The Finnish Institute in the Middle East offers two EDUFI internships for Finnish university students each year. The internship lasts five months. An internship at FIME offers an interesting perspective on the institute’s work in the Middle East. The intern actively participates in the organisation of the institute’s events and courses, as well as in communications. In communications, especially the institute’s website and social media channels (Instagram, Facebook) are part of the intern’s job description. In addition, searching writers for the Paikan päältä blog, and compiling and maintaining the digital photo archive are the intern’s jobs. Maintaining the institute’s library is also part of the intern’s duties. The intern can also work as a research assistant.
Apply for an internship
To qualify for an internship, you must be a master’s student at a Finnish or foreign university or have just graduated from one with studies related to the Middle East, e.g. in the field of social science, humanities, theology or art. Excellent spoken and written Finnish language skills, and good English language skills are required. Arabic skills and previous experience in the Middle East, communications, social media, and experience in organising events are considered an advantage for those applying. However, the most important thing is a positive and proactive attitude.
Application for the intership takes place through the Finnish National Agency for Education. Application dates for spring and fall internships and information on places to apply for are announced on FNAE’s website.
“Creativity and versatility have been things that I have particularly enjoyed during my training. I worked as a course assistant in three different courses, and was part of a stusent course to Istanbul. The course was certainly one of the most rewarding experiences of the fall, thanks to the great group, the interesting course program and the always so beautiful Istanbul. In addition, I have been able to do multifaceted communication, from website and social media content production to hosting two podcast episodes and palnning the institute’s presentation video.” – Sara Kezia Heinonen, intern 2021
“My internship at FIME has confirmed my desire to continue my career in research. The institute has thankfully allowed me time to plan my own projects and participate in interesting events and conferences in Lebanon. For example, I went olive picking in Bart village and made a post about it on FIME’s Instagram. I participated in demonstrations with my Lebanese friends every day for the first week and wrote a story about the events of the first days on the Paikan päältä blog. With the institute’s camera, I have had the opportunity to develop my skills as a photographer, and I have carried the camera with me when traveling in Lebanon.” – Evelina Sironen, intern 2019
