered the opportunity.

Honorarium and air fare

8. An honorarium of INR 10,000 per month will be paid to each intern to defray basic costs. Cost of one-time to and fro air travel subject to a ceiling of the prevailing economy class air fare between the State capital and Delhi, from the domicile State or from the college / university of the selected candidates will be provided. The interns would be responsible for their board and lodging in Delhi during the period of their internship.

Obligations of the intern

8. The internship programme provides an introduction to the process of formulation of foreign policy and its implementation by the Government of India. Interns will be assigned specific topics of work by the concerned Head of Division (HOD) and may be required to conduct research, write reports, analyze evolving developments or carry out any other task entrusted to them by the HOD.
9. At the end of the internship, each intern shall submit a detailed report on the work carried out and, if required, make a presentation on it. The outcome of study during the internship will remain as intellectual property of the Ministry of External Affairs and interns shall not use it without prior approval of the Ministry. The intern shall maintain full confidentiality and secrecy of any information relating to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Termination of internship

• Selection to the internship programme at the Ministry of External Affairs is strictly subject to necessary security clearances. The Ministry may terminate the engagement of an intern at any point in time as it deems fit, without giving any reason. Decision of the Ministry shall be final in this regard. An intern can choose to terminate the internship giving prior notice of one week to the Ministry.