Internship opportunity in the Economic Social and Trade Policy Team at British Embassy Rome

An opportunity to experience economic policy and diplomacy in action. The Economic Social and Trade Policy Team (ESTP) team of the British Embassy in Rome is seeking an intern for a period of six months starting in the second half of March 2024. The internship requires working on average six hours per day (h. 9-17) and at least three days per week as in the office, with the remaining days possible as remote working - the intern will receive an office laptop. The main working language is English.

The Team is responsible for monitoring and reporting on developments in the Italian economy and leads on work related to the economic relationship between the UK and Italy, as well  as  areas  of  policy  including  health, labour,  welfare,  education,  agriculture and  public administration. It works closely with UK government departments including Treasury, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, the Department for International Trade, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and Department for Health amongst others. Customers in the UK administration are strongly interested in all aspects of the Italian economy, ranging from the macro-economic outlook, developments in specific industrial sectors, and changes in Italian government policy.

The Team also supports official visits by members of the UK government, bilateral meetings between representatives of the UK and Italian governments, and organises events in relevant areas. These require the team’s involvement in preparing briefings and ensuring their smooth running.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSABILITIES:

• Monitoring Italian media and institutional sources and identifying relevant economic policy issues based on the section’s priority themes.
• Contributing to reports on the main developments in the Italian economy and economic policy, including by supporting analysis on economic trends and developments.
• Providing administrative and logistic support for the delivery of high-level UK visits and/or events organised by the ESTP Team.
• Maintaining and updating the Team’s contact database.
• Attending briefings and conferences, and drafting the follow-up reports to share with UK government contacts.
• Taking part in a wide range of embassy activities and events.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

• Strong economics background. Experience in political sciences also desirable.
• Fluent spoken and written English.
• Good IT skills: ability to perform basic economic data analysis on MS Excel, draft MS Word texts and help prepare PowerPoint presentations.
• Organisational and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritise the tasks assigned.
• Ability to work independently but also as part of a highly dynamic team.
• Please note that applications from students who have finished all their coursework/exams are strongly preferred.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

The ‘tirocinio curriculare’ is only intended for for current students only (triennale e magistrale) who want to engage in on-the-job training activities as part of their education/studies. The candidate will have to go through a selection process by way of an interview, both written and oral. Only applicants who are currently enrolled as students with an Italian university for the entire duration of the internship are eligible to apply.

Candidates must be students at an Italian university that has a partnership agreement (Convenzione di Tirocinio) with the British Embassy setting out the arrangements including tutoring, health & safety and insurance cover. Students should enquire with the internship department (Ufficio Tirocini) at their relevant university prior to applying to find out if a formal agreement with the British Embassy in Rome already exists. No application can be accepted if the university does not have such an agreement with the Embassy.

The intern will be granted a number of credits (crediti formativi) as indicated by the university.

The internship is not a work contract and as such is not paid. However, the Embassy will pay the intern an allowance of €350 per month. This amount is not subject to tax under current local legislation. The intern will be expected to work an average of 30 hours per week, Monday to Friday, within the range of 9.00 am – 5pm. Some degree of flexibility is expected, mostly in case of seminars and events. Flexibility is ensured by the Embassy to accommodate the intern’s need in case of university exams or personal reasons.

Other administrative details are set out in the university ‘progetto formativo’ to be signed once appointed to the internship.

Applications (covering letter + CV in English) must be sent through the student’s Sapienza official email address to Italy.Internship@fco.gov.uk, by 16th February 2024. Given the amount of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Please note that applications will have to come through the university abiding by Italian law: DM 142/98. Individual applications not coming through an eligible institution will not be acknowledged or considered for an internship.

Confirmation of the internship is subject to security clearance and professional references with the university.