Internship guidelines 2011
This programme funds SCCS delegates from developing countries and eastern Europe to spend up to one month after the conference working on a conservation research project with a UK-based NGO, agency or university department. It will not fund delegates who are settled in or on a scholarship in Western Europe, North America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or any developed (High Income) country regardless of their country of origin. Interns must attend the conference. Please view the appendix before applying as we will consider anyone from Lower Income (LIC), Lower Middle Income (LMC) and Upper Middle Income (UMC) countries for our internship programme.
How to apply
Applicants need to contact a UK-based conservation organisation or research group themselves. We do not supply names of organisations, universities or research groups who could act as hosts. We cannot respond to email requests to source or set up internship placements.- What you need to do:
- Contact a UK-based conservation organisation or research group you would like to be hosted by. Discuss your project with them, agree on its aims and what it is likely to achieve.
- Find a contact person at the host organisation who wishes to be responsible for your internship.
- Look at the questions in the internship section of the application form and draft the answers. Discuss these with the contact person at your host organisation and finalise all of the answers with them.
- Only when you have done this and have the full agreement of the host should you complete the online application form, answering ALL of the questions.
- Provide only ONE host name and ONE email address for the host's representative.
- Make sure that the host organisation knows the date when you plan to submit your application so that they can ensure that they approve it before 31 October 2010.
- Once you have submitted your online application, we will ask the contact person at your host organisation whether they support it and ask them about its value and chances of success. Applicants need to have an agreed host organisation and an outline of the work they will do during their internship period, submitted by 24th October 2010. This is to allow time for the host organisation to add their comments to the internship application.
Project scope
- Applicants must present an outline of the project or piece of work they intend to do during their month at the host organisation. Eligible projects include:
- analysing data
- designing a study
- writing a research proposal
- detailed library research, provided it has clear aims and outputs
- preparing a policy document
- learning a new technique
- attending a training course
- producing a paper for publication
It is important that visiting the UK host organisation should significantly enhance the intern's work - for example because it enables access to advice, training or resources. Eligible hosts include any conservation-oriented NGOs or agencies, or university-based conservation research groups, anywhere in the UK - what's important for us is that the host is as committed as you are to making the project succeed.
Commitments
- When an internship is awarded SCCS agrees to:
- Pay the intern's costs of return travel to the UK, including visa costs, from their home country for attending the conference.
- Pay an allowance of £250 per week for accommodation and food for up to 4 weeks and travel costs within the UK to the internship location. If other costs are incurred by the intern, additional funding should be sought by the intern or the host organisation.
- Coordinate logistic and travel arrangements.
- Host organisations agree to:
- Provide assistance with finding suitable accommodation.
- Provide facilities, advice and any supervision needed.
- Help with any expenses not covered by the internship (see above).
- Complete a brief feedback form.
- Interns agree to:
- Attend SCCS for the full three days.
- Carry out their project to the best of their ability.
- Submit a short report on the work done during their internship within one month after it ends.
- Complete a brief feedback form.
Application procedure
Applications which falsely claim to have the agreement of the host organisation will be rejected. Your internship application will only be considered if you apply to attend the conference as well, using the online application forms. If you are eligible for the SCCS bursary scheme you may apply for a bursary on the same form. In the event that your internship application is unsuccessful, it may still be that you are awarded a bursary to attend the conference. Remember - the only information we have for judging your internship application is what you write on your form, so make sure that your application form describes clearly what you want to do, why you want to do it, and your experience and interests.As with the general conference applications, we will inform everyone about their internship application in late-November.
Internship applicants need to submit online applications by 24 October 2010 and host organisations need to complete their part of the application by 31 October 2010.
